Cooking
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 David Rosengarten credit: I didn't find any factual errors, which I often do in other stories on the subject. I'm sure he appreciates my blessing. He repeated the Paula Wolfert quote that skittered about the Internet a while back: "I'd rather be a force-fed duck than a Tyson chicken." It strikes many as hypocritical to oppose foie gras while blithely eating pork, eggs, chicken, and beef. Unless we are very careful (and even then it's difficult), many of our animal products come from animals who were treated much more horribly than our domestic foie gras ducks. On the other hand, if you don't want to eat foie gras, it's easier to avoid than, say, eggs. It may be hypocritical to avoid foie gras, but it's also less work. The "chickens have it worse" argument from foie gras's defenders deflects the discussion. We produce most eggs in horrible conditions, but that doesn't make foie gras more or less ethical. After all, I imagine Wolfert would rather be a goat at Redwood Hill Farms than a force-fed duck. I often feel like I'm the only foodie who believes that animal rights activists can have a legitimate role in the foie gras debate, though I disagree with the extremist tactics they often use. "Why pick on foie gras?" asks Rosengarten. I posed the same question to Lauren Ornelas at Viva! USA when I did my inital research for my Art of Eating piece. But a quick look at the organization's site reminds us that animal rights groups don't just focus on foie gras. They run campaigns about inhumane conditions in normal duck farming, the pork industry and others. Diane Halverson from the Animal Welfare Institute argued that it's the press that devotes so much time to foie gras. Why, she asked me, aren't papers running daily stories about horrible conditions at pig farms? Instead, at the time they were frantic "about Janet Jackson's breast," last year's Superbowl "scandal." Foie gras is an easy target for the media, since it's a somewhat exotic ingredient with a lot of luxury connotations; they don't have to worry about pissing off their entire readership and the well-heeled agribusiness advertisers. Is California's ban on foie gras an omen of Rosengarten's "Foiegracalypse"? It's worth remembering that Guillermo Gonzalez from Sonoma Foie Gras supported the bill in its final stage, and some animal rights groups opposed it. It provides him legal protection from lawsuits for the next seven years. It also gives him a monopoly in the state, since no other producers are allowed to start, though there's not a rush of people trying to break into the business. But what happens in 2012? My guess is the ban will still be in effect, and no one in California will be able to sell or produce foie gras. To be honest, I tend to think that foie gras is in its sunset years, though it may still have several decades left. But is this because we humans are wiser now than we were in the past, or are we more foolish? That, I can't answer.
- 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...
- 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...
- Ny Metro On Foie Gras
Alaina mentions a New York Metro article about foie gras, and of course I have to comment. Melissa hopes that one day I'll just let these things go, but it hasn't happened yet. The author has a decent command of the facts: He knows there are...
- 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...
- 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...
Cooking
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 David Rosengarten credit: I didn't find any factual errors, which I often do in other stories on the subject. I'm sure he appreciates my blessing. He repeated the Paula Wolfert quote that skittered about the Internet a while back: "I'd rather be a force-fed duck than a Tyson chicken." It strikes many as hypocritical to oppose foie gras while blithely eating pork, eggs, chicken, and beef. Unless we are very careful (and even then it's difficult), many of our animal products come from animals who were treated much more horribly than our domestic foie gras ducks. On the other hand, if you don't want to eat foie gras, it's easier to avoid than, say, eggs. It may be hypocritical to avoid foie gras, but it's also less work. The "chickens have it worse" argument from foie gras's defenders deflects the discussion. We produce most eggs in horrible conditions, but that doesn't make foie gras more or less ethical. After all, I imagine Wolfert would rather be a goat at Redwood Hill Farms than a force-fed duck. I often feel like I'm the only foodie who believes that animal rights activists can have a legitimate role in the foie gras debate, though I disagree with the extremist tactics they often use. "Why pick on foie gras?" asks Rosengarten. I posed the same question to Lauren Ornelas at Viva! USA when I did my inital research for my Art of Eating piece. But a quick look at the organization's site reminds us that animal rights groups don't just focus on foie gras. They run campaigns about inhumane conditions in normal duck farming, the pork industry and others. Diane Halverson from the Animal Welfare Institute argued that it's the press that devotes so much time to foie gras. Why, she asked me, aren't papers running daily stories about horrible conditions at pig farms? Instead, at the time they were frantic "about Janet Jackson's breast," last year's Superbowl "scandal." Foie gras is an easy target for the media, since it's a somewhat exotic ingredient with a lot of luxury connotations; they don't have to worry about pissing off their entire readership and the well-heeled agribusiness advertisers. Is California's ban on foie gras an omen of Rosengarten's "Foiegracalypse"? It's worth remembering that Guillermo Gonzalez from Sonoma Foie Gras supported the bill in its final stage, and some animal rights groups opposed it. It provides him legal protection from lawsuits for the next seven years. It also gives him a monopoly in the state, since no other producers are allowed to start, though there's not a rush of people trying to break into the business. But what happens in 2012? My guess is the ban will still be in effect, and no one in California will be able to sell or produce foie gras. To be honest, I tend to think that foie gras is in its sunset years, though it may still have several decades left. But is this because we humans are wiser now than we were in the past, or are we more foolish? That, I can't answer.
- 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...
- 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...
- Ny Metro On Foie Gras
Alaina mentions a New York Metro article about foie gras, and of course I have to comment. Melissa hopes that one day I'll just let these things go, but it hasn't happened yet. The author has a decent command of the facts: He knows there are...
- 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...
- 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...