on ice cream cones
To me, spring is ice cream. Summer is ice cream. Fall is ice cream. Heck, even winter is ice cream. I love ice cream.
Here in Berlin, people love their ice cream, but does it compete with a soft serve from a slightly concerning truck, run by a grumpy old man who may or may not wash his hands regularly? I don't know. Ice cream in Berlin probably tastes better. It definitely tastes like ice cream.. unlike this sprinkle monstrosity which tastes more like - I honestly don't know.
But the soft serve is iconic. It is sweaty summers and late night pizza with cream soda. Skin sticking to pool floats and sunglass indentations on burnt noses. Sunscreen in watering eyes and riding bikes in 100F heat for the breeze.
It doesn't need to be from NYC outside of the Museum of Natural Science. Doesn't need to be from Brooklyn. Doesn't need to be from the custard shop that went out of business in my hometown. But once a year, it should be soft serve.