International brands abound in Suzhou. It’s never a surprise to find out that a new Starbucks or Adidas is opening up shop down the street from you. However, Cold Stone Creamery is one of the last businesses that we expected to grace our fair city. It’s hardly a well-known establishment in the United States and almost unheard of in the rest of the world. There are only a few hundred locations in the US, and now Suzhou will have two when the new one opens at on Xinghan street and Jinjihu road.
Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs are nice, but they don’t even compare to this stuff. We’ll warn you first: it’s probably the sweetest ice cream you’ll ever taste, and boy is it thick. A spoonful of this stuff weighs as about as much an entire ice cream cone from the convenience store. We’re only exaggerating a little.
If you’re an ice cream lover, Cold Stone is synonymous with hedonism. There are lots of signature creations that you can choose from, but you can also have it your way. There are more than a dozen kinds of ice cream, even one that claims to be fat free, and you start with that. Then all you need to do is decide what you want it mixed with. You can choose from things like Reese’s, Kit Kats, Oreos, brownies or fudge. If you’re a health nut, there are black cherries, blueberries, strawberries, pecans, coconut and more. The fruit, brownies, and everything else is fresh, and they mix it with the ice cream right in front of you. And so it doesn’t melt, they do the mixing on a slab of stone that somehow mysteriously remains frozen. Don’t ask us how. Just appreciate it.
 "Cold Stone Creamery, Xinghan Branch")
 "Cold Stone Creamery, Xinghan Branch")
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