The finest chocolate ice-cream in the entire known universe

Yesterday (Wednesday, September 22, 2010) I had occasion to patronize Mighty Tops in Canandaigua.
This was because I had to buy groceries I can only find at Tops. Usually I shop Weggers.
This was after working out at the Canandaigua YMCA.
Every time I shop Tops, I check out the Ben & Fat Jerry’s, to see if they have any chocolate.
Ben & Fat Jerry’s is the best chocolate ice-cream in the entire known universe.
Usually they’ve had it, but six months ago they ran out — or more probably I ran them out.
Thus began a frenzied chase to -a) find Ben & Fat Jerry’s chocolate at other stores, and/or -b) find an acceptable replacement.
Unable to find Ben & Fat Jerry’s we tried various replacements, but they all came up short.
Breyer’s was too airy, Weggers too rich, Perry’s not too bad, and Turkey Hill tasted like bubble-gum.
Others that failed were Edy’s and Friendly’s; both not chocolaty enough.
Häagen-Dazs was comparable, but even that was lacking compared to Ben & Fat Jerry’s.
So I perused the ice-cream coolers at Tops.
There was Ben & Fat Jerry’s in the usual place, the usual array of garbage-filled flavors; sauerkraut supreme, lotto lettuce, Dublin Mudpie, whatever.
But whoa!
What’s this?
A pint of Ben & Fat Jerry’s chocolate, the finest chocolate ice-cream in the entire known universe.
“Holy mackerel!” I exclaimed.
I immediately reaching in and grabbed it, just like Indiana Jones grabbing the sacred icon.
In so doing I noticed a second pint.
I grabbed that and shut the door.
But then I noticed two more.
I reached in and snagged them.
I now had four pints.
I was able to leave Tops with four pints of the finest chocolate ice-cream in the entire known universe.
There’s only one problem.
We still have leftovers, a partially consumed Häagen-Dazs, and a half-consumed Friendly’s.
I felt I’d lost track. Taste-buds maxxed out.
But rudimentary taste-test applied, Ben & Fat Jerry’s is still the slam-dunk winner.
I still have one more possible replacement to pursue, a Target store-brand of Belgian chocolate.
But it has chocolate-chips mixed in; I don’t know.....
I tried the Henrietta Target, but they were out.
Plus their ice-cream display was tiny.
A second Target is in Chili (“CHEYE-lie”) Center, 30 miles away.
To make such a trip, I need another errand in that direction. I may not have any until October.
And I have my doubts.
I don’t think I’d like ice-cream filled with chocolate-chips.
Ben & Fat Jerry’s is indeed the finest chocolate ice-cream in the entire known universe.
I’ve chased all over creation for it, and even tried to have Tops order it for me.
Nothing ever happened, but now it’s back.

• “Mighty Tops” is a large supermarket-chain based in Buffalo we occasionally buy groceries at. They have a store in Canandaigua. (“Canandaigua” [“cannon-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city to the east nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” It’s about 15 miles away. —We live in the small rural town of West Bloomfield in Western NY, southeast of Rochester.)
• “Weggers” is Wegmans, a large supermarket-chain based in Rochester we often buy groceries at. They have a store in Canandaigua.
• I work out in the Canandaigua YMCA exercise-gym.
• “Ben & Fat Jerry’s chocolate ice-cream” is Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice-cream; the best for sale. I got “Ben & Fat Jerry” from a fellow employee at the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired almost five years ago. Best job I ever had.
• “Perry’s” is local.
• “Henrietta” is a large suburb south of Rochester.