NUNBUN ON THE RUN

.............Mother Teresa..............................Nun Bun........

A deformed pastry world famous because of its supposed resemblance to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, has been stolen from the Tennessee cafe where it was baked.

The cinnamon 'NunBun' was reported missing after a break in at the Bongo Java coffee shop in Nashville on Christmas Day.

It had been on display at the premises since 1996 when staff supposedly noticed the similarity as it emerged from the oven.

Mother Teresa herself had a not completely beatific smile when told about the story. She instructed her lawyer to request shop owner Bob Bernstein to stop calling it 'The Mother Teresa Cinnamon Bun'.

When he came up with an alternative - 'The Immaculate Confection' - she was also less than wholly amused.

She wrote to Mr Bernstein appealing to his better nature: "I do know that you have not done anything out of ill will and so trust and understand that you will respect my wish......God bless you."

Though a week before she died in August 1997, she approved the name NunBun.

Mr Bernstein says the loss of the bun is "like a death in the family" but admitted he had received hate mail about it in the past.

He fears it could have been stolen by someone who regards it as sacrilege.

A humourless religious conservative living in the southern US?

That should narrow the suspect list down a bit.