This review is more sentimental than anything. I reckon that it was my first time ever setting foot in a donut store. It is crazy that this Country Style store is still kicking around after all these years.
This eatery is where Kingston Road and Queen Street East meet briefly. When you are on Kingston Road and cross Queen Street East heading southwest, the street becomes Eastern Avenue. I tend to take this route when I am backroading it downtown. It's also a nice way to cut through my old neighbourhood of the Beaches and get nostalgic.
I was four years old. I was in junior kindergarten at a school roughly six blocks east of this donut store. I remember that our class did a school outing over to this donut store.
When I look back at this outing, it was quite a bold move:
- Two teachers chaperoning perhaps 25 little students is quite the handful
- They needed to make sure that we had our shoes and coats on, which isn't an easy feat, especially with reluctant kids
- A ten-minute walk here would be double that time, at least, for kids with smaller strides
I frankly feel like these teachers needed a break themselves. They needed caffeine and a sugary snack to deal with us for the rest of the day. So, it became our school outing.
I don't remember the entire walk over. I may have had pretty good endurance then. My mom took me to school. We always walked it. It was also a six-block walk, which was longer in comparison, with Kew Gardens spanning a massive block itself.
I remember walking into the store and looking at the donuts. The chocolate glazed donuts and the ones with sprinkles on top immediately caught my attention.
I couldn't tell you what I got. Maybe that's why I am not obsessed with donuts. I like them here and there. I don't dream about them.
My parents and I came here a few years later when my dad got his driver's licence and a car. I have always been a fan of their crueller. I still love it.
This donut store is in a plaza that has seen other businesses come and go, including a Hasty Market. It includes the Greenwood Racetrack across the street. It got demolished over two decades ago in favour of housing and a new neighbourhood in the Beaches.
I knew peers who worked here after school. I don't think they were scarred by the experience. They seemed to have turned out fine.
I should check the place out and buy a donut the next time I'm back in the area. I can afford it now that I'm not four years of age and work.
Perhaps this early childhood experience is one reason why I like snacks and fast food. A lot of my elementary school outings were food-related. Nice!
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