Potato Cross x 2

Everyone is talking about it. Or at least everyone that tracks homespun local interest reports that attract national and international media interest because they are about Jesus or Mary showing up in some unexpected place. So here we have one story that becomes a couple stories, which all end up being the same kind of story, the old Madonna of the Toast story.

According to The BIG One – WTAM 1100, Dennis Bort of Berea, Ohio, was peeling potatoes, on Christmas Day no less, when he found a cross in one of the spuds. Now it’s up for grabs on eBay. But guess what? It’s not the only potato cross available on eBay right now. On New Year’s Eve a woman in Iowa found one too, though this one is more rough hewn.

Who remembers this potato cross from my January 23, 2008, post? You don’t remember? It’s much better than this post, which is just more of the same when it comes to these stories. There is one bid on the Iowa potato, while the Ohio one has a minimum of $1,000. Guess what? That one won’t sell. But, if you check out the older story, you can also get a little dose of James Joyce and my secret ingredient for making the best potato salad.

Hail to the Potato

This was sent to me by Mark Batty, publisher of Madonna of the Toast. I've Googled around a bit and I can't source this image, so I don't know if someone is out there claiming to have yanked this potato out of the ground or if this is just some Photoshop fun. I imagine it's the latter. Nonetheless, it demonstrates the cultural reach of these visual manifestations. Senator Obama has certainly moved many Americans to think of him as a political second coming, which I assume the person who created this politico potato was alluding to. But maybe it is another mysterious visual manifestation of an icon . . .

No matter what your political beliefs, if you are a US citizen, make sure to register to vote so you can get out there and vote!

Two Potatoes, Two Crosses

Brad Edwards from WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, helped me with Madonna of the Toast by sharing his first-hand account of the Pope Pancake story. He emailed me this past Sunday, Easter, alerting me to the fact that the book was going to be mentioned on air, all thanks to this potato.



Found by Elizabeth Sachs of Marshall, Michigan, as she prepared a twice-baked potato for her son, she believes the cross is a positive sign, no matter what others may think. She says it is "definitely a for-real sign from God," which has "changed everything." You can watch the piece, and even get to see some footage of the book -- thanks, Brad!



This raw potato was cut open way back in 2005 in Joshua Tree, California, by a personal chef, by a personal chef that specialized in raw foods. (I made up the last part.)



Luckily, photographs of this other holy potato in various stages of shriveling exist on this website. You'll have to visit if you want to know how the tuber looked on Day 6.

Oh yeah, some cursory Internet research suggests that there are no potatoes in the Bible . . .