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| Monk's Bread |
According to the "notes found in the desk of a New York advertising executive," a potential sign in Times Square (New York City) could read, "Thomas Merton says 'Buy Monks' Bread.'" [St. Fidgeta & Other Parodies, 27].
The Abbey of Gethsemani, in Piffard, New York, began baking bread for the community in 1951. Before long guests and visitors were asking to purchase this unique loaf. To respond to the demand for bread, now known as Monks' Bread, it was decided to incorporate a small bakery in the new abbey the monks were building. By the spring of 1956 things had progressed to where a large modern bakery was set in operation. Today that bakery, continually upgraded and improved, is still in operation producing five varieties of Monks' Bread: white, whole wheat, raisin, sunflower bran and genesee rye.
"It was really quite popular in the early 1960s, and quite good," recalls Myers. "The Benedictines were quite a strict order whose members frequently fasted and took a vow of silence, except during prayer. The image of the bread was that its wholesome, healthful tastiness was just about the only earthly pleasure allowed to the monks. I remember the magazine ads for the bread, showing a contented-looking monk with his hands clasped and the bread with its label showing suspended under his hands in the loose folds of his sleeves. The picture was titled, "Out of a Silent Monastery." Time magazine reported that the agency that came up with this ad first wanted to use the slogan 'Baked in Silence. Too good for words!' Believe it or not, Monk's Bread still exists - I saw a shelf of it in a local supermarket just the other day. It now comes in several varieties, but none of them look particularly appetizing. Maybe my tastes in bread have just become more sophisticated over the years."
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_the_Genesee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton |
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