by Scott Hollo

Created on: December 03, 2009

You are in your local grocery store. You browse the endless aisles trying to find that particular brand of orange juice mixed with pineapple that you just go crazy for every time you drink it. You dodge the insane amount of people who stand in the center of the aisle to stare at the chips and dip when they could just as easily step up or back to let shoppers pass.

Finally, you reach your destination. You scan the orange juice section with anticipation. You can taste the tangy citrus liquid on your tongue just thinking about it. That's funny. You don't see it. Maybe you just scanned over it by accident.

After searching for it for what seems like hours, you realize that it is just not on the shelf. An overpaid teenage stock boy walks by and you politely inquire about the juice. He just shrugs and walks on. Concerned, you find a manager and ask him about the juice. He says that they no longer carry that particular brand of juice, but there are several other "terrific quality" brands available.

Dismayed and broken, you walk back over and buy an inferior brand of juice. Has something like this ever happened to you? If not, consider yourself lucky. For the rest of you, welcome to my world.

I live in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. It is a beautiful little town, nestled in a valley of four or five mountains. The weather is great, the people are kind, and the scenery just never seems to get old.

However, if you live in this town and love a product, do not tell anyone and buy in bulk. It seems that no matter what I seem to enjoy, the nearby Food Lion either a) decides not to carry it anymore or b) decides to raise the prices.

Now, I'm a sucker for chocolate milk. I have been ever since I was a small child. Some of you may think that all chocolate milk tastes the same but I am here to tell you that it most certainly does not. I am a chocolate milk expert, a connoisseur if you will.

All chocolate milk is good but one brand in particular beats them all. Doesn't just beat them. Destroys them. Makes the milk wish that it had never been milked, processed, bottled and sent to the grocery store. This chocolate milk is called Promised Land or "Nectar of the Gods."

It seems to be a smaller company based out of Texas. It is a bit more expensive but that's due to the glass bottling and the lack of hormones. It is an "organic" chocolate milk, if there is such a thing.

At one point, this chocolate milk could be found everywhere in my town. I chose to buy it at the local Food Lion because at Food Lion, the food tends to be the same but the prices are a bit cheaper. However, Food Lion soon stopped carrying it, so I went to Ingle's, which to me is just as good as Food Lion in most cases when it comes to prices.

Alas, Ingle's deceased stocking it, so I had to resort to shopping at the ever so snooty Earth Fare. I am not a fan of this place. The prices are high and everyone there seems to be some sort of health nut. I always leave with some sort of new technique to "cleanse my body." These people need to leave me alone.

Earth Fare still stocks it, but I discovered the chocolate milk at a Harris Teeter. I will continue to get the chocolate milk there for as long as I can, but I suppose it is just a matter of time before it, too, disappoints me and stops carrying it.

Please Harris Teeter, don't get rid of the Promise Land Chocolate Milk. It is delicious and I really don't want to have to go to Earth Fare ever again for my chocolate milk needs.

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