This Week in Edible Miracles - 2005: Holy Honey-Mustard Afterbirth!

Internet Casino Buys Virgin Mary Snack for $10,600

from The Associated Press

An Antigua-based Internet casino that previously bought a partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich has won in the bidding for an intact pretzel that the St. Paul, Neb., sellers believe is shaped like the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus.

Golden Palace Casino swooped in about 30 seconds before bidding closed March 9, 2005 on the Internet auction site eBay.

The winning bid: $10,600.

"What it says to me is that this pretzel is so much more than an edible item. We only paid $3.29 for the whole bag," Machelle Naylor said.

Golden Palace spokesman Jon Wolf said the casino acquires such items for a variety of reasons: "We think the notoriety is worth it. We bought the Virgin Mary grilled cheese, we found that a lot of people are interested in seeing it for themselves to see if it (the Virgin Mary) is really there. We've taken the grilled cheese around the country, we hope to do the same with the pretzel."

Naylor's 12-year-old daughter, Crysta, said she discovered the Rold Gold honey-mustard-flavored pretzel while snacking watching television with her family on February 27.
"I just thought it was a weird-shaped pretzel," said Crysta. "At first I thought it was an 'S.' I showed it to my mom,
she told me it looked like Mary the baby Jesus."
Machelle Naylor said she her husband, Kent, believe the experience has been beneficial to their daughter because it motivated her to study the Bible. The only drawbacks were the occasional nasty e-mails accusing the Naylors of being kooks or greedy opportunists.


Mmmmm...baby Jesussss...