There’s a Starbucks on the ground floor of the building I work in. I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before, but the sheer proximity of the place means that I spend a lot of money on over-roasted coffee. Or, at least, I used to - because about a week ago, they opened a Dunkin’ Donuts almost directly across the street from my building. I went in for the first time this morning. The coffee isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly passable and quite a bit cheaper. Also, while I frequently skip breakfast or eat it at home, their food is better than the food at Starbucks (especially the bagels).

It’s true that I have a slight but definite affinity for Dunkin’ Donuts, apart from all of that. It’s a Massachusetts chain, originally, and I actually worked at one in my hometown when I was in high school. Employment aside, I also spent a lot of time hanging out in or around various Dunkin’ Donutseseses with my friends, because that (for some reason) was our default destination in the absence of other plans. So the orange and pink decor may be awful, but it reminds me of home and of the summer after my senior year, which was a good time to be alive.

That said, I tend to avoid the donuts - I think every former Dunkin’ employee develops a sort of horror of them. Everyone eats entirely too many the first week they work there, and then never feel quite the same way about glazing again. (I have been known to make an exception for the occasional Krispy Kreme.)