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Face it. Reporters are only human.

And at a historic moment such as this, it's hard not to be swayed. Even the most hard-bitten and objective can stumble, succumbing to a bias that alienates us from the office coffee klatch, the after-church bake sale, even from our own breakfast nook.

After all, this comes down to age and experience versus youthful optimism. In one corner, gravity, a track record and a promise of substance; in the other, lightness, resilience and buoyancy. When neither camp takes the low road, but instead offers a smorgasbord of possibilities, this is not an easy choice.

But I confess. After one sample swig of Dunkin' Donuts Cocoanut Roast coffee at the West Wendover store opening Thursday, I'm rethinking my allegiance to Krispy Kreme.

This is not an affiliation I take lightly. I'm a child of transplanted Yankees and lapsed Dunkin' Donuts regulars who moved us to Winston-Salem, birthplace of the "Hot Donuts Now" sign, never to look back.

In junior high, I met my sweetheart over an original glazed in the school cafeteria. Even on prom night, that neon sign on Stratford Road beckoned, and we watched the sunrise over hot chocolate and cruellers (which - don't ask me why - the natives pronounce CRUEL-ers).

But there comes a time for change. A time when the choice of regular or decaf doesn't jump-start things the way it used to. When a sugar coated ring of fried dough that melts in your mouth before you can say, "Nothing," just doesn't get it.

And based on the foot traffic before the Dunkin' Donuts at Wendover and Cridland even opens, this is nothing short of a movement. Even though the sign next to the Latham Park Kangaroo Exxon said the donut shop opens Thursday at 5 a.m., that wasn't soon enough for Adrian Gonneville.

"I've been having to drive all the way to High Point," said the Greensboro musician. "I grew up on Dunkin' Donuts coffee. I'm addicted to it."

Granted, Gonneville is of French Canadian stock, but what was Luanne Spence's explanation for stalking the Dunkin' Donuts before it even opens?

"I'm from Winston-Salem. I actually grew up across the street from the founders of Krispy Kreme," the airline flight attendant admitted. "But I love Dunkin' Donuts coffee."

Inside the store, where clerks were finishing doughnut boot camp, operating officer Ricky Matani refused to go negative on his opponent.

Rather than focus on his differences with Krispy Kreme, Matani wanted to talk about his 18-minute rule for what constitutes a fresh pot of coffee, his 99-cent stimulus package, and what he considers the renewal of the American doughnut.

"People know it's fried and sweet," said Matani, whose firm will open three more local stores this year. "They know they can get all the fat they want to, and then go work out."

Before I knew it, as I sipped the free Cocoanut Roast, I'd violated journalism ethics 101. I'd accepted a gift, and had to report it to my editor.

"Lemme see that," my editor said, taking the lid off the Dunkin' Donuts cup and taking in the aroma. "I just want to smell it. Ummm. You know, they have good CRUEL-ers, too."

Despite our differences, we'll just have to agree to disagree and take comfort where nature intended us to. In empty calories rather than empty rhetoric.

We can always work out later.

Contact Lorraine Ahearn at 373-7334 or lorraine.ahearn@news-record.com