Graves: Keep Austin Donuts Weird | Columns

Austin, Texas, is a city of paradoxes. It’s the capital of one of the most conservative states in the country – a state where you probably won’t feel out of place in some localities if you don’t hide a gun in your underwear, but Austin is one. city ​​widely known for its ultra-liberal social mores that make some people feel comfortable walking (or staggering) around the city center wearing nothing but their underwear or even a lot.

Speaking of downtown Austin, I recently took a friend of mine to the state capital, apparently to help him move the contents of an office, but it was actually just an excuse for us to find new ways to commit acts of insurgency against our belts.

Our food tour began on famous 6th Street in Austin, known for its bars, clubs, restaurants, and various body fluids. In fact, this avenue fair has echoes (and aromas) of Upper Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but with less professional nudity.

Due to the recent mass shooting there, I was somewhat reluctant to walk around “Dirty 6th” – even at 10:00 am – but since my friend is a former army medic with biceps as big as my torso, I thought we’d be fine. By the way, our first target was donuts, and no national wave of crime was going to come between us and the beloved leader of fried carbohydrates.

Specifically, we headed to Voodoo Donut, a mix of a gourmet donut shop, a punk rock concert, and a psychedelic cartoon. Sticking out like a sore thumb wearing hot pink nail polish, the storefront of Voodoo Donut was partially obscured by the official 6th Street welcome committee of several half-naked beggars (or perhaps college students from the ‘University of Texas having a hangover). Either way, none of them accepted credit cards.