A Deity Made of Chocolate Spurs a Religious Debate
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Andy Newman
NEW YORK---As religious questions go, it is a relatively small one. But, inevitably, it must be asked: Is it O.K. to eat a chocolate statuette of your favorite holy figure? The matter arose recently at Bond Street Chocolate, a bite-size East Village boutique that traffics in intricately detailed figurines of Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh. Last week, an organization called Universal Society of Hinduism issued a demand: “Upset Hindus urge withdrawal of Lord Ganesh-shaped edible chocolate,” read the society’s Feb. 1 news release. [link]
By Andy Newman
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| At her chocolate shop in Manhattan's East Village, Lynda Stern sells an edible Ganesh, foreground. Credit James Estrin/The New York Times |