Sundays and Sugar

There's this vegan food truck here in NYC called The Cinnamon Snail, and up until today I have lusted after them from afar, ogling beautifully Instagrammed pictures on Twitter of decadent, sugary baked goods and plotting my first encounter. Their menu makes my mouth water, with both sweet and savory options, and this morning I woke up to find that they were parked in Union Square, so how could I resist?!

Bear in mind that I just returned last night from being home in Massachusetts for four days, where I baked crumb cake, lemon poppy seed muffins, and devoured almost an entire box of Thin Mints. So this actually couldn't have come at a worse time. Hopefully this means that I've gotten this insatiable need for sugar out of my system and I can go back to craving kale chips and raw cacao macaroons.

So here I was this morning: I showered, threw on some spandex and my sneaks (in an effort to look like I was out being active and not loading up on sugar), and headed down to Union Square. Sunday mornings in New York might be my favorite time, especially now that spring is coming, because everyone who's out and about seems to be enjoying the sun. There's a different kind of vibe, and it always puts a smile on my face.

So I sidled up to The Cinnamon Snail truck and was shocked to see that no one else was in line. I was fully prepared to put in the time and wait for my treats (this picture was taken yesterday) but in this case I guess the early bird gets the worm! I stood, perusing the mountains of donuts, and finally settled on three amazingly beautiful treats: a cinnamon bun, a chocolate cookie glazed donut, and a maple glazed donut with coconut.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm

I sauntered back to my apartment, clutching my bag of donuts, intoxicated by the familiar donutty smell that was wafting into my nostrils. Donuts are intrinsically linked to childhood memories for me, connecting me to people and places that are no longer a part of my life. But the smells – the smells! - bring me back. And that, right there, is one of the things I love about food.

And MAN were these treats scrumptious! I think it's a good thing that the truck is very rarely parked in my neighborhood at a convenient time for me, or else I'd weigh 400 pounds. Lately I've had a strong craving for donuts, and these bad boys really delivered. They tasted just like the donuts of my youth, especially the coconut one, and I now need to compensate with a dinner of veggies, rice, and tofu. And go to the gym tomorrow. But it was so worth it.