Sunday, June 22, 2014

Rick Podowski's Favorite Food--Donuts


At the end of Murder Before the Bell, Rick penned an essay on his favorite food. 

There are only two types of American donut eaters. The Neanderthal drives up to the local convenience store, goes over to the coffee machine and fills his Styrofoam cup with the artificially prepared cappuccino mix, and buys the first donut he sees. He grabs a donut off the counter, pays, runs to his truck and as he stuffs the treat in his mouth, the crumbs fall on his dirty T-shirt. The other type of American who truly understands the significance of donuts, engages in a three-step process to true ecstasy-mental vision, sensual delight, and reflection.

First, he envisions the type of donut he desires. Is it going to be a light sweet donut from Krispy Kreme or a heavy cake donut from Manley's? One word of caution, if the vision is one of a low fat donut from the boxes at Safeway, then the donut eater is in need of serious therapy. After envisioning the type of donut desired, the next step is to drive to the donut shop. I should add that under no circumstances should serious donut eater buy one from a convenience store and certainly not from the Central High School cafeteria.

Visual

The minute you enter a donut shop the sight of all the donuts overwhelm your visual sense and then the sense of smell kicks in as delicacies such as cake donuts covered with milk chocolate, maple bars bursting with custard, and apple fritters swathed with sugar toppings emit odors that pass through the air to your nose. Pick your favorite kind.

Sensual

The next step in this process is to pour a cup of black coffee in a paper or ceramic cup and to introduce a splash of cream. Lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, and specialty drinks are to be avoided since they destroy the flavor of the donuts.

Reflection

Finally, sit down and raise the donut to the mouth, and take a small bite. While chewing, reflect on the flavors of the topping, the texture of the donut, and the aroma. The true donut eater will remain in a state of ecstasy until finished. 
As Homer Simpson once said, "Donuts. Is there anything they can't do?"



Rick Podowski and the Hefty Trio a group of four middle-aged overweight high school English teachers fight to save their friend accused of murdering the school principal. The story begins when Rick arrives at Central High School and sees the administration building engulfed in flames. Later, the police discover the charred body of the principal and as the police start to gather evidence to frame the acting principal, Rick and the Hefty Trio start their own inquiry. They discover that their friend and the principal are both involved in illegal activities with a former South Vietnamese Colonel who runs a language school on the campus every Sunday. The community loves the Colonel and is unaware that he owns a house of prostitution in the neighborhood and employs a local Mexican gang for security. A rival gang wants part of the action. The excitement continues as Rick and the Hefty Trio while working to solve the mystery indulge in gourmet Mexican, Irish, Italian and Polish dishes from their ethnic heritages, paired with unique wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.