People in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Eat Foie Gras?

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I was dropping off something downtown today when I noticed a big black board in front 0f The Metropolitan.

For those of you who don’t know The Metropolitan has been around for some ten plus years and is considered by many to be the nicest/best restaurant in Utah. I’ve been inside for a photo shoot and used to go to parties in the building when it was an eclectic artist’s loft environment.

I got a chance to eat there when I won a runner-up prize for my portrait of Rocky Anderson. I used $50 in gift certificates to twice eat it’s ‘bar food’ which was good. The service was excellent and I remember a nice conversation I had with an outdoor shoe rep during the outdoor retailers convention.

So I had to flip a ‘U’ and read a letter sized sign posted on the board, where a large window normally was. It said something to the effect ‘We have new changes coming for 2008 including a Foie Gras-free menu’ Are you thinking what I am thinking? In the early 90s many animal products businesses faced attacks from ‘animal rights activists’. The fact that a business owner would mention the Foie Gras was—as I say—notable.

So I wondered what are the issues with is this stuff and Wiki told me that the fowl get force-fed to create this (desired) fatty liver:

In modern foie gras production, force feeding takes place 12−18 days before slaughter. The duck or goose is typically fed a controlled amount of corn mash through a tube inserted in the animal’s cuticle-lined esophagus. Due to this force feeding procedure, and the possible health consequences of an enlarged liver, animal rights and welfare organizations and activists regard foie gras production methods as cruel to animals. Foie gras producers maintain that force feeding ducks and geese is not uncomfortable for the animals nor is it hazardous to their health.

I guess we really need to consult a Duck or a Goose on this, but the last sentence didn’t get by this snarky bloggers, ’snicker test’. Personally I used to have to eat [but was not force-fed] liver when I was a kid. My Dad had been raised in a big, organ meat-loving family. I didn’t like beef liver, deer liver or liverwurst, I doubt I would pay big bucks for this Coup de Gras.

It just seems to make sense that if you live reasonably, and think of others, you can avoid problems like bricks through your windows. So far—so good.

P.S. The new Chipolte Grill claims to be very good to their animals before they kill them – how does this translate to a $6. burrito; so-so.

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