Last week was an interesting week for me.

• I missed my stop on the commuter rail and had to ride to the end of the route and ride back. It was only an extra hour on the train. The Good News: the conductor didn't charge me for the extra ride.

• I sent the Wednesday Weblog on Thursday, thinking it was Wednesday. Several people were confused because they thought that Thursday was Wednesday because of my mistake. New Idea: I might send it out on a Tuesday to see what happens.

• The cover of the driver's side mirror on my car was knocked off in a car wash several weeks ago, and with Yankee ingenuity, I put it back on with a little strip of black duct tape. The dealer indicated that I needed to replace the entire mirror at a cost of $774, plus $150 to paint it. Solution: I will change the duct tape weekly so it always looks good.

• I pre-ran the route of the BAA Half-Marathon in advance of the real race on November 13th and got lost. Five times. Let me put that in a sentence: I got lost 5 times on a 13-mile run in a section of Boston where getting lost is not a good idea. The Good News: I made it back in one piece. During the race itself, I plan to follow other runners.

• After a meeting of a Board I belong to, we went to a post-event dinner in the heart of Chinatown in Boston. At an 'Asian fusion' restaurant, I had Monkey Chicken Wings as an appetizer and then Baja Fish Tacos for dinner. I know. The wings were better than the tacos. Not sure, still, what kind of monkeys have wings. Not sure about having Baja Fish Tacos in Chinatown. Maybe that is what the word 'fusion' means?

In Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is an important part of our collective culture, kind of like the Pilgrims and Plymouth rock, just more recent and more important.

I am a loyal Dunkin customer by my heritage and taste buds. Recently there was some big news about a big change locally, and I am sharing the shocking news below.

The news got me thinking about why I like Dunkin more than Starbucks, and I jotted down a few reasons for your review.

Founding: Of course, part of the reason I am a Dunkin aficionado is that the company's first location was in Quincy, Massachusetts, and as you will learn below from the article in the Boston Globe, the state has 'several' locations. I am not an aficionado about many things, but I am on this one.

Tasting: The coffee is really a 'taste of Massachusetts' rather than a 'taste of Seattle.' If I could use the phrase that Starbucks 'puts hair on your chest' without being criticized, I would. Dunkin tastes like coffee, Starbucks like muddy water, at least to me.

Baking: I think of Starbucks is an invading entity with 100% frozen-and-thawed food. That's right, it all comes in on a truck and is thawed in store. Dunkin products are made fresh. The larger locations have bakeries, the smaller locations are delivered fresh baked goods every morning before you wake up. I know for a fact that Red Lobster, for example, won't come into New England because they feel their product line is inferior to what is offered here. Starbucks should take the hint.

Gifting: Over the years, I've received several Starbucks Gift Cards at holidays or for recognition of a job well done, and I always give them away. (Melissa, I have another one for you.) On the other hand, I definitely use the Dunkin Gift Cards I receive. (Hint, hint).

Hiding: I have been desperate enough to visit a Starbucks of my own volition (is there a phrase that goes 'your volition' instead of 'my own volition?) when I needed Wi-Fi or refuge from rain or snow, or I was meeting someone who had to have a Starbucks. I always lay low so no one will recognize me.

Ordering: Dunkin invented a way to order coffee that I like. Their innovative sizes are called 'small', 'medium', 'large' and 'extra-large'. How original! This type of sizing makes a lot of sense to me, instead of whatever it is that those sizes are called at Starbucks.

Consulting: Earlier in my 'consulting' career, I actually advised a chain of 80 stores in Florida that were eventually converted to Starbucks. I rarely drank the coffee but enjoyed seeing all the people who paid $6.00 for 55 cents worth of coffee. You've got to give credit to both chains for grossly overpricing their product. Starbucks is grosser.

Dunking: The chain is not named after someone named Dunkin. It is named because donut etiquette called for dunking the doughnut in the coffee. It even had a handle. What a cool legacy? Can you imagine if Starbucks was started by dipping a croissant into a latte?

Lighting: Dunkin was very different in the old days, and the seating areas usually had windows on three sides, and they still are a bright place. Back then, there was a snake-like counter with backless stools with napkins and sugar on the counter.  This was in the days before Sweet & Low, Equal, Splenda and other sweeteners were invented.  Starbucks, to me, is like drinking in a basement: they never seem to be well-lit or have windows.  Maybe because the sun never comes out in Seattle, they like to keep it like a cloudy day inside?

Interviewing: As part of my personal interviewing system, the first question that was asked of literally hundreds of applicants over the years was always:

"Dunkin' or Starbucks and why?"

A great question to learn about the character of the candidate. Maybe. It also relaxed them a little bit and made the interview a little less stressful-try it. Those who answered 'Starbucks' had a big hill to climb.

All this irrelevant information is to prepare you to read the following article from the Boston Globe.

Dunkin Desert

From the Boston Globe

Stow, Mass., lost its two Dunkin’s, becoming a ‘Dunkin’ desert’   How will they survive?

By Susannah Sudborough

September 12, 2022

A town in Massachusetts without a Dunkin’. Can you believe it?

To quote Matt Shearer of WBZ News Radio, Stow has lost both of its Dunkin’ locations as of this year, turning it into a “Dunkin’ desert.”

With 1,073 Dunkin’ locations in the state, it’s a shocking development. Massachusetts has 351 municipalities, meaning that the average town in the state has three Dunkin’ locations.

Residents in Stow now have to travel to nearby Dunkin’s in Maynard, Hudson, or Bolton, the closest of which is a whopping three miles from the center of Stow.

In his reporting on this local tragedy, Shearer spoke to some Stow residents, who reacted as any New Englander would.

“Those bastids,” one man said in response to the news.

“Don’t live in Stow anymore,” another told Shearer.

The reactions continued as Shearer’s video was shared over 7,000 times on Twitter and people from across the country shared their condolences for the people of Stow.

“What has the Commonwealth become when a man has to travel more than 500 yards without a Dunkin Donuts? What have we done to ourselves?” one user wrote.

“Stow needs a Berlin Airlift of Dunkin,” another wrote.

Former Massachusetts 4th Congressional District Joe Kennedy III reacted by asking “Who let this happen??”

And Tommy Vietor of Pod Save America, who is from Dedham, took the issue straight to the source, tweeting “We all must #StandwithStow and demand that @dunkindonuts right this wrong.

Dunkin’ emailed a statement to boston.com on the issue Tuesday, saying “The Massachusetts community is at the heart and soul of who we are at Dunkin’ today. We hope we can serve Stow again soon.”

Will the people of Stow survive? It remains to be seen.

And if you’re visiting someone in Stow, remember to bring them some Dunkin’.

So, let me ask you: Dunkin or Starbucks and why?