First an international caveat on caviar, now a fatwa against foie gras? That's what Rep. Brendan Williams of Olympia says: he's introduced legislation to ban the force-feeding of birds. Never mind that most American foie gras is produced out-of-state, by a French family (of course) in upstate New York, Williams is against it.
Williams admits he did eat foie gras once, but tells the Everett Herald he didn't know where it came from. (Right, and Clinton didn't inhale.)
Shocked, shocked he was to learn it involved gavage, overfeeding to enlarge the duck's liver, a centuries-old practice that engenders modern outrage when applied to animals but remains enshrined as freedom-of-choice when it comes to Twinkies, Big Macs and venti double-chocolate-chip Frappuccino. With extra whipped cream, please.
By the way, there are some ghastly alternatives to foie gras out there for the PC crowd, made with mushrooms and tofu. Be my guest.
Contended geese--foie gras on the hoof--along the Dordogne River in southwest France.
Gavage with softened grain has been practiced since Egyptian times as winter approaches to encourage the natural accumulation of fat in the goose's liver.
The International Kitchen
Cooking school vacations in Italy, France & Spain.
Who links to me?
Comparing foie gras production to the chickens that are living (and working) in a commerical egg plant is ridiculous. How awful that the chickens are made to - gasp! - lay eggs all day long! Other than the overcrowding that goes along with commercial egg production, there is no torture involved I assure you. Shoving a tube down the neck of a duck is truly a cruel practice. And, what is the purpose of this website? I don't quite understand.
Posted by: Susan Grayland at January 24, 2006 4:14 PMEver been to a commercial egg plant? I have. Talk about ghastly, -that- is far more inhumane of a treatment then producing foie gras.
Posted by: Robert Hess at January 11, 2006 6:46 AM