Friday, August 18, 2006

Chocolate Mary

Color me slack: I didn’t get an article together in time for this week’s Skeptics’ Circle. Something turned up this morning, though, so here’s my late entry.

Yet another example of pareidolia in the news this week, this time a lump of waste chocolate that triggered someones religious sensibilities.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. - As a chocolatier to the rich and famous, Martucci Angiano has posed with many celebrities — but on Thursday she held in her hand a figure that dazzles her more than any Hollywood star.

Workers at Angiano's gourmet chocolate company, Bodega Chocolates, discovered under a vat a 2-inch-tall column of chocolate drippings that they believe bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary.
-- Article

Actually, it looks like a perched hawk to me. Naturally, religious employees at the chocolate company are idolizing the little lump of hardened goo. At least it looks like the Angianos plan to keep this blob instead of selling it on Ebay like most of the folks who “discover” such things do.

3 comments:

Nik said...

Totally agree with you. It looks like a hawk to me too. Do you think you can explain where the "Mary" reference came about? I have been looking at it for the last 5 min and it still look like a hawk - thought it could be one of those magic eyes stuff that upon staring for a longer period of time it jumps up at you :P

Lord Runolfr said...

Well, I suppose it's possible that it looks more like Mary from a different angle, but I'm sure it's mostly just what the owners want it to look like.

beepbeepitsme said...

RE pareidolia
The Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus Appear On A Potato
http://beepbeepitsme.blogspot.com/2006/09/virgin-mary-and-baby-jesus-appear-on.html