Foie Gras

The Debate Over Foie Gras

March 22, 2007

Chef Wolfgang Puck Bans Foie Gras in All of His Restaurants

Takes Eating Well to a New Level
Benefiting Farm Animals & Customers

Implements “First-of-its-Kind” Humane Farm Animal Treatment Program Aimed at Worst Abuses
Lauded by The Humane Society of the United States
Also Shifts Other Food Ingredients to All-Natural and USDA Organic

As of July 2006, foie gras will no longer be allowed to be sold in Chicago,
as voted on by the Chicago city council in a 48 to 1 vote, with a $500 fine for violation.
This is the first city in the country to outlaw the sale of foie gras.

As you may know, restaurant owner & Chef Charlie Trotter, Chicago,
has not had foie gras on his menu for several years.

California has enacted a law that will end the production
and sale of foie gras there in 2012, and similar legislation
has been proposed in a handful of other states.

Foie gras is the fatty livers of geese and ducks
that many consider a delicacy but animal rights
advocates describe as a product of inhumane treatment.

Foie gras is produced by force-feeding grain to ducks
and geese several times a day through a pipe
inserted into their throats, causing their livers to expand.

Some in the restaurant industry said the ban would
have little effect on their business, but they condemned it
as an unwarranted intrusion by city officials.

Cleverley's Newsletter sent out a survey to Houston area
chefs, restaurateurs & hospitality professionals..

Here is what they had to say:
(Names used only with permission)

For more information on this issue, just google 'foie gras' or 'foie gras Chicago.'

"In one respect it has a good outcome for animal rights activists, but
this has been going on for hundreds of years, What is the Big Deal.
Why bother with arguing about what foods are right and what is not.

What is next, Veal! They never see the sunlight.

Is this going to effect the classical way of doing things in this great craft of ours?
For sure it is a negative that I cannot dine at Tru, Alinea or Blackbird Again
and have a great terrine, torchon or seared slab of foie gras.
There would be No CITIZEN Complaint Here."

FROM: A Houston restaurant owner & chef, white tablecloth, 5/31/2006

I'm against the ban.
There have been restrictions placed on other food items in the past,
but for reasons to do with the depletion of their source. That's reasonable.

You might remember the Chilean Sea Bass, (which is really Patagonian Tooth Fish.)
It became politically incorrect to serve it.

The ortolan is a pigeon found in the Pyrenees.
It's is a huge delicacy item with strong cultural and traditional ties.
The locals have been serving this "Squab" for generations and generations,
but the French government outlawed the commercial sale of ortolan years ago.
Only individual hunters with permits are allowed to shoot and presumably serve them.

The alligator is highly regulated, and that's back in the press now.
We had the courtesy to back off from eating them,
but now that their numbers are up, they haven't returned the favor!

But seriously, to suggest that foie gras should be banned because
geese are treated cruelly for their livers is hypocrisy!
You would have to outlaw the entire food chain.
Consider how cruelly poultry, cattle and swine are treated.
Is veal next? That would be a sad day.

Politicians have more important things to do, and it's best they get at it.

People should have the right to eat whatever they feel like !

FROM: A director of catering & conferences, hotel in Houston, 5/31/2006

I do not believe we should ban foie gras and instead I would like to
initiate a motion to ban all tree hugging extremist groups instead.

FROM: A Houston chef & restaurant owner, white tablecloth, 5/31/2006

I don't care if Houston bans it.

It is very cruel to some but most people in the Houston area don't even know what it is.
Start a rumor about banning brisket or steak, then people will start to care.

Houston is not the global city that Chicago is, and without some new global items it will never be!
Houston does not care about food the way those other cities and states do,
and that is obvious from where everyone chooses to eat!

In my mind, foie is just "fat" and I can find other sources of that!

Ban it, it does not matter. It's too expensive anyway.
That is the problem with Houston, people will always choose something expensive over something worth while!

Ferran Adria said it best, "a great sardine is much better than an over-cooked lobster"

FROM: Chef Lance Fegen, chef/proprietor, Glass Wall the Restaurant,
5/31/2006

I don’t like the government intruding itself into what should be a personal decision.

However, as a chef, I have first hand knowledge and in some
cases responsibility for how we ‘take’ from the earth.

Unlike some species of fish that are in trouble, the duck situation
is more moral…they are mistreated, there is no good explanation.

I would like to think that our modern sensibilities have become more in tune to taking care of one another
and our environment. The indulgence is getting out of hand and even though we are not talking about
Blue-Fin Tuna…that the Japanese fishermen are about to wipe out any year now...
(and it's on American menus and in Houston grocery stores).

It seems every couple of years someone picks a fight with the restaurant
industry, especially the fine dining set. How about this: Let’s control it
ourselves, using our own moral compass to guide us a bit.

I am guilty on this (however, I've never served blue-fin...ever) and frankly I am a bit
ashamed of myself for looking the other way (on the foie gras issue), knowing full well it’s (foie gras)
a useless food product from a nutritional standpoint and that causes much more pain than its worth.

All animals regardless of their status in the food chain or endangered list deserve some form of respect.
(they all put food on the table for our families)

And yes some clown out there will read this and say we treat chickens and pigs in a demeaning way.
That might be true, but we have to start somewhere and why not in a place where grotesque
disrespect is being permitted and eventually consumed. Will it make a difference? Who knows!

America consumes...We all know this…
American chefs need to start returning the favor to the earth and stop looking the other way.

FROM: A Houston public relations executive who specializes in hospitality, 5/31/2006

I say “yes” – ban it.

FROM: A Houston hotel executive, 5/31/2006

I agree with Mr. Daley, don't we have more important issues to focus on?

What's next, a ban on caviar because it prohibits reproduction??

RE: Quote from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in
The Chicago Sun-Times regarding the city council vote:
"We have children getting killed by gang leaders and dope dealers.
We have real issues here in this city. And we're dealing with foie gras?
Let's get some priorities."

FROM: An executive chef at a private country club in Houston, 5/26/2006

If I was a vegan I would feel good.
And about veal, do you only eat the older animals?
Don't they feel pain too? Abused animals...horrible.

Instead of worrying about something that less than .001 percent of Americans eat,
why don't they (Chicago's politicians) concentrate on solving the homeless problem Chicago has?
It seems that politicians pick the topic that someone is screaming about the loudest at that moment.
They run with it and then drop it like a hot potato after it has served their purpose.

The foie gras ban is not like the wild red fish limits or any other wild
animal harvesting limits. It is a man-endorsed product for the pleasure
of man. We have all the control in the world over its production.

If the people who don't appreciate it (foie gras) want to say something,
stop patronizing the places that sell it.

As I stated earlier, I would like to see all this energy spent on
something that is really important to mankind.

Thanks for letting me talk.

I think it’s crazy that we are dealing with such issues,
perhaps we can find a better way to feed the geese instead.

Foie gras has been part of the food culture and a complete ban on the product is not the solution.
In my opinion people should seek alternative, more humane ways to feed the geese.

Foie gras is too good to totally ban. If the livers came from geese who were free range and had
happy, normal lives and were not abused during their lives life due to forced feeding, I would eat it.

I disagree.
The government should not have a say in what is served.
It should be the decision of the consumer to eat or not eat foie gras.

The end result of this is that all meat, fish, and insects would be banned.
Ask any slaughtered cow.
It’s cruel to animals, but starvation would also be cruel to humans!
My suggestion is let's just all eat salad…!!!

This is an outrage to my profession and it is the most ridiculous thing. What is next?
We have been doing the over feeding practice for thousands of years.
I will fight it if Houston tries to pass the same law.


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