Don’t Feel Guilty About Foie Gras

If there is a food in this world that is better than sex, it’s foie gras. I’ve had the pleasure of sampling some of the most exclusive ingredients available anywhere: black truffles, caviar – you name it, I’ve had it. And most of the time I am left wondering what all the fuss is about. But the minute I put that first bite of foie gras in my mouth, I immediately knew why the stuff costs an arm and a leg.

A foie gras brulée with dried sour cherries, candied pistachios, and white port gelee.

And if you do, as an added bonus, you get to stick it to those overzealous busybodies of the animal rights movement who will scold you for eating a hamburger, but will become absolutely apoplectic if you eat foie gras. Why is eating foie gras a greater sin than eating your typical run-of-the mill animal flesh? Because in order for a duck or goose liver to stop being merely liver and deserve the price of $125 a pound, the duck or goose from which it came has to be force-fed.

Well, not exactly – they don’t have to be force-fed, but the overwhelming majority of foie gras producers do in fact force-feed their animals. However, some producers simply avoid this step and take advantage of the bird’s natural binging habit – a method which unfortunately produces smaller foie gras of lesser quality.

Nevertheless, the fact that foie gras can be produced without force-feeding indicates that – contrary to the claims of the animal rights movement – foie gras is a naturally occurring product. Indeed, migratory birds binge at certain times of the year in preparation for their long journey, and they use their liver as an energy store. Ancient Egyptians discovered this fact, undoubtedly

"The force-feeding is far less brutal than as depicted by the animal rights moment."

Moreover, the force-feeding step, which is at the center of the controversy, not only makes foie gras production more economical (all things being relative), but is also far less brutal than as depicted by the animal rights crowd. The French, who get their knickers in a knot about the cruelty of Canada’s seal hunt, are the number one consumers and producers of foie gras worldwide. More importantly, though, the act of putting a tube down the throat of a duck can be performed gently, as witnessed by more than one observer, including Sarah DiGregorio of the impeccably progressive Village Voice. She came away from Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York State, the largest foie gras farm in the United States, observing that both after 12 and 21 days of force-feeding, being subjected to this process “didn’t seem to bother [the ducks] much.”

Well, such pesky facts do not stop the perpetually (and professionally) outraged from being outraged. Holly Cheever, of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association who, upon visiting Hudson Valley and not witnessing unspeakable cruelty, suggested that what had been shown to her was staged, and that some really nasty stuff must have been going on behind the scenes. Yes, that makes sense; a farmer should have one farm to produce food ethically for the benefit of visitors, and another hidden farm, where they can torture their animals away from the gaze of animal rights groups.

Here in Ottawa, Stephen Beckta, the owner of the excellent restaurant Beckta, has recently announced that, following threats from animal rights activists, he would remove foie gras from his menu. This is unfortunate, in particular because his decision was taken in response to intimidation, thereby encouraging more of it.

I’ve learned recently that for every pleasure life has to offer, there is a group of people who make it their obsession to prevent you from enjoying it. In that respect, foie gras is no different. I urge you to ignore such people, and if you ever decide to treat yourself to this most wonderful of culinary delights, I recommend that you do so with a glass of late vintage wine, croutons, and a clear conscience.

Foie gras photo by Kent Wang via Creative commons; Duck photo provided by Marcus Henley

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