Foie Gras - Page 2

Frysauce
I agree with you, SHARK folks aren't being reasonable. They are not even addressing the perceived injustice in a reasonable way. I believe that if they have such strong objections, they should address the production methods, not the people who serve and enjoy foie gras.

The only reason I posted the photos was to point out that reasonable people might just have legitimate objections to this food item and to really show what is involved in foie gras production. Comparatively, Hudson Valley runs their farm in a relatively decent way. It's the gravage that I have objection to. Would anyone here subject their labrador retriever or house cat to such treatment? I would venture to say no.

For the same reasons, I have strong objections to factory farming of any kind. Growing up and living in NC I saw for myself the devastation to the local environment and population after Hurricane Floyd when many hog waste lagoons from factory farms ruptured and polluted people's property, local streams and rivers. For these reasons, I choose not to buy factory farmed meat or vegetables and grow a lot of my own food.

All I'm trying to assert is that it's reasonable to object to such practices in food production and that I'd like to see a growth in demand for the alternative methods. Wild salmon is seasonal, why can't foie gras be? Doesn't seasonality of a food product increase its value, the demand for it and thus the price you can charge for it and its profitability?

From today's news. Just in case you don't think these types of organizations are very very dangerous:

$2 million homes burn in 'act of terror,' developer says - CNN.com

Regarding the topic at hand. I have spent over twenty years squarely in the middle of the animal rights debate; at various times taking both sides. This is not about Foie Gras!

Foodnfoto, I would agree with your statements about not taking an advesarial approach if he was not dealing with unreasonable people. Not all vegetarians, vegans or animal rights activists are unreasonable. They happen to hold views that I may or may not agree with but I am more than willing to discuss (debate) these issues at any time. I love a good debate!! But these people have proven themselves to be unreasonable, fanatical "terrorists", and as such no amount of talk will persade them. They hold one view of the world and expect everyone to follow their view. And when they start to intimidate and terrorize others to further their world view they have lost any form of legitimacy. As with many terrorists groups around the world, I can understand many of their complaints and issues, and may even agree with some of their issues, but it is their tactics that I deplore and the fact that many of the more fanatical groups believe that theirs is the only right (or righteous) way.

If SHARK were to use legal ways to further their ends then so be it. If they were to picket restaurants, distribute petitions, bring unfavorable media attention to the issues then I say fine, it is thier right and more power to them for excersizing those rights, but when groups, such as these, stoop to terrorists tactics then I truly believe that the only possible response is to push on (and fight back if need be) or our rights and freedoms get eroded a little more.

Hello :) I hope everything is going well for you and your situation. Going on from my first post- try to get OFF the radar of SHARK. At this point, I would inform the police, set up video surveillance, post a letter on the outside of your restaurant saying you've taken foie gras off your menu due to public ethical concerns, and do nothing adversarial. Let them think that they've won and let them find another target. Don't even respond personally to them unless they're at your place- and then try to pacify. Your business and personal safety of all involved are more important than using a single ingredient!

We have conceal-and-carry licenses for hand guns in Minnesota, which means the state can charge us $125.00 for a license for something we do anyway. :lol:

Yeah, it's what a small fine if you're caught?

Outstate the police don't even care.

I do wish you well...
The whole "lets fight for the geese" thing is a bit too much for me. Has anyone seen Lobster Liberation? It should carry a soda spew warning...IT'S FUNNY!!!
Lobster Liberation!

I'm also liscensed gun dealer, let me know if your interested ,and I'll give ya a good deal. I'll assume you get my drift. Heh, heh.

That lobster liberation website has a fairly entertaining imitation version of the game "frogger", just with lobsters instead.

I know...I love it!

you know, just in protest of the protest, you should run a promotional all foie gras menu. that would be fun.

I just saw a copy of the latest "Blue" They have a Gattling gun you can mount on your car. Can you get me a deal on one of those? What kind of license would you need to own one? It would have come in handy when my neighborhood was being taken over by crack dealers. (I'm still here, they're not.) All jokes aside, I feel for you FrySauce, I wish I had answers for you. My inclination is to tell them to go pound sand up their ***, but I understand you have employees and property to think about and that limits you options. What I do know is everybody does something that offends at least somebody. Try to find their weak spot and then go for the throat. Do they drive gas-hog SUVs or some other politically incorrect thing? It's been my experience that the more self-righteous somebody is, the dirtier their own personal secrets. You might do well to hire a P.I. and look into these peoples' personal backgrounds. They usually don't bear close scrutiny. If you don't beleive me, just look at what's going on right now with the governor of N.Y. and that's only one example of a total hyprocrit. In any case, I wish you the best of luck and hope you will keep us posted on the situation as while this is happening to you, the outcome affects all of us. As Red Green would say, We're pulling for you, we're all in this boat together.

This taunting fate, but I like it. Imagine being able to see the look on their faces.

newbie reply

I just registered here. I've been out of the industry for a couple of years, taking time to be a stay-at-home dad. As far as the Foie ban business goes, I just see it as political correctness infecting the industry I love. I already feel as if i'm in the minority in this industry, being somewhat politically conservative in my views. I think most of us got into this profession specifically to work with Foie Gras, Caviar, sweetbreads, veal kidneys, and all the other stuff that makes chefs weepy.

If I had recieved such a letter from some unhinged, moonbat group, the only thing that would keep me from immediately using it to housebreak whatever pet I have at the time, would be my employees and my customers. I would show it to the police, so it is on record. I would ask my staff if they are willing to endure the excitement that is to come, and then drive on. Enough with these jerks. Look up what they did to Laurent Manrique, a talented, well respected chef and genuinely nice individual. The secret videotaping of family members as a threat is completely off the charts in my book. These are tactics used by drug cartels and Eastern European mafiosi.
I think radicals and their brethren food police in state and local governments have done enough damage to our industry. While I appreciate the positions of other members like foodnfoto (not picking on you, BTW), most of us have worked too hard to get to our positions just to be forced to do something contrary to what we believe in. When you engage these guys, you legitimize them. You accept the premise of their letter. Giving in to them will embolden them to go to the next restaurant, or go after the next food product they find offensive. The philosophy of these people, deep, deep, down inside is the elimination of the human race. Humans are the bane of the Earth, in the minds of these folks. The fact that they are humans themselves is what makes this so insane. You can't reason with them because this kind of extreme liberalism is based on emotion.
If a chef or owner does not serve foie gras for whatever reason, moral or otherwise, I have no problem with that. As long as it is that individual's own decision.
Everytime we give in to some group like this, we head further towards a place from which we can't return.
Just my thoughts, glad to be here.

Roger Lake

Foie gras

Sorry if I am repeating anything, I have only read this page. Unfortunatly the people concerned will not be reading this page otherwise they may learn a thing or two. I live in South west France the home of fois gras so I know what I am talking about. Yes we do have internet in France together with electricity and running water and lots and lots of EU rules so be assured the production of fois gras is closely moniterd. I am surrounded by fields and fields of ducks being raised for fois gras. It takes two years for the ducks to mature during which time the the ducks are free range only coming indoors every evening for protection from foxes. They are well fed and cared for, after all they will be worth a lot of money. Two to three weeks before they are due to be killed they are over fed with corn. Ducks and geese can only store fat just under the skin or in their liver so having eaten to much, the liver swells, fois gras means liver fat or fattened liver. They are then killed humanly and then bled so as blood does not discolour the liver. So we have a duck after living two years in the French countryside then gets three weeks of eating as much as it wants then killed, lets compare with the average supermarket chicken 24 days in a closed warehouse never seeing daylight or lets take hal hal meat this has to be bled to death hung up by its legs then has its throat cut, the list is endless. Do these people think there is some one looking after the animals welfare in Africa,Asia or south America, I dont think so.I cannot think of any other animal in the food chain that has a better life and yet there are those campaigning for its production to be stopped. I would have to question there motives.
Steve www.masterchefinfrance.com