It Tastes Better When You Say Yee-Ros

Today I was looking for a poster that I used to see in every Greek-owned pizza shop around Massachusetts and was disappointed by what I found on the internet.

I was not expecting to have to finish typing "tastes better when you say yee-ros" because google would suggest it for me and I could just click the suggesting.  I was expecting to find an image of this iconic poster in google images easily.

I was expecting it to be like a church of gyros, with image boards and t-shirts for sale - I was expecting a thriving online community dedicated not just to the pronunciation of gyros but this particular poster and accompanying campaign to get people to say (and buy) gyros.

The one image I found is from someone's picture of the day blog, an angled shot of a well-worn poster hanging next to a food truck.  The blogger is too embarrassed to say "yeero," so she will never order a gyros again.  Her loss.

From Stephanie Palmieri's picture of the day blog.

This is the poster.  In this case it's made of sturdier material than just paper, because it's got metal fastened to it at the top, is hanging from an electric meter, and is bungeed to the post.  Someone has written "GYROS $4.75" on the actual gyro and "$4.75" on the woman's face.  I saw this image for years and years and years until one day I tried one at a local fair and discovered how delicious they are.

Gyros are specifically the Greek version of this food, but there are similar sandwiches in pita that are also delicious.  A shawarma is very similar, but I think with hummus and tahini instead of tzatziki.  They're offered with chicken but I prefer the beef/lamb option, which I think is the traditional one.  There are regional differences to all of these options, but I think tomatoes and onions are pretty universal.  Shredded red cabbage is pretty common but sometimes shredded lettuce is substituted, as well as cucumber, pickles, and hot sauce or spicy peppers.

Part of what makes the whole thing so enchanting are the posters, featuring smiling women posing with the gyros.  The posters I remember all come from a company called Kronos, and posters like this one are easier to find on the google images:

I couldn't guess how many times this woman has watched me eat

I liked this button, which fits more with my original vision of how famous this ad campaign should be.  I would buy this button, or one that said "point me to the gyros."

From Broccoli & Chocolate

In conclusion, not only are gyros delicious but their advertisements have had such a campy hometown feel to them that seeing them is like hanging out with old friends.  The new modern Kronos website may have all the bells and whistles, but like the millions of mom-and-pop pizza shops that carry gyros and display these signs to me they will always be well-worn and usually sun-faded.  Right next to the framed puzzle of the Acropolis.