Considering that there are themed restaurants around the world inspired by cannibalism, Nazis, and Mao Zedong, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by Bar do Bin Laden, a Brazilian bar helmed by proprietor who looks a lot like deceased Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. No matter where you go, there are always some unscrupulous entrepreneur willing to use shock value to drum up business.
What is surprising, though, is that the bar isn’t the only one of its kind: According to The Daily Mail, “[T]here are multiple themed bars, cafes and restaurants around the country” that reference the infamous terrorist, including Caverna do Bin Lade (Bin Laden’s Cave) in Rio de Janeiro and Bin Laden’s Bar in Juiz de Forta.
Still, it seems that Sao Paulo’s Bar do Bin Laden was the progenitor of the bizarre trend. As Grub Street recounts, owner Ceará Francisco Helder Braga Fernandes was tending bar in the wake of 9/11 when an alarmed customer alerted authorities. The police were amused by the case of mistaken identity and Fernandes decided to embrace the likeness, changing the name of his bar, taking selfies with customers, and appearing on local TV.
Needless to say, the bar now has a Tumblr full of said selfies, including one with what must be a Brad Pitt lookalike/Photoshop job (right!?):
For further proof that this is all super real (and super weird), here are some clips of the Bin Laden barkeep in action:
We’d be willing to bet these won’t be a huge hit with American fans during the World Cup this summer.
[via Grub Street]
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