Going Back

Recently, my brother posted a blog about memories of growing up in Wolcott, Connecticut.

I, too, have many memories of growing up in Wolcott, many similar to the ones he mentioned, though not all the memories are good.

But there is one good memory that stands out.

Sometimes, on the way home from church on Sundays, we would take the back way home and in so doing, we would pass a Dunkin Donuts store at the end of Lakewood Road at North Main Street in Waterbury. This was before Dunkin Donuts became famous for being a coffee place and there weren't that many around. ( I don't think that particular store is around any more--it was across from the Burger Chef (the fast food place we went to before we had McDonalds)).

Occasionally, we would even stop at Dunkin Donuts.

It was at Dunkin Donuts that I learned the term baker's dozen, which meant if you bought 12 you got one free.

Dunkin Donuts originated in the nearby state of Massachusetts, and for many years was generally a regional chain. After moving from away from the Northeast, this brand eventually faded from memory.

Until 2010.

In 2010 we visited Thailand to begin to explore the country to which we would soon be moving.  We traveled around a lot, by just about every means of transportation possible (not by choice, it was just that's how we got to the places we were going.)  One of those trips brought us to the Northern Bus Station in Bangkok.  We were looking for the vans to Lopburi, and fortunately there was someone who knew a little Thai with us, because there were almost no signs in English.

Except this one:

I was amazed to see a Dunkin Donuts in Thailand as we did not even have them in California.  We did not have much time, so I only paused long enough to take this photo.

In Thailand there are two major donut brands: Mister Donut and Dunkin Donuts.  For many years now, these brands have both been owned by the same corporation.Mister Donut is far more common in Thailand, and franchises can be found at shopping centers even in small towns like Phon Phisai, where we currently live.

For many years I hardly ate donuts, but since moving to Thailand, we will occasionally stop at a Mister Donut for a morning coffee break.

To get to a Dunkin Donuts, we have to go to the larger city of Nong Khai, where there are two outlets in two different shopping centers across the street from each other.  Last week, as I walked past one, I noticed a somewhat familiar looking sight:

This looked somewhat familiar, like the Boston Creme donuts that were my favorite as a child.  I looked at the label and sure enough, there were the words, in English, "Boston Creme."

A few days later we had to go back to Nong Khai, so I dared to get a Boston Creme donut to see if it was anything like I remember.  They say that memories can be tricky, and can even change with time.  It's probably been 40 years since I had one of these, so my comparison may be bit off.

First, the most obvious, the chocolate.  The donuts I remember from youth did not have a full covering of chocolate on top, like this one.  It was also creamier. (Eating Nutella actually brings back memories of that chocolate.) This chocolate was a bit hard, which may be a good thing, given the climate here.  Flavor is okay, but certainly something I can pass on.

The donut.  The donut is a bit chewier than the ones we had growing up.  But I actually prefer that. So that, for me, is a positive difference.

The creme.  The thing I really liked about the Boston Creme donuts as a child was the filling.  The filling in this donut was a big letdown.  Reminds me of the vanilla pudding you buy prepacked and ready to eat.

There is a saying, "you can never go back."  I don't know the context of the original saying, but for me it means that over time places and circumstances you remember have changed and you have changed, so that things or places you once thought you could never leave behind you now no longer want to go back to, or, if you could go back, it would not be the same.

Unlike my brother, who has kept in touch with many of his high school classmates, I have kept in touch with only one, and even that one I lost track of about 6 years ago.  My high school memories are generally not that wonderful.  I don't have a desire to walk those halls again. 

The one thing that sticks out to me from the end of my high school years is being rescued.  Rescued from depression.  Rescued from misery.  Rescued from the darkness I felt inside.  Rescued when I discovered that no matter how miserable I thought I was, Jesus loved me enough to give up his life so that I might have life.

Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Rome, "For while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly."  (Romans 5:6, NET)  That was me. Ungodly.  Helpless to do anything about it.  I've been rescued from that and I don't want to go back.  I'll treasure the positive memories and leave the rest behind.

As for the donuts,  I'll stick with the memories and not eat these Boston Creme donuts in Thailand any more (though maybe on my next trip back to New England, I'll give them a try).