The Fountain of Youth: Ice Cream at Bruster's

Conversation turned, last night, to the subject of ice cream.Michael K. is an ice cream afficianado. He has a mega-ton ice cream/gelato maker and his knowledge runs deeper than mine, thus far, on the matter. He was happy to hear about my serene out-of-body experience with the vanilla bean."What's your favorite ice cream in Atlanta?" he asked."Jake's," I answered, maintaining my cool."Bah!" he said. "Jake's is frozen treacle. What you need is Bruster's.""Bruster's!" I said, astonished. "You mean the red and white stand near where I live with the sign that looks like Luden's cough drops?""That's the one," said Michael K."I don't believe it," I said, mortified."Well," explained Michael, "Jake's freezes its ice cream for too long. Bruster's serves theirs almost immediately after making it.""Let's put this to the test," said Mark.We drove to Bruster's.And now for a brief aside, regarding the title of this post.Pulling up to Jake's, Mark and I spotted the cutest thing you ever did see. Across from us in our parking spot, was an old couple--maybe in their 70s or 80s--in their Cadillac, each licking ice cream cones like children. It's hard to explain how beautiful the image was: this old man and woman, like kids in high school, licking their cones with a total lack of self-awareness. They seemed so happy. And so young."That is so cute," said Mark.I wanted to take a picture, but that would have been weird.But it's amazing, isn't it, how ice cream is a great equalizer. Everyone loves ice cream. You might not picture Bush and Kerry sharing a hot tub, but you can picture them on a bench--side by side--with ice cream cones, can't you? Or J. Lo and Ben, after they make up? It brings the world together.It reminds me of a Wordsworth poem: "I scream / You scream / We all screamest for ice cream."So here's the Bruster's stand:And here's my cup of white chocolate raspberry:Indeed, it was creamier and fresher than Jake's. I still prefer the quirky flavors at Jake's (particularly their Key Lime Pie ice cream), but I will agree with Michael K. that Bruster's is much less frozen. And, plus, Bruster's had that adorable old couple. Wonder if they're still there?