Nostalgia in a Cup vs The New World

As a child, I frequented a local small-business ice cream shop. Just thinking of its name, Nanabette's Ice Cream, evokes fond memories of hot and muggy days alleviated by the cool richness of chocolate or strawberry ice cream. Yes, my tastes were pretty simple. I really liked those two and didn't bother trying anything else. The shop was a local summertime staple that everyone knew and liked. Unlike others in the area, which had a rather unfortunate habit of going out of business. But Nanabette's was different. Year after year it was there, providing sweet relief from the heat with the tastiest ice cream around. Now that I think about it, the combination of a great taste and generous portions was probably why it was the survivor. 

Recently, I had the chance to revisit this childhood staple. And boy howdy, when I came up to it and ordered, I was flooded by the memories of countless dripping ice cream cones. After all these years, nothing seems to have changed- even the little sliding windows that the workers serve customers from look the same. The ice cream didn't disappoint either. 

However, the interesting point was comparing it to a new arrival in the area - Frozen Hoagies. Unlike Nanabette's, they actually have available indoors, and have a wider variety of products available- cookies, ice cream cakes, and, although limited to Saturdays, even doughnuts. And their ice cream is delicious as well. No worse than the one from my childhood stand. 

This made me wonder, is the ice cream from Nanabette's actually all that much better than everywhere else? Without a doubt, it is delicious. But do the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia affect my perception of the taste? Does the recollection of so many happy childhood days skew my opinion? I think so. But at the same time that's not necessarily a bad thing. I really enjoyed Frozen Hoagies for what it was- a great new addition to the local food scene and the only local place to serve affogatos. However, if I was told to pick one this moment, I would choose Nanabette's. They serve one flavor that no other shop can replicate - nostalgia.