Grilled Cheese Madonna on eBay - now relisted!

Posted by Unsomnambulist on Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 06:41 PM. Read 1686 times. Tags:
{name} pic

Uh… this is too wacky to comment on.

From Yahoo! Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Back Up On Ebay

The Internet auction house eBay Inc. reversed itself Tuesday and is allowing bids for half of a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich that its owner says bears the image of the Virgin Mary.

Diana Duyser, of Hollywood, put the sandwich up for sale last week, drawing bids as high as $22,000 before eBay pulled the item Sunday night. The page was viewed almost 100,000 times before being taken down.

An e-mail Duyser received from eBay said the sandwich broke its policy, which “does not allow listings that are intended as jokes.”

But Duyser, a work-from-home jewelry designer who has bought and sold items on eBay for two years, said the grilled cheese wasn’t a joke.

The auction was back on Tuesday afternoon with a top bid of $5,100. The winning bidder also has to pay $9.95 for shipping. In mocking response, two similar items were later posted — grilled cheese sandwiches bearing the images of the Virgin Mary’s used gum and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.

A phone message left with San Jose, Calif.-based eBay was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Duyser thought eBay would be the best place to show off the sandwich, made on plain white bread and American cheese and cooked with no oil or butter. She said she took a bite after making it 10 years ago and saw a face staring back at her from the bread.

Duyser, 52, put the sandwich in a clear plastic box with cotton balls and kept it on her night stand.

At first, she was scared by the image, “but now that I realize how unique it is, I wanted to share it with the world,” Duyser told The Miami Herald.

She said the sandwich has never sprouted a spore of mold.

Yeah, I had to look.

[Editor’s Note: This same news item was also submitted by Eggman a couple of days ago. I had intended to massage Eggman’s entry a bit so it was a little more than just a cut-and-paste of the full news article, but when this entry came along it saved me a bit of work to approve this one. Still, Eggman deserves credit for bringing it to my attention first. - Les]

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Comments:

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Unsomnambulist United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 02:47 AM

Unsomnambulist pic

I was actually quite surprised that this wasn’t a SEB exclusive earlier.
However, I still expect full royalties for everyone who views the post.

zilch Austria Posted on 11/19/2004 at 03:32 AM

zilch pic

You’re right- this entry is its own comment.  Do you want the royalties in melted cheese or oatmeal?  I can offer you Margaret Thatcher or Bullwinkle.

That said, I can’t resist adding that this propensity for seeing faces everywhere is not (merely) wacky- we are hardwired from birth to look for faces, for obvious reasons, and thus have far more news items about Elvis on Mars, the Virgin Mary on a fencepost, etc., that about My Old Dodge Dart in a Pancake.

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You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

zilch Austria Posted on 11/19/2004 at 06:42 AM

zilch pic

You gotta check the eBay link out.  At last look there were 392 Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese items, and the (presumed) original had to plaintively add “Not a Hoax”.  The latest bid was up to $7600, so hurry up!

A lot of real meanies have items up making fun (I think) of the original.  I hope they burn in hell.

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You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

Les United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 07:45 AM

Les pic

Unsomnambulist, I was working on it. Really. It’s hard to be original in your snarkiness when you have to be as snarky as often as I do. I don’t want to just repeat a past fit of snarkitude. grin

Zilch, trust me, we’ve been over the mechanisms that result in this silliness many times here on SEB. In the past I started a thread stating my intentions to collect photos of this sort of thing that I still intend to honor at some point. I’ve got a small number of photos so far, but I want to get a few more before making an entry. If you have any examples, let me know.

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All I know is the wine lasts longer when you don’t gotta share it with someone
All I know is my steak tastes better when I take my steak tastes better pill
-- I Feel Fantastic, Jonathan Coulton

zilch Austria Posted on 11/19/2004 at 08:08 AM

zilch pic

Les- a worthy project.  I shoulda known it was old hat here- I haven’t read through all the archives yet.

BTW- if you look closely at the VMGC, she seems to be holding a blaster or a plasma gun.  Two questions:  1) what does that mean for Catholic dogma, and 2) does this mean we can get her as a skin or a bot?  That would be too cool for school.  I know I would think twice before railing her…

 Signature 

You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

Tish Australia Posted on 11/19/2004 at 08:50 AM

Tish pic

Madonna? Nah, it’s another singer, Alison Goldfrapp!

Okay, I’ll crawl back into my padded cell, now raspberry

THEOCRAT United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 09:23 AM

THEOCRAT pic

I was working at the radio station working the Punk show when the guys found that article.  We had fun commenting on it and then played “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” by Good Charlotte.  Pretty appropriate IMHO.

Frac Canada Posted on 11/19/2004 at 09:33 AM

Frac pic

Nah. It’s definately Madeline Cahn.

zilch Austria Posted on 11/19/2004 at 10:05 AM

zilch pic

On the other hand, maybe that blaster didn’t appear until after she’d had a bite taken out of her.  Is there any proof she’s being sold by the original owner?

 Signature 

You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

deadscot United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 12:27 PM

deadscot pic

At least Elvis sightings I can actually understand.  There are real pictures of that guy everywhere.  No one I know of has ever seen a picture of Mary, and when did she get a perm?

Brock United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 02:53 PM

Brock pic

If that isn’t Barbara Streisand, I’ll eat that ten-year-old sandwich.

No, I actually think it’s Bette Midler. Yeah, it is. If that isn’t Bette Midler, I’ll eat that ten-year-old sandwich.

Rufus-Leroy United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 02:57 PM

Rufus-Leroy pic

The other day I took a dump and one of the turds looked just like a 1st century Roman iron nail. Does this mean my large intestine is divine? I wonder if I put said turd on ebay if some christian starry eyed true believer will pay me $5,100 for what is essentially the remains of the Whopper combo that inspired it.

Frac Canada Posted on 11/19/2004 at 04:39 PM

Frac pic

Remains of a Whopper combo? It probably was a 1st century Roman nail…

Eggman United States Posted on 11/19/2004 at 08:06 PM

Eggman pic

1) I like the idea of a hall of fame of random spontaeous religiouus iconolatry.

2) Not having known the Virgin Mary personally I’d say the woman reminds me more of a Michelle Pfeiffer playing Clara Bow. But I could be wrong.

fred call aka bigbro United States Posted on 11/23/2004 at 11:43 AM

fred call aka bigbro pic

I hear there is a complete Da Vinci ‘Last Supper on a ten week old Velveeta Sandwhich” going for up to half a million bid so far....bigbro

Brock United States Posted on 11/23/2004 at 02:28 PM

Brock pic

The sandwich sold for 28,000 last night, to an online casino.

MIAMI (Reuters) - An online casino won the eBay bidding for a decade-old cheese sandwich bearing what some people consider a likeness of the Virgin Mary and immediately began hawking Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese T-shirts.

GoldenPalace.com’s bid of $28,000 was the highest offer for the sandwich when bidding closed late on Monday, the Internet casino’s Web site said.

The seller, Fort Lauderdale, Florida resident Diana Duyser, says she made the cheese sandwich 10 years ago and after taking a bite, saw “the Virgin Mary staring back at me.”

In her eBay ad, Duyser said the sandwich has been kept in a plastic case for a decade and has developed no mold or bacteria. “It is like a miracle,” she said.

“I would like all people to know that I do believe that this is the Virgin Mary Mother Of God,” the ad said. “That is my solemn belief, but you are free to believe that she is whomever you like, I am not scamming anyone.”

GoldenPalace.com said on its Web site that the “sacred sandwich” had received more than 1.7 million hits since being posted on eBay. The company’s chief executive, Richard Rowe, said the sandwich would be used to raise money for charity.

The T-shirts, in various styles bearing a picture of the sandwich and a GoldenPalace.com logo, sell for $19.99.

“We believe that everyone should be able to see it and learn of its mystical power for themselves,” Rowe said.

This is just so wrong on so many fucking levels. The insane have gained control of the asylum.

zilch Austria Posted on 11/23/2004 at 02:48 PM

zilch pic

Well, at least the VMGC is going to a place that appreciates Her true Value.  I’m a little disappointed that the Pope didn’t put in a bid, though.

Ya gotta wonder about her seller- on eBay she said she had won $70,000 since the VMGC appeared in her life, and now she’s grabbed the lousy $28K, and jettisoned her like last week’s cheese sandwich.  I wonder if there isn’t something fishy going on here…

This is just so wrong on so many fucking levels. The insane have gained control of the asylum

Yes, Brock, but sometimes you just have to relax and enjoy the Spectacle.  Are you out $19.99?  I thought not.  Now, when they start teaching Grilled Cheese Design in the schools, I’ll start worrying.

 Signature 

You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

zilch Austria Posted on 11/24/2004 at 02:48 PM

zilch pic

What a comedown.  The GCVM just sold, after the fake bids were tossed, for a grand total of $71 (plus $9.95 S&H), to an unnamed bidder.

http://www.local10.com/news/3944908/detail.html

I’m so pissed, I’m not even sure if I believe in Her anymore.  I’m going to bed.

 Signature 

You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

shana Japan Posted on 12/06/2004 at 03:56 AM

shana pic

Ok, now you can get your ownGrilled Cheese Sandwich.

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“Like reindeer in the sky you can.”

zilch Austria Posted on 12/06/2004 at 04:55 AM

zilch pic

Shana- I’m speechless.  How deliciously wicked.  The Original GCVM is green with envy (or maybe it’s mold).

 Signature 

You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

zilch Austria Posted on 12/06/2004 at 05:36 AM

zilch pic

I just checked again, and these are the people who bought the original!  Gee willikers, am I glad She found a good home!  Anyone who has nothing better to do should check out
http://followthecheese.blogspot.com/

 Signature 

You were born.  And so you’re free.  So happy birthday.
- Laurie Anderson

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