by Julian Burak
Solidarity between men have been noted throughout history, the Ancient Greeks called this sort of love Philia – they even named a city in The United States after it (Philadelphia) – and it is now currently known as Bromance. It’s a form of intimacy between men that is not at all sexual but where a strong form of love and affection is found. Best friends, pals, mates, buddies, and all forms of friendship can potentially be a bromance. I have many friends who I hang out with but there are only a certain amount of guys that have made our relationship a bromance.
We hang out, drink beers, share stories, complain about women, and enjoy each others company. Sometimes we even find ourselves in certain situations that have turned into, what is known as, a man date. It’s just like any other date, except it’s with two bros who just want to hang out. My first man date was with an old pal of mine, Marc Baker. He is an effortlessly-dressed, gentle man, who will go out of his way to make sure you’re enjoying life, lending a hand whenever you’re down. Who wouldn’t want to date this guy?
We agreed to rendezvous at an art exhibition and straight off the bat, there were high-fives, warm embraces and confidential stories being shared. We spoke about girls, our jobs and everything in-between as we sipped the tasteless free wine and strolled around the mundane maze of artwork. We left our glasses, removed ourselves and proceeded to walk through the evening lit city to a fantastic little Italian diner – Pallegrini’s. Marc ordered our meal of ravioli with granitas and just as fast as our orders had been made, we had moved on. We were unsure of where the night was going to take us, so we decided to call it quits and head home. Marc jumped on a tram and I drove away in my car. But it wasn’t the end of the night, not just yet.
“Marc, where are you? I’m coming to get you.”
The night was going great so why should we call it quits? He jumped off the tram and I pulled over. As he was approaching the car, the perfect soundtrack to the man date had begun – Drive by The Cars – it continued on as we drove off. It was epic and magical all in one – and the night had just begun, as we headed to one of our old favourite clubs where we met with our girlfriends, drank ourselves silly, and danced the night away.
It was one of the best dates I’ve been on, bromantic or otherwise. So good in fact, I’ve copied this date with other people, again and again – and it is now known within my circle of friends as “The Marc Baker Date.”
It was a true man-date filled with the romantic man-love that turns good friends into greater friends. Mark now lives in LA – and while we rarely have the pleasure of seeing each other, our relationship is strengthened by the memory of the good times we’ve spent together. With the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, or Brad Pitt and George Clooney, bromance is still alive and all around us. It’s a special moment with your friends that needn’t be glorified with greeting cards, holidays, or half price getaways.
So call up your buds, cancel all of your plans and take them on a bromantic adventure – it will probably be the most fun that can be had between two men, where the worrying about hooking up at the end of the night isn’t even an issue.
Questions? Ideas? Comments? Join in the discussion on the Harrison Fjord Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter.