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March 29, 2007

Chocolate Easter Jesus

Cosimo Cavallaro's latest artistic food creation begs for a humorous and thought-provoking look at the reason for the Easter season. His 6-foot-tall, 200 pound, 480,000 calorie chocolate Jesus, which he has titled "My Sweet Lord," is certainly sparking a variety of reactions from the public. Some find it funny, some are offended, and some find it insightful. I happen to fall into the latter category.

My thoughts run to the commercialization of Easter – the chocolate bunnies, etc. that have come to dominate the holiday, and the angst among Christians that what they see as the true meaning of the holiday has been forgotten. That meaning, of course, is the Resurrection of Jesus. Only rarely do Christians acknowledge that like Christmas, the holiday is a mixture of pagan and Christian traditions. For those who focus on the Resurrection, yearly plays and processions, early morning worship services, special meals that include lamb, etc. form a traditional religious celebration. As I see it, the chocolate Jesus symbolizes the commercialization of the Christian tradition that occurs when such traditions become capitalist ventures devoid of meaning.

Others, of course, see something else:

Looking at the Lord, viewers may be moved to muse about their own mortality: Death by chocolate? Hypertension? Or atherosclerosis? Perhaps Cavallaro's intention is to warn the overzealous that when it comes to faith or food -- be it Christ or Cadbury -- indulgence should be avoided at all costs. Or maybe it's simply for shock value -- he wants us to stand there and salivate while suppressing the temptation to nibble on Christ's toes.

The chocolate Jesus is not only thought-provoking, it is also well-done. Most definitely, it qualifies as art.

Posted by Becky at March 29, 2007 11:39 AM