CHOCOLATE JESUS RESURRECTION

Cosimo Cavallaro, the artist behind last spring’s "Chocolate Jesus" controversy, will display the sculpture in a show at the Proposition Gallery in Chelsea timed to coincide with All Saints Day (Nov. 1).

The life-sized sculpture of Jesus will be part of Cavallaro’s "Chocolate Saints...Sweet Jesus" show, in addition to eight chocolate sculptures of Catholic saints.

Invitations to the art show feature an image of the Virgin Mary with the breasts enhanced by scratch-and-sniff technology.

"It sounds pretty sick," said John Horvat, a spokesman for the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (ASDTFP). "Obviously [Cavallaro] has an agenda. He’s targeting very revered religious figures."

The gallery director, Ronald Sosinsky, begs to differ. "I see it as basically a show about healing. The sculptures are extremely traditional when you see them in their use of material. When you first see them they look like bronzes."

Last March, Cavallaro’s "My Sweet Lord" sculpture created a furor when it was displayed in a window at the Roger Smith Hotel in midtown.

Made of chocolate, My Sweet Lord is an anatomically correct representation of Jesus, sans loincloth. The sculpture set off howls of protest from the likes of Cardinal Edward Egan and other prominent Catholics.

A spokesperson for the Catholic League commented, "The timing was appalling. That was an up-front assault on Christian sensibilities during Holy Week."

The spokesperson added that the Catholic League will not protest Cavallaro’s upcoming exhibit because it will be limited to an art gallery where people "expect and like that sort of thing."

Cavallaro has kept the location of his My Sweet Lord sculpture under wraps due to the many threats he has received from angry Christians. He recently repaired the sculpture, which had been ravaged by rodents.

The artist insists that he is not trying to be sensational or provocative.

"When I wake up in the morning everything relates to food. I accepted the world of food and ever since then I’ve been a lot freer," said Cavallaro, who hopes the chocolate Jesus sculpture will bring attention to the fragility of life and the lived experience of Christ.

"Depictions of Jesus in plastic or wood are what I find offensive," he said. "With my work, you don’t want it to melt, so you have to be more aware of the time you have with it. It’s more alive."


Chocochrist.


My Sweet Lord.

JAPANESE YOUTH LOVE THEIR MAYONNAISE

While older Japanese tend to frown upon the Western condiment, Japanese youth have adopted mayonnaise as a dietary staple and cultural icon, leading to the opening of bars and restaurants devoted to mayonnaise.

Koji Nakamura’s Mayonnaise Kitchen restaurant in suburban Tokyo is a case in point. The Mayonnaise Kitchen serves a bizarre panoply of mayonnaise-drenched concoctions, from spaghetti to fondue.

The restaurant also pours (squirts?) mayonnaise-themed cocktails including the obligatory Mayotini and Mayogarita. Nakamura calls another cocktail the "Mayoty Dog." An homage to the Salty Dog, the Mayoty Dog is served in a glass with mayo instead of salt on the rim. The drinks are white and creamy.

Regulars at the Mayonnaise Kitchen purchase their own bottles of mayonnaise, in keeping with the custom of high-end bars that reserve special bottles of whiskey for top customers.

Young Japanese often add mayonnaise to sushi, tempura, noodles and other dishes. Akira Omori, 32, likes to snack on dried squid covered in mayonnaise.

Last year, the Japanese consumed 3.6 pounds of mayonnaise per person.

Japanese mayonnaise is creamier and tangier than Western-style mayonnaise. Japanese mayonnaise was first synthesized in 1925 and has since become a staple in most Japanese homes.

Japanese mayo lovers, known as "mayolers," suffered a shock when leading manufacturer Q.P. Corporation raised prices on mayonnaise in June for the first time in 17 years, due to the rising cost of vegetable oil.


Kewpie cell phone strap, 1,280 yen.

Kewpie dominates the Japanese mayo market.


Mayogarita.


Mayotini.


Mashed potatoes baked with mayonnaise.


Okonomiyaki.


Special bottles of mayo reserved for VIP customers.

HOT CHILES HELP STOMACH

New medical research demonstrates that capsaicin, the substance that makes hot chiles taste spicy, helps protect the stomach from diseases like gastritis by controlling the bacterium helicobacter pylori.

In a study headed by South Korean Prof. Lee Yong-chan of Yonsei University, stomach cells of patients with the bacterium were injected with a variety of dosages of capsaicin concentrate. The findings indicate that the higher the capsaicin level, the more effective it was in reducing stomach inflammation, said Prof. Lee.

The findings will be published next month in an actual medical journal called Helicobacter.

All of this bodes well for my present habit of consuming whole, pickled jalapenos.

THE CRAPPY CAFÉ

Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang dishes up steaming bowls of pork loin and curry in an eatery known more for its unusual serving vessels and "seats" than its cuisine.

Wang’s Toilet Bowl restaurant, located in Taipei’s Hsinpu Metro Station, offers two specials. Special Number One is a pork loin in oyster sauce, and Special Number Two is Chicken Curry.

Diners perch atop an eclectic assortment of toilets, while servers deliver meals in miniaturized, squat-style toilet bowls.

Customers are encouraged to stir the murky, brown curry in order to enjoy the full effect of eating out of a toilet bowl.

The Toilet Bowl also serves slushed ice beverages called "toilet ice." The drinks are available in two sizes, "number one" and "number two."

With it’s intimate seating arrangements, the Toilet Bowl is the perfect place to bring a hot date for a "Toilet Ice Number Two."

Clearly, Eric Wang believes in cutting out the middleman by placing food directly in the toilet.

The restaurant has earned a rave review in Taiwan Fun Magazine.