Origin of the Gob — Episode 2: In Performance

Yesterday Jo Novelli, commenting on Episode 1 back in 2006, informed me that the Gob has broken through its restraints and emerged into the performance and pictorial arts spaces.

This is the news we here at bookofjoe have been awaiting anxiously for over two years now and thus we don't hesitate to preempt a breaking news report of a UFO sighting — with pictorial evidence and artifacts that could only have come from a highly advanced civilization — in favor of the latest Gob sweetness.

Her comment follows.

Hi joe,

i have done a performance with gobs check it out on my website (www.jonovelli.com/gobs.htm). i also have a picture there of a painting i made of the wrapper [below].



you can contact the bakery at (814) 266-3191 and they will mail order the gobs to you. and, btw, the baker's name is TIM YOST, not COST. just fyi.

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But wait, there's more!

From Ms. Novelli's website:

Home is Where the Gob is… (1996–)

This performance and video project explores the subtleties of comfort food in relation to body image and geography. A Gob is a chocolate snack cake with crème filling that is wrapped in cellophane with a sailor printed on the front. Gobs are made exclusively in my hometown [Johnstown, Pennsylvania] at Dutch Maid Bakery [below]



which is located on a corner, across from St. Anthony's cemetery.

I’ve been eating Gobs all my life and, recently, I’ve been asking other people, friends and strangers alike, to indulge my nostalgia and eat a Gob while I video tape them doing it. As they eat, we talk about the cake’s name, its flavor, the pleasures of hometown tastes and the shelf life of snack foods. Some participants reflected on childhood experiences while others revealed extensive details about their eating habits and health.

If you would like to eat a Gob for my project, that can be arranged.

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Who knows?

Maybe she'll resume the project just for bookofjoe readers — wouldn't that be a kick?

Inquiries: jonovelli@gmail.com

Make sure to tell her joe sent you to receive the red carpet treatment (Bizarro World style).

That's where they toss you out the door onto a ratty red carpet lying on sidewalk.

Oh, yeah, one more thing: The painting of the Gobs wrapper pictured above measures 24" x 36" and may — or may not — be available for purchase from the artist.

You know what to do.