| By M. Simon
Mentor means a wise and trusted counselor or teacher. The word comes from Greek mythology. In Homer's Odyssey, Mentor is the trusted friend of Odysseus left in charge of the household during Odysseus's absence.
Mentos® are a lenticular candy with a chewy center, a crunchy shell and a fresh coating. The most common flavors are mint and mixed fruit.
Disguised as Mentor, the Greek Goddess Athena was able to guide Odysseus's son Telemachus in his search for his father.
In 1932, Pierre and Machiel van Melle took a train to Poland to get a promising recipe for soft fruit caramels. It was this journey that inspired Pierre to come up with his peppermint flavored caramel called Mentos® and from there on it was full steam ahead for the brothers.
Mentor entered the French and English vocabularies as a common noun meaning "wise counselor" circa 1750. Mentor is an appropriate name for such a person because it probably meant "adviser" in Greek and comes from the Indo-European root men-, meaning "to think."
Mentos® were first sold in rolls in 1960. They are synonymous with freshness.
Mentor is often used in place of the word "master" when referring to the "master-disciple relationship" in Buddhism. In current American usage, master connotes slavery, sadomasochism and a famous golf tournament. Mentor connotes career guidance.
Mentos® bring to mind a series of bizarre commercial advertisements in which Mentos® aficionados display their perky, irreverent freshness in everyday circumstances such as crowded airports, streets with difficult parking and busy cafes.
The mentor-and-disciple relationship is said (by some) to be the very essence of Buddhism.
The Mentos® jingle invokes Buddhist sentiments: "Doo doo doo doo, doo-doo, do-Wah! It doesn't matter what comes, fresh goes better in life, and Mentos® is fresh and full of life. Nothing gets to you, staying fresh, staying cool, with Mentos®, fresh and full of life. Fresh goes better, Mentos® freshness, fresh goes better with Mentos®, fresh and full of life!"
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