JSIS: Krispy Kreme-- Nathan's Hot Dogs Champs-- Round Lake Schools Start-- Lobster Rolls

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff.

1.  KRISPY KREME--  July 10th.  Krispy Kreme Doughnuts were selling for 78 Cents a dozen in honor of their 78th year in business..  At participating locations only, but you have to buy a dozen at regular price first.

2.  NATHAN'S HOT DOGS CHAMPS--  Mike Stonie defeated Joey Chestnut to win the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in front of the original Nathan's on Coney Island.  He ate 62 to Joey's 59 in ten minutes.

Miki Sudo, the defending women's division won her match by eating 38 in 10 minutes.

3.  Well, tomorrow, August 11th, marks the beginning of school for students in the Round Lake Area in Illinois.  This marks the beginning of my tenth year of retirement.

4.  LOBSTER ROLLS--  Some McDonald's in New England are now selling lobster rolls.

Where Does the Time Fly By To?  --RoadDog

When is It Alright to Stop at a Restaurant Chain While on the Road?

If you're really, really hungry. Or if it's 10 PM and nothing else is around. But especially if you can't eat at that place around home or you've never seen the place before (which means it is not around your area).

When we're on the road, it's mom and pop joints for us, or any place featuring regional cuisine. Quite often we will have a meal in a place that has NTN/Buzztime. We always stop at new NTN sites while traveling and have been to almost 600 places across this country from Hawaii, California, Texas, New York, North Carolina, and Florida, but that is another story.

The July 5th Chicago Tribune ran an article titled, "Would you like some nostalgia with that?" by Kevin Pang. Most of the article was taken up talking about the Brown family of West Chicago who drove 75 miles to Racine, WI, to get Chick-fil-A sandwiches. They were living in Virginia when they got hooked on them, often eating at Chic-fil-A two to three times a week.

It went on to discuss that, as children, your brain translates anything that is high caloric as delicious. Plus, food leaves indelible imprints on your brain that will stay with you throughout your life. That cream pie that Aunt Mary made, Uncle Buck's steaks. Those will take you right back.

When Krispy Kreme finally got to the Chicago area in 2000, this was the "Big Thing". Lines formed of people who had fallen under its spell while visiting other parts of the country. Two years later, when one opened in the Loop (Chicago's downtown), "college-age students camped out literally- with lawn chairs, portable TVs and grills."

Eatin' on the Road, Ah, There's the Rub. --RoadDog