Prayers and Medication

1. Dunkies: slang and/or abbreviated version of the loved coffee and doughnut giant Dunkin’ Donuts
1. Mush: Newton townie slang for ones friend or associate. 2. A chick with big hair who smokes Marlboro lights or a guy who works at a gas station, usually residing in Nonantum, MA.

WELCOME! This is the official introduction of the newly redesigned DanielleStewart.com. Thanks for checking it out!

The site was made by the talented and patient Brian Monarch. If you need a website, he gets my highest recommendation. He is extremely easy to work with and an all around cool guy.

As you can see, the site is heavily inspired by Dunkin’ Donuts aka Dunkies, which originated in Massachusetts and seems to be available in every state except California. If I had known this, I never would have moved here.

Here is a photo of the first Dunkin’ Donuts location EVER in Quincy, MA.

I am originally from Newton, MA, a close suburb of Boston where rich kids and townies share the halls of Newton North High School, where I (barely) graduated from. They recently tore down the ol’ girl but here’s what it used to look like.

When I bring up my longing for a Dunkin’ Donuts local in LA, people will often tell me how much better Kristy Kreme donuts are. I always agree with them. A big misconception about Dunkies is that people go there for donuts. I can understand how this could be confusing given the name. But donuts at Dunkies are simply an afterthought. It’s all about the coffee.

Dunkin’ Donuts used to be where everyone in Newton got their coffee. Then, in 1990, a gourmet coffee shop named Cafe Apassionato opened in Newtonville. It introduced us to things like lattes, macchiatos with soy milk and double shots of expresso over ice. It changed everything. It marked the beginning the civil coffee war in Newton.

Suddenly, a $1.00 cup of coffee “regular” wasn’t good enough. People wanted to pay at least double that to enjoy blends from Sumatra and Ethiopia, boasting “full-bodied flavor” with hints of smokiness and chicory. I started to see construction trucks and utility vans parked outside Apassionato. Even the salt-of-the-earth blue collars had turned into coffee faggots.

Then came Starbucks. By 1994, the Seattle chain had purchased many of the independent coffeehouses in the Boston area. Gourmet coffee became mainstream and Dunkin’ Donuts struggled to keep up. In almost no time, the city was divided; Dunkies people and Starbucks people.

Even I, a total cheerleader for Dunkin’ Donuts, turned Starbucks for a time. I was a coming of age teenager, desperate to seem worldly and sophisticated, and so developing a palette for $3.00 Cappuccinos and micro brew beers was at the top of my priority list. It was a phase I’m not proud of.

But as I came to know myself more, I gradually made my way back to my roots, the roots of medium coffee with cream and sugar already added when delivered to me. The roots of the pink and orange. And kudos to Dunkies for not giving up, for updating their menu to offer Americanos and Au Laits and blended espresso drinks. But when I go to Dunkin’ Donuts, I am not looking for a safari for my taste buds, I am simply looking for a great cup of coffee.

Now I am a stand-up comedian who travels the country for work. The first thing I do in every city I land in is Google the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts. If I can squeeze in a trip or two, I make sure to make it happen. I fucking LOVE Dunkin’ Donuts. It just makes me happy.