The Most Interesting “Greek” Man In The World

You have seen the commercial for Dos Equis beer – The Most Interesting Man in the World. His blood smells like cologne. In museums, he is allowed to touch the art. My favorite is – mosquitos refuse to bite him purely out of respect. The list goes on. It is one of advertisings most clever ad campaigns. In the commercial, The Most Interesting Man in the World does not have a name, but the inference is that he is Spanish and in actuality, the actor is Israeli.

Hmmmm… shouldn’t The Most Interesting Man in the World be Greek? Wouldn’t that be more interesting? Besides, didn’t the Greeks invent “interesting?” We invented everything else.

Let’s take the stereotypical characteristics of every Greek man you have known over the years and roll it into one. The jet black hair, a moustache (no beard), the open collared shirt (left over from the 70’s), the heavy accent matching the heavy cologne, the cigarette dangling from his lips, a glass of Chivas Regal straight (real Greek men don’t drink beer – except Heineken), gold adorning him, and attitude. We shouldn’t forget the extra-long pinky finger-nail.

Our Greek version would be sitting in an outdoor café, legs crossed (closed, not opened), koumboloi in his hand, the glass of Chivas Regal straight on the table, and his cigarette in between his pinky and ring-finger. He is nodding to passer-byes saying, “Yia,” and talking on his cell phone. The announcer starts:

*He held up the World for a while so Atlas could take a break.
*He taught Zorba how to dance.
*After speaking with Socrates, Socrates exclaimed, “I know that I know nothing”.
*Never On Sunday became Always On Sunday merely because he asked.
*When he dances the zembekiko, Greek bands throw money on him.
*He once untied the Gordian Knot, blindfolded… with one hand tied behind his back.
*The Greek government asked him for a loan.
*He once wrote a three-act Greek tragedy… while drinking his morning Frape.
*The Sirens tied themselves to a ship’s mast and crashed into the rocks after hearing him sing.
*He once danced a zembekiko… on his hands.

Isn’t this more interesting?

In the Dos Equis beer commercial, that Most Interesting Man in the World is shown cooking in a kitchen when his pet cougar comes in. He is also shown with a sword in each hand fighting two men with one sword each. In other shots, he is picking up two women who are sitting in chairs, with his legs, and he fights a bear and then becomes friends with it.

Cougars… bears… swords. This is nothing… boss (quoting Zorba). The Most Interesting Greek Man in the World would be shown with a lit cigarette in his mouth, the ash about an inch and a half long, smoke enveloping his face, he wouldn’t blink and the ash wouldn’t fall off… that’s talent! He would be playing the bouzouki and making spanakopita, with hand rolled filo dough, at the same time, without missing a beat. He would be shown leading the line of a tsamiko and doing a triple somersault and landing on his feet with a glass of Ouzo still on his head. He would shoot the bear and make a rug out of it. That’s interesting!

Greek men are interesting… well, at least our Most Interesting Greek Man in the World would definitely be interesting. Maybe that’s what the Greek government needs… a little positive advertising about Greece – The Most Interesting Greek Man in the World… he repaid the German loans in gyros not euros, and they accepted it. Wow, wouldn’t that be interesting?