Ruggie and Doughnuts

Ruggie says that, as they couldn’t afford birthday cakes (“My family struggled just to put food on the table every day”), his grandmother would make him doughnuts every year for his birthday, instead: “Once I started making a little money from part-time gigs, we were able to afford nicer ingredients. Then she started makin’ me fancy gourmet ones topped with almonds and melted chocolate.”

Ruggie says that he can afford cake for himself now, but he still gets hungry for doughnuts on his birthday.

An element of Ruggie’s dream world is a hyaena-majority school that offers doughnuts with a topping bar. Ruggie says his recommendation is, “Get a plain donut, drizzle on some chocolate sauce, then add some sliced nuts.Then add custard cream and whipped cream, and top it all off with some tart berry jam like so…and, done! The Ruggie Special”

After being told that he should return to his dream to recover after awakening Leona Ruggie says, “Wait, does goin’ back to my dream mean I get to enjoy more of that endless donut buffet?!…Please, take all the time you need!”

The adventure that is Port Fest begins with Jack offering to treat Ruggie to “the special” offered at a restaurant in Crane Port in exchange for Ruggie having looked after his cactus while Jack was at a Track Club training camp. When the restaurant is closed Ruggie suggests they go elsewhere but Jack refuses, telling Ruggie that he has “to try THIS special” but refuses to explain what it is. 

Jack decides it is important enough that they should wait the two weeks until the reopens, and when he and Ruggie argue over the mess that Port Fest is becoming Ruggie blames Jack for not choosing to go somewhere else. Jack insists, “I said I was treating you, and I’m not treating you to anything less than their special!” Ruggie counters with “I don’t care what I eat so long as I GET to eat” but Jack says, “I can’t do that! I want to treat you to something really special and delicious!”

After Port Fest they make plans to visit the restaurant the following weekend so that Jack will finally be able to follow through, but instead the manager of the restaurant surprises them with the special: doughnuts that use potato instead of flour.