My roommate has many tremendous qualities, but none may be more entertaining than watching the advertising world work its magic on him.  If we’re watching TV and a commercial for any food product comes on, all I have to do is look in his direction and wait for him to say, “Hmm, I could really go for [insert product name] right now…”

And he’s completely serious every time.  On New Year’s Eve probably 10 years ago, we were hanging out at his then-place and a Taco Bell ad gloriously splashed across the screen.  Being a holiday, Taco Bell was closed, and I told him that, but he was so insistent on taking care of that craving that we went anyway on a journey that ended in despair.

The target the other night was ice cream.  It was after 11 p.m., and he asked if there were any ice cream places that would still be open.  The answer, as it has been probably 10 times in the past five years I’ve been asked this question late at night, was no.  But there is a 24-hour grocery store nearby.

We went.  And found this:

Don’t get distracted by the fact that there’s a Samoas flavor of ice cream.  Focus on the portions within these containers.  They both claim to have 1.5 quarts, but translate that amount differently when it comes to liters: 1.41 for Breyers and 1.42 for Turkey Hill.

Naturally, at 11:30 on a Thursday night, this is what became important about this trip for me.  So what’s the deal?  Well, the people at the Breyer’s company are apparently not interested in rounding up:

You could make an argument that they’re trying to not over-promise what’s inside that seemingly ever-shrinking container.  But come on, when you’re giving me a product that’s going to inflate my waistline I absolutely have no problem with you swelling 1.4195 up to 1.42.  It’s okay.

Turkey Hill gets it.  That’s why I bought 1.42 liters of their ice cream.  And another 1.42 liters for good measure.