You’re in the dark alleys of Sonoma…
Hey… hey… yeah you. You lookin’ for liver? I gotz the goods for ya man. “Moulard?” “Toulouse?” “Strasbourg?” Hah muchu need?
Sound far-fetched?
It may not be soon. On July 1st of 2012, SB 1520 will take effect making the production or sale of foie gras illegal in California. While this blog will certainly feature my opinionated views on the culinary world (and how it operates) , I don’t want to turn this into a political debate although that may look to be impossible this time given the subject matter.
Fresh duck liver lobe
Foie gras is the liver of duck or goose that is enlarged meticulously by force feeding the bird. It has history going back to the early Egyptians and in Roman times was produced by feeding the ducks figs. Today the job is done by force-feeding the birds greased corn through long tubes to slow digestion. The result is a product with a high fat content and buttery texture. This is where animal rights groups have issue and have used their influence to leverage congress to pass the bill which was signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2004. The farms (currently only one left in California) have until July of next year to shut down or move out-of-state.
Now before I piss off my animal loving friends, let me say that I, in no way, support or condone treating animals, or any other living thing for that matter, inhumanly. My issue is with anyone telling me (or anyone else) what we can or can not eat. Chicago tried a similar ban and it lasted only 2 years before it was overturned due to the public outcry invading their consumer rights.
If you visit PETA’s site, I’m sure you will find several videos of unreputable farmers doing horrific things to animals all to make a buck, geese included. I’m not a fan of propaganda but if you’re a sadist and like that sort of thing, you can search PETA’s site for the travesties of these unscrupulous farmers. My feeling is this is where the special interests and animal rights groups should be placing the target of their efforts. Keep in mind that I can find just as many videos of honest, hard-working and capable farmers raising the animals properly. If you want to cook and eat great food, it must be methodically prepared from farm to table. It starts with great ingredients. I know exactly where the steer that gave me the prime rib I served last night came from. I know where it was raised, what it ate, how it was inspected, what grade it was given and how fast it got to my kitchen after it was slaughtered. You don’t go the dentist, send your child to a new school, meet that “cute’ guy/gal you met online without doing a little research first. Why should what you put in your body be an exception? No reputable chef would buy a product from a farm without knowing where the animal he intends to serve to his guests came from or how it was raised. I would like to see this same type of transparency at my local supermarket.
My introduction to this post may seem a little incongruous but the fact is, those that like the product, love the product. I like foie gras and I’m not a villain for consuming it or serving to others like me that also enjoy it. I am a law-abiding citizen so when the bill goes into effect on July 1st of next year, I will comply ( I will, however, stock up just before) but those who want it are still going to get it after the law goes into effect. It’s just going to go underground.
Hey, maybe rappers will write songs about it?
Foodies Block 