We all know that members of the police and law enforcement are frequently associated with doughnuts as the greatest stereotype about boys and girls in blue. You have to check the latest TV show or movie starring law enforcement, and the representation will include this particular stereotype.
The question that we want to ask and answer is when this happened. When did police officers become associated with the best donuts in Los Angeles? For instance, the idea is that police officers were frequent customers in the 1950s donut shops, and the general public created a connection that became prominent through media.
But everything is speculation because there is no evidence on how it started. But we are here to answer you this particular question so that you can learn a new fun fact to speak to your friends and family.
The Beginnings
Since donut shops were not part of mass media in the past, the answer is simple. Donut shops were the only places that worked all day and night long, especially when compared with the majority of stores that closed in the early evenings.
So there were two options for law officers that worked night shift if they want to drink quality coffee and have some snack. They either go to donut shops or go to diners.
Since these two options were possible, most officers preferred to visit donut shops instead of diners much more. For those reasons, the idea of police officers and donuts became connected because police officers didn’t want to go to diners and to eat entire meals, but just a regular snack over coffee.
Another important idea is that donuts were served almost instantly, which is another reason for their popularity among law enforcement. Diners required time to prepare foods, and police officer’s duty didn’t allow too much time for waiting and enjoying, especially if there is a sudden case of emergency
Click here if you want to learn more on donuts and their history.
So donuts are more likely to be eaten and enjoyed by them in a fast manner especially when compared with other preferable places that were open 24/7.
Apart from the food and coffee which are primary reasons for police officers connection with donut shops, those are areas that allowed them to sit in climate-controlled places that are a much better solution than sitting in the car and analyzing.
Even those that worked late night shift could find a place to sit down and finish the paperwork, which is a huge part of their job and they can do it in a familiar atmosphere.
Today
Today, we can find numerous places that are opened 24 hours a day, but still, the donut shops are favorite places for law enforcement. During the Boston Marathon Bombings, the only area that wasn’t locked down was a place that sold donuts, with the idea to serve the police.
The new officers due to popular stereotype used this particular generalization and started acting as colleagues before. Even though we live in health conscient world, where sugary snacks are not that popular and healthy anymore, still a few officers do it sneaky or in public without any prejudice.
It doesn’t matter whether a large or small percentage of police officers are visiting donut shops today or not, because some people do, and that particular idea will ensure that this stereotype will survive as time goes by and we cannot do anything about it.
Bonus Fun Fact: Why Do Donuts Have Hole In The Middle?
The truth is that most of us do not know how it all started with holes in donuts. The first tale stated that Captain Hanson Gregory, who was a sailor invented a hole in the donut in 1847 when he was 16.
The classic and most popular shape is ring-shaped donut that features a hole in the middle. Even though the basic ones can highlight various flavors and different toppings, the most popular is the primary sugar glaze coating.
So the leading theory is that Hanson Gregory invents the hole while he was aboard the lime-trading ship. He wasn’t happy with the consistency of the fried cakes that were served among people. Even though the edges and outsides were crisp, in most cases centers were always doughy and greasy.
He suggested creating a hole in the middle of the cakes so that insides could cook evenly as the outside so that it can get crispier than before. That was the reason according to most experts, and the main reason why people are cooking and frying them the same way today.
Check this link: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/06/this-day-in-history-june-22nd-captain-gregory-and-the-invention-of-the-doughnut/ to learn more on this particuar story.
As soon as you place a donut in the fryer, the edges and outsides will finish quickly, due to the idea that you’re exposing them to the hot oil. If you want to cook the insides thoroughly, you will have to leave it for a long time, which means that outside parts will burn.
When you place a hole in the middle, that will allow to both outsides and insides to cook evenly so that you can get a perfect donut. That is the main reason for the hole, and it is not due to aesthetic but for practical purposes.
Today, people are not cutting dough from the round cake, but specific machines will create a round shape without creating a middle part in the first place.