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AN ODE TO DUNKIN’S SUGAR RAISED: THE SILENT DISAPPEARANCE OF A STAPLE

  It’s no McRib in that in Dr. Frankenstein’s of the food corporate world resurrect it annually nor is it the Choco Taco that went away with much fanfare leaving behind more than a few broken hearts. No, Dunkin’s sugar raised donut became a beloved item by embracing simplicity. How best to describe it? It’s not hard. Think of the glazed donut with the sugar used on the jelly donut. That was all it was and that was all it needed to be. It was the perfect offering for when you just wanted a simple donut with added sugar. Looking back, my favorite donut said a lot about me as a child. My palette for dessert was simple. Soda was generally not brought into my home, I only ever saw Coke or Pepsi in our fridge when my parents were expecting company, and fast food was a rarity. No wonder I never developed a throbbing sweet tooth. Nonetheless, Dunkin Donuts was a frequent stop for my father who needed his caffeine before heading out to the construction site. I still recall our little in...
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GLASGOW: A TALE OF TWO CITIES

  Glasgow I will need to revisit. I saw too little of it, but what I saw made me want to get to know it more. I arrived too late in the day to appreciate the city’s pulse and with little time to explore. What I did observe are its differences from Edinburgh, its rival for the title of Scotland’s “true” city. Glasgow is the new city with a preference for the cosmopolitan. The Holiday Inn Glasgow on West Nile St., where I stayed, was surrounded by departments stores, a movie theater and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The night of my arrival, I found a hip Italian restaurant within walking distance from the hotel, ASK Italian and the night before my departure visited a more rustic Italian diner, DiMaggio’s, neighboring the hotel. But to the question, though, which city represents the real Scotland? I thread here with hesitation as a visitor and one that saw far too little of Glasgow at that. What I can say is that these questions come up often when the city of national icons and ...
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LOCH LOMOND, LOCH NESS: HISTORY AND LEGEND

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  Two of the most beautiful lakes in the world are in the Scottish Highlands. They are also two of the most storied. Loch Lomond serves as the unofficial boundary between the Highlands and Central Scotland and has lent itself to national folklore for over 150 years. In 1841 Loch Lomond was cemented into Scottish identity and pride when it was celebrated in the ballad “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond”. The writer of the ballad is unknown as is the true meaning of the song, but speculation brings to light a nation’s struggles. One theory simply attributes the lyrics to a soldier reminiscing about his beloved homeland while awaiting execution by the enemy’s hand. A more specific reading interprets the song as a narrative of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Loch Ness has also become synonymous with national identity and folklore. Its beauty alone should justify its fame but, for over a century, it has been the home of the legendary Loch Ness monster known by the locals as Nessie. Offic...
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SCOTLAND’S NATURAL BEAUTY

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  If an aspect of Scotland’s rich heritage draws as much fascination as its legendary castles, it’s the natural beauty. Scotland’s nature and its history are one, after all, the beauty of the former cloaked in the legends and mystery of its past. The Highlands bore as much witness to the nation’s growth as did its ruins. Of the animals that inhabit the Scottish woodlands I saw mostly the red deer, but on the 24 th of October I arrived at Chanonry Point hoping to see the bottlenose dolphins that frolic on its shore. The day started out misty and I had much driving planned. With wildlife a viewing is never guaranteed and on its own terms. My own time was limited so I arrived with adjusted expectations. Sure enough, I saw neither dolphin nor seal, which Chanonry Point is also known for. Nonetheless, visiting a place shared by some of the marvelous creatures we share the world taps on primal energy. True to Scotland’s love of rotaries, the viewing points of Chanonry form a circle ...
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SCOTLAND’S PINK CASTLE AND THE WONDERS OF ABERDEENSHIRE

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  I did not have a chance to tour the interior of Craigievar Castle, as I arrived in the off-season. It was regrettable but did not dampen my visit to the castle as, even from the outside, Craigievar is among Scotland’s most unique castles. Newer than many, with a construction starting in the late 16 th century and then a spruce up by William Forbes in the 1620s, the castle has stood more or less intact for four hundred years. Of course, his descendants, who resided in the castle until the mid-20th century, did much to preserve it and the surrounding land. More recently, Craigievar Castle has undergone extensive restoration by National Trust for Scotland which entailed preservation measures for its artifacts and its structure. Most importantly, the volunteers and trustees restored the castle to its distinct pink shade which has made it an icon since the early 19 th century when the Forbes family painted over the original off-white with that warm shade of tonal vibrancy. From th...
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LOCH TUMMEL, BRAEMAR AND BALMORAL

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  In 2017, while visiting Joshua Tree, a ranger lamented to me the difficulty the park had attracting the casual nature lover as the desert lacks the icons that have become emblematic of national parks such as snow-capped mountains. But the beauty of eco-tourism is that no two places are alike. Nature’s landscapes are as varied as our world is big and the rewards of nature are in its very biodiversity. This also means that there is no place quiet like the forests of New England in autumn. But if a place comes close, it’s Scotland’s Loch Tummel, a stunning woodland with views…well, fit for a Queen. Visitors can make up their own minds if the Queen memorialized in the breathtaking ‘Queen’s View’ is Queen Isabel who fled to the forest after her husband, Robert the Bruce, was defeated at the Battle of Methven in 1306 or Queen Victoria who visited the park in 1866. In either case, the sight, the loch swirling through the Glencoe Mountains, embodies the mystic beauty of the Scottish co...
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LILINTHGOW, DUNKELD AND THE HERMITAGE

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  The morning of October 21 st began with planning the drive to the Hermitage through Dunkeld with awe-inspiring vistas of the Scottish countryside. But I had to visit Linlithgow Palace before departing the Edinburgh area. Linlithgow was, after all, the residence of Scottish royalty from the 15 th to the 17 th century when the Scottish crowns left for England. After falling into neglect in the 18 th century, the palace has since been revived as one of the most popular destinations in Scotland. It’s construction was a group effort started by the English occupation as a post between Edinburgh and Sterling Castle in 1301. Throughout 1302, the King’s soldiers as well as 200 civilians were hired to build the ditches. This palace was largely finished a year before the arrival of Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of Edward I (founder and visionary of the castle) to give birth. Nine years later Scotland would regain the castle in a battle tactic that can only be called Homerian. A fami...
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