The Quest for Topo-Chico

Those who know me are aware of my love of this liquid. It is the perfect mix of carbonation without flavor. No plastic bottle taste, no hint of metallic aftertaste, no smidgen of anything but goodness. Nothing but fizzy large bubbles to enjoy. In my opinion, its the best drink on the planet (except for maybe Keystone).

So my relocation to Nevada presented a unique problem. Before I left, I was concerned that since Topo is made in Monterrey, Mex it would only be available in border states. Of course I was going to look for it. My initial search of surrounding convenience stores proved fruitless. So I expanded my search to grocery stores with no results. My next step was to try the Mexican grocery stores. There are no Fiesta's in Nevada other than the casino, I had to use the google to find places like La Tiendita, Grocery Outlet Rancho, and Supermercado Los Compadres. Most of these stores were in the yet unexplored north LV. So I gassed up and head out into the new northern horizon. After fifteen minutes of driving, I found myself at La Tiendita. I observed I was the only caucasian and proceeded to the beverage section of the store. A thorough scan revealed only Jarrito's mineral water and sodas. The next store had the same inventory. The next store--same result. A heavy sigh and a future without my favorite beverage was really bringing me down. So I accepted my life without Topo-Chico.

Several weeks later I was in the 7-11 closest to the house. It was a typical trip to the C-store. I had Keystone, Camel lights, and a Perrier for the next morning. As I reached down at knee level to grab a lime Perrier, something caught my eye on the shelf a little above neck level. It was a beautiful clear glass bottle of the exilir of eternal happiness. That was truly one of the happiest moments of my life. So I scooped up about a dozen bottles and then of course they didn't scan. So eventually I became better at scanning the bottles than the series of temporary employees they ran through at the 7-11. I spoke with the series of gump temps and found out the owner only carried Topo because it reminded her of some product from her native India. I met her (Seriea sp?) and built a customer/store owner relationship. Now I get 15% off a case where ever I like.
I am affectionately known as the Topo-Chico guy. It's not the loving handle my parents gave me, but the Topo-Chico guy abides.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story of personal triumph.