Case in point, Philadelphia's foie gras battleground. Yes, I understand that some people don't like the fact that in order to produce foie gras, geese and ducks are force fed so that their livers become engorged and, I might add, tasty. I can see how some folks would find that practice distasteful, maybe even barbaric and cruel. That's their opinion and they're welcome to it.
However, what I do not think they're welcome to is taking their protests too far. Consider this paragraph from an article in today's Inquirer:
A more recent target, David Ansill, chef-owner of Ansill in Queen Village, removed foie gras from his menu earlier this month after protesters hounded his customers and staff and leafleted his neighborhood. "It wasn't worth it," Ansill said. "I caved." (Emphasis mine.)
Seriously? You have so little else going on in your life that you need to target a person's employees and customers, damage their livelihood and attempt to humiliate them in their neighborhood? Have any of these same protesters complained about a government that's sending American men and women to die for a war we're in because our leaders lied?
Sorry. A blog called The Hungover Gourmet is hardly the place to get all political. It's times like this I wish I still lived in Philly. I'd go eat foie gras every night. Hell, I'd buy it, take it outside and eat it in front of the protesters.
Frankly, I wish Ansill had the opportunity to get a glimpse into the lives of every single one of those nincompoops and see what kind of shenanigans they are up to.
BTW, check out this post from the blog PhilaFoodie. Apparently, all that time spent protesting in front of chefs' homes and designing leaflets has taken away vital fact-checking time.
2 comments:
I'm not a foie gras eater, very partially for ethical reasons, but mainly because I don't dig on any sort of organ meats.
However, I will admit to totally loving the name of the foie gras protest group "Hugs for Puppies". Sounds like an animal rights group from a John Waters movie circa 1975.
Also... some place in NYC has started offering... foie gras PB&J:
Foie Gras PB&J
Terrorists in Philly
First of, foie gras is not cruel. These protests amount to terrorism and that IS cruel.
I grew up on a farm vandalized by so called animal rights activists. It was frightening and cruel.
I am a vegetarian. This is my choice in a country which is thankfully full of choices. Ultimately, the people responsible for the protests in Philly are an activist minority, dictating menus to otherwise creative chefs.
For the activists who really are not checking their facts, foie gras production has been carefully examined by animal welfare advocates who have determined it to be humane. Unfortunately, these activists (or terrorists, if you will) are uneducated and ignorant of the truth. They may even know the facts but chose to ignore them out of zealotry for their cause. Agian, sounds an awful lot like terrorism to me.
But for those who wish to know more about foie gras production, there are two articles at the bottom of the first page of www.artisanfarmers.org that discuss the animal welfare aspects of it. For some additional perspective, see: http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/sep05/050901q.asp
I send my utmost respect to the restaurants who are taking a stand on this issue. We have to refuse to be bullied! I hope the diners of Philly enjoy their $5 foie gras this week. Right in front of those protests.
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