“One Munchkin Please”

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to the east coast to see family and friends. While in New England I visited a Dunkin’ Donuts, the chain that provided me with my first restaurant-type job back in high school. During my “Dunk’s” days I learned to love coffee and hate donuts. So here I was, 30 years later, curious about whether or not I’d enjoy a glazed chocolate Dunkin’ Munchkin, once a favorite of mine. When I asked for one chocolate Munchkin however, I was told they did not sell just one – I had to buy a minimum of four.

Now I’m not sure which is worse – the fact that I was not able to purchase just one Dunkin’ Munchkin or that everyone I told the story to thought I was crazy for asking! I pictured sitting at a European café with a pastry similar in size to a Munchkin, sipping a cappuccino or espresso, while here in the U.S. at a Dunkin’ Donuts I’m served a 16-ounce Styrofoam cup of coffee and a pile of Munchkins – all to be consumed in the car. Hmmm.

For the record, one chocolate Dunkin’ Munchkin has 60 calories and three grams of fat (1.5 g of it saturated). Since I already planned to order a 290-calorie egg white and veggie flatbread breakfast sandwich with a better balance of nutrients to sustain me until lunchtime, I thought one little Munchkin would be an acceptable “treat” with a total of just 350 calories to start my day. Not terrible for an on-the-go breakfast while traveling. I definitely didn’t need an additional 240 calories (from 4 Munchkins) as a breakfast “side dish” of sorts. But this is the world we live in. More is better, cheaper and often the only option, at least when it comes to junk food.

Well, I did order four Munchkins (my husband was kind enough to eat the other three…who says chivalry is dead?). And, I discovered I hadn’t missed a thing during my three decades away from donuts of the Dunkin’ variety. I also realized as I related this story to several friends and relatives during our travels that everyone else thought I was a freak for making such a ridiculous request. I guess I should be grateful for yet another indicator of job security as a dietitian, but somehow the whole experience just left me frustrated.

Tags: Fast Food, Portion sizes, Travel food