Nun: "We're not going to look into the wonder of Wonder Bread."

[matcom]

<snip>

Diana Duyser will become $28,000 richer today, stand at the center of a media spotlight, and embark on a nationwide tour starring herself -- and all it cost her was a 10-year-old sandwich.

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Not just any sandwich, of course. In one of the more bizarre sequences of the Internet era -- or any era -- Duyser reaped her windfall by going on eBay to auction off a grilled cheese sandwich on which, she claims, resides the image of none other than the Virgin Mary. In only two weeks, the posting triggered nearly 2 million page views, making it one of most popular listings in eBay's history.

Equally remarkable was the viruslike speed with which the online auction site became crowded with scores of products that were half-spoof, half-spinoff: Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese lunchboxes, greeting cards, T-shirts featuring President Bush and posters of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California with the sandwich, refrigerator magnets, paintings, a "Low Carb Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese recipe," even an Internet domain address.

"Never did I think it would be this crazy," Duyser, 52, a jewelry designer from Hollywood, Fla., said in an interview yesterday. "It's incredible, just incredible."

That's one word for it. Skeptics might call it a fad, a farce, a sacrilege, or a triumph of clever marketing. GoldenPalace.com, the online casino that won the eBay bidding, hails it as a "pop culture phenomenon." One thing some religious leaders are unwilling to call it is a miracle.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said yesterday that while Duyser "may be very sincere," the image sounded like an "optical illusion." She added that "the church is very leery of believing something like this. The sale on eBay is certainly curious." Asked if Duyser's claim nonetheless bore looking into by church authorities, Sister Walsh replied dryly: "We're not going to look into the wonder of Wonder Bread."

http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2004/11/24/iconic_grilled_cheese_feeds_internet_frenzy/

[tridim]

1. I find it funny that anyone claims to know what Mary looked like

I've never seen any photos.

Also, nobody seems at all interested in the pan she used to cook the sandwich.

[MostlyLurks]

2. Oh, c'mon you hippy liberal...

Next thing you know, you're going to protest the fact that Mary appeared on white bread when she should have been on "multi-grain". ;)

/freepertendencies