Chicago Bans Foie Gras
Chicago has banned the sale of foie gras, starting in June. This won't surprise anyone who's followed the issue. Once Californa legislators passed a ban on production and sale in 2004 (effective 2012), other cities and states followed suit.
Long-time readers know that my "The Dilemma of Foie Gras" article left me with an ambivalent stance about force-fed geese and ducks. A stance I share with every other writer who's looked at the subject objectively. It is not as horrendous as it sounds (force-feed the bird until the liver is 10-12 times its normal size). But it's not as innocent as producers and gourmands suggest.
Still, I disagree with an outright ban.
Angry eGulleteers claim that this bill is hypocritical because restaurants can still serve factory-farmed chickens, cows, and pigs. I tend to have little sympathy for the "focus on those issues instead of foie gras" argument. There's always a larger battle (human rights! keeping the hungry fed! providing good education! world peace!) and who can blame an activist for picking a small battle that s/he can win? Animal rights groups do run campaigns against factory farms but the press refuses to cover them and foie gras is no more or less ethical just because some other form of livestock leads a more miserable life.
- Dr. Vino Goes To The Geese
Some of you know that I have a spider-sense that tingles when writers mention foie gras, but this time Tyler at Dr. Vino made my job easy when he sent a link to his post about a visit to a French goose foie gras farm. He touches on the "unmentioned" problems...
- Bits Of Foie Gras
Famous Chicago chef Charlie Trotter speaks out against foie gras. The article quotes also-famous Chicago chef Rick Tramonto, who says that Trotter's stance is hypocritical because animals are slaughtered all the time. They're talking about two...
- Rosengarten And Foie Gras
I recently bought a copy of The Rosengarten Report. I heard that it had a write-up on the foie gras debate (FOIEGRACALYPSE NOW! the cover screams), and I wanted to see what it said. I kept thinking of Troy McClure as I read the text, but I'll give...
- Why Do People Eat Foie Gras At Christmas?
You may not know it, but foie gras is a customary treat for the holiday season. Sonoma Foie Gras doubles its production for the last couple months of the year (ironically, California's ban on force-feeding generated a lot of press which translated...
- Derrick Is Sure To Comment On The Subject
Tom mentioned that I would probably comment on the California government's decision to ban foie gras, and he's right. If you haven't heard, in February Senator Burton introduced a bill that bans the production and sale of any food that comes...