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.

SGI President Ikeda once said: "The pulse of the Buddha's constant thought can be found only in the life-to-life bonds of mentor and disciple. That's why the Daishonin called upon his disciples to cherish the same great desire he did. 'My disciples,' he urges them, 'dedicate your lives to accomplishing the Buddha's great vow. Maintain the spirit of oneness of mentor and disciple.' ...The path of oneness of mentor and disciple, which in practice means basing ourselves on the same wish as the Buddha, is 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!"