Goin' down to the crossroads, got my donut right by my side

This past weekend, Blognut was in Clarksdale, Mississippi. So it was inevitable that before long I ended up at the intersection of Highway 61 (yes, like the Dylan album) and Route 49. Or as the local board of tourism calls it, the Crossroads, the intersection of legend where bluesman Robert Johson is said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for becoming, arguably, the most important musician of all time.

But as any respectable blues historian will tell you, Johnson would certainly not have made his pact at a busy intersection like this. For such Satanic negotiations are generally handled in remote locations, free of potential witness. And while I agree that the union of 61 and 49 probably wasn't the infamous "Crossroads," I would like to pose a new theory as to why not.

You see, the one thing more enticing than eternal guitar proficiency, is a mouthful of Donut. And sitting quietly on the South East corner of the intersection is a ragged little shop called Delta Donut. So even if Johnson had intended on selling his soul at this well-travled locale, he would have certainly rescheduled - and instead walked in to Delta, ordering a plain-glazed and a pretzel Donut. Because seriously, how many Donut shops have a Donut shaped like a pretzel?! And I'm sure some would argue that Delta Donut wasn't in existence until long after RJ's death. But's let's not get bogged down in the facts. We'll leave that for the historians.

So in an effort to relive the "real" Robert Johnson story, I stroll into Delta and order a plain-glazed and a pretzel Donut.

Now one thing Blognut has noticed about indie Donut shops (our beloved Spudnuts included), is that often times their product comes out of the fryer hexagonally. Maybe back in the day there was an affordable mom-and-pop-friendly Donut machine that grew tired of geometrical simplicity and instead opted for six sides. Who knows? Actually, I guess I should know since I'm the Blognut. I'll get back to you on this.

Plain-glazed in rental car.

But yes, the glazed is a perfect hexagon (sort of). And I love it. Just like Spudnuts, the dough is soft and impressionable, with a tinge of cinnamon. A thin layer of glaze is careful not to oversweeten, while the Donut's scaled-down stature leaves me craving another. I start in on the pretzel Donut. As expected, it's composed of the same cinnamon-spiked yeast dough as was the glazed, but is even more satisfying thanks to the innovative shape. Just for fun I imagine dressing my pretzel up with a pinch of rock salt and a stream of French's, but that would be disgusting.

I leave Delta Donut happy and full, wondering how anyone could play the blues after such an uplifting and fulfilling dining experience.

Donut Scores:

Plain-glazed -

Pretzel Donut -