'Holy potato' found at Quebec seniors' residence

A cook was cutting potatoes at a Quebec seniors' residence when he decided to slice one lengthwiseinstead of across, as he usually did.

What he saw inside is being called a sign of a divine presence inthe building.

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"He saw it was a cross and he said, 'It's a sign,'" said milien Morin, president of the residents' committee at Le Mieux Vivre Residence in Grande-Rivire.

"He thought it meant 'I'm here'a religious sign."

The sacred spud was discovered Aug. 22 at the Gasp Peninsula residenceby cook AlainLvesque.

"He couldn't believe it," Morin said.

'It makes them feel safe'

Morin said the residents are devout Catholics and sought a way topreservethe potato.

Jeannette Moreau, a residents' committee member,is currently housing the potato in her apartment as it dries.

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Morin says the potato-drying process could take up to a month, adding that the spudhas started to darken butthe sign of the cross at its centre is still highly visible.

He doesn't want people to visit the vegetable until it's fully dried and ready to be displayed in a custom-made display case.

Morin said the potato will be on displayin the dining room where all residents can enjoy being near it.

"It makes them feel safe," Morin said.

Divine? Or adisorder?

The markings inside the potato may be a sign from above, or they may be a sign of hollow heart, a condition that afflicts potatoes grown in very fertile or heavily irrigated soilsduring wet seasons.

It's caused bythe death of cells inside the tuber, and usuallyresults in brown tissue appearing in the centre of the potato.