Eater NYrecently ran a piece by Chef David Chang of the Momofuku restaurants commenting on foie gras protesters and why he still serves foie gras in his restaurants in spite of the foie gras controversy. (Thanks Sarah for sharing this story with me!). A quick internet search can bring up images of ducks being force fed with a tube jammed down their throats to produce the desired fatty liver. These vivid images have brought animal rights activists to protest several restaurants in New York and elsewhere, including a vandalism last month in a Maryland restaurant. The problem that I have with being blindly against foie gras is that foie gras production can vary greatly from farm to farm. I have a problem with labels. Just as organic meat doesn't necessarily mean humanely raised, foie gras and veal don't necessarily mean animal cruelty.
Veal and foie gras have become buzz words that are supposed to be symbolic of animal cruelty as a whole. I buy veal at my local farmers markets from farmers that I know personally and who treat their animals with love and respect. I think it's possible to produce foie gras in a similar manner. Further research on Hudson Valley foie gras, the producer of the foie gras served by Chef David Chang, brought me to this story in the Village Voice. After reading an objective report of a visit to the farm my conclusion is that Hudson Valley is a responsible farm. Sure, I'd prefer for the ducks to spend more time outside, and I question whether it's not possible to feed the ducks the same amount of food without the force feeding. But it seems like the ducks do have enough space and don't seem in pain during or after the feedings, which reportedly take only fifteen seconds.
Compared to cattle feedlots Hudson Valley foie gras seems completely humane. In cattle feedlots not only do the cows have very little space but they are fed a diet that they can't properly digest which can lead to serious health problems and even death. So why are people, sometimes violently, protesting foie gras with only a handful of relatively small farms producing in the US, instead of protesting the fast food restaurants and chain grocery stores selling this factory farmed beef from the about 35 million cows slaughtered each year?
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
