Did You Know - Doughnut Boxes Edition

Why are doughnut boxes pink? The answer could only come out of Southern California

The pink box is a distinctly regional tradition, one so ingrained it often requires an outsider to notice. The Northeast has Dunkin’ Donuts and its neon orange and pink box. The South has Krispy Kreme and its polka dot box. But come to Los Angeles and it’s the no-frills pink box, with signature grease marks, that commands counter space in our offices, waiting rooms and police stations.

“Any time you see a movie or sitcom set in New York and a pink doughnut box appears, you know it obviously took place in L.A.,” says Peter Yen of Santa Ana Packaging, a local manufacturer of the carnation-pink containers that cost about a dime each.

According to company lore, a Cambodian doughnut shop owner asked Westco some four decades ago if there were any cheaper boxes available other than the standard white cardboard. So Westco found leftover pink cardboard stock and formed a 9-by-9-by-4-inch container with four semicircle flaps to fold together. To this day, people in the business refer to the box as the “9-9-4.”

“It’s the perfect fit for a dozen doughnuts,” said Jim Parker, BakeMark’s president and chief executive.

More importantly to the thrifty refugees, it cost a few cents less than the standard white. That’s a big deal for shops that go through hundreds, if not thousands, of boxes a week. It didn’t hurt either that pink was a few shades short of red, a lucky color for the refugees, many of whom are ethnic Chinese. White, on the other hand, is the color of mourning.

How the pink box has persevered so long may be about more than just dollars and cents. Experts say the color triggers an emotional connection to sweetness that makes doughnuts more irresistible than they already are.

(LATimes.com)

A Well Executed Creation

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Decisions, Decisions

(CavemanCircus.com)

Donuts Of The World

24 International Donuts You Need to Try

Japan: An-doughnut

• The Japanese analogue of our American donut is the An-doughnut, fried dough with a red bean-paste filling. If you want to snag one while visiting Tokyo, head to country-wide chain Mister Donut. If you want to snag one stateside... um, good luck? This should keep you busy while you save up for a trans-Pacific flight.

South America: Buñuelos 

• It's hard to narrow down the popularity of Buñuelos to one South American country, as this diminutive pastry rules the entire continent. They're thinly rolled balls of yeast dough, often soaked in anis, and filled with sweet or savory filling, and present in almost every country in Central and South America. Most importantly, Buñuelos are known as a sign of good luck and fortune. A rule that should apply to all donuts -- international and domestic.   

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

I Want 1 Of These Now!

Crème Brûlée Donut at the Donuttery

(OCWeekly.com)

Why Not Both?

(CarThrottle.com)

If You Think About It, It's A Great Name

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If You Think About It

(BroBible.com)