] It's believed to be the largest Chee-to in the world. The
] cheesy glob of fried cornmeal that Navy Petty Officer
] Mike Evans found last week in a bag of the snacks is
] about the size of a small lemon and weighs in at about
] half an ounce.
]
] Evans, 41, a fervent user of online auctions, posted his
] find on eBay. He never expected the flurry of attention
] that followed.
]
] Radio stations from around the country interviewed Evans,
] a Gulf War veteran stationed in Pearl Harbor who
] patiently explained that he bought the bag of Chee-tos
] for his 3-year-old son. Giant Chee-to T-shirts and
] Chee-to puppet auctions sprung up online. And pranksters
] bid up the Chee-to into the millions of dollars -- so
] much that eBay cancelled the sale and a frustrated Evans
] donated the Chee-to to a good cause: a sleepy farming
] community in Iowa.
]
] "I was absolutely astounded that something like a Chee-to
] could become a pop icon," said Evans. "It's
] international. I've even seen it online on a Russian
] site."