My Opinion Monday: Why I don’t care about force-fed ducks
I adore foie gras (preferably seared and served with a fruity drizzle of something fancy and a glass of ice wine. A bit like this). On Friday I discovered that the delicacy is about to be banned in the state of California. I was pretty torn on the issue. I do love the stuff but I don’t love the idea of poor defenseless force-fed ducks.
Back on Friday afternoon I imagined that I would fall on the side of the duck. Why?
1) I can’t eat liver at the moment (it has high levels of vitamin A that can be harmful to a baby during pregnancy). I therefore knew that I couldn’t indulge and remind myself of what is at stake (not that it’s easy to get a hold of my seared preference anyhow but even a bit of paté is not possible at this time).
2) The mental image of a duck being force-fed is pretty grim. I figured that in my current maternal protective state that image would win all battles.
3) It’s just plain wrong to choose yummy over duckie, isn’t it?
But then on Friday evening I sat across from my husband at Hue Restaurant and watched him smack his lips over a thinly sliced duck breast (with a tangy cranberry reduction and amaretto and squash risotto). I had no qualms about his menu selection nor about snagging a taste or two. Someone eating duck does not bother me at all. Actually, someone eating any kind of meat doesn’t seem to phase me.
Even foie gras.
Even though I know that foie gras is the result of potentially cruel practices, even though I know I should be outraged at the awful things done to an animal just so a person can enjoy a moment of soft buttery meatiness, it really doesn’t seem to affect me. Why not?
Maybe it’s because foie gras is not a very big industry. As pointed out in the discussion on the CtS Facebook Page by Angela of Foodie Roadshow and Laura of La Diva Cucina, instead of focusing on the two or three small American farms that produce foie gras, we should be more concerned with the factory farming practices that deliver most of the meat that winds up on our tables. It’s a bit odd for people to be overly concerned with this very small segment of our meat industry when there are terrible things happening on a much larger scale elsewhere.
Or perhaps it doesn’t affect me because it’s not really as cruel as we imagine. Angela of Foodie Roadshow also directed me to an article by Jeffrey Steingarten called Stuffed Animals which originally appeared in Men’s Vogue. Mr. Steingarten offers up some scientific studies to show that force-fed ducks and geese are not stressed and do not seem to be as averse to force-feedings as we might expect. Based on these studies and several other arguments he concludes that there is no overwhelming reason to stop eating foie gras. Instead, he suggests that we savour small amounts of this treat, which is what most people do anyways.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that either of these reasons explains my blasé attitude toward foie gras. In fact, my brain doesn’t seem to require any kind of justification. Despite knowing that I should be all upset about the issue, I’m just not.
Thinking back, animal rights has never been a battle that I’ve felt strongly enough about to fight, or even to get moderately upset about. I’m not sure why. It could be because my dad was a federal meat inspector and I was desensitized to the issues at a young age. Or maybe it’s because I get too caught up with civil rights issues and the cruelty we inflict on one another to have the mental energy left for animals. Or maybe I just like meat so much that I refuse to allow in any thoughts or emotions that might tarnish my enjoyment.
I hate to admit it, but for me, yummy wins. Justifiably or not. And if I ever make it to California, I know I’ll be disappointed that foie gras is not on the menu.
Tags: animal rights, foie gras, foie gras banned in california
Hi Christine! This is an EXCELLENT article on Serious Eats about exactly how foie gras is not unethical when done properly, which it is in the US. You simply have to pay attention to where you buy it from. (Also, with all the controversy surrounding the issue and the trend of diners wanting to know the whole story about where their meal comes from, all top restaurants only “source” their foie gras from reputable farms.)
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/12/the-physiology-of-foie-why-foie-gras-is-not-u.html
Kristina recently posted: Interesting–No, Wait, Disastrous–Findings on Freezing Pepper Jack
That is an awesome piece. I feel even less bad about my lack of outrage now. Cheers, Kristina!
Love your honesty in this post.
I agree that “the cruelty we inflict on one another” is a much greater issue. The subject of animal rights seems to eclipse the much more important matter of human rights. For instance, the issue of slavery that is taking place right here in Florida (not to mention other parts of the world, too). People are being held prisoner to pick tomatoes, and we’re buying them! That story came and went, just like any other, yet people are still up in arms about the cow.
Don’t get me wrong, I *do not agree* with factory farming practices, and I believe they need to be changed as soon as possible. But let’s get our priorities in order!
Yes! I agree completely. But I also think it’s awesome that there are people out there who care a lot (or maybe even more) about the cow. We probably need people who care deeply about all sorts of things so we don’t let anything really bad go by unnoticed. We each pick our battles, the things that upset us, that we’re willing to give our time, energy, money and voice to. Mine (and yours, it seems) has never been animal rights. Somewhere inside I feel badly about that but clearly not badly enough to really do anything about it.
It is just such a misplaced source of outrage. Very few people are dining on this luxury item to begin with, while the average American thinks nothing about that tray of pinkish, CAFO-produced chicken they pick up at the grocery. The ducks and geese raised by American foie gras producers have infinitely more humane lives than that chicken did. I lived near a poultry “processing” plant for a while and I would eat foie gras every day before I would buy a factory farmed turkey.
Angela FRS recently posted: Gingered Peach Crumb Cake
Sadly, it makes me skeptical of activist tactics. Do people make a big deal about it because it’s easier to get us to focus on the mental image of force-feeding? I often feel the same thing about tactics used by political parties when a big deal is made out of an issue just to get people worried/angry/to donate money.
I don’t feel badly about foie gras. We have quite the industry going here (in the Gatineau area) and the farmers are happy to see visitors and share how they raise their livestock. Chicken and pork producers who factory farm their animals would not be as remotely accommodating. How about we ban those and maybe have to pay a realistic dollar for our meat? I don’t think that people would gorge themselves and waste so much if they had to pay farmers the real value of their efforts.
Love these posts.
adventuresindinner recently posted: A great dessert and a beautiful obsession
Thanks Jane!
Ahhh…Gatineau. Or really, ahhhh…anything to do with Quebec and food. They really know what they’re doing over there. I remember cheeses being spectacular as well. Great that they’re allowing people to visit and see how it’s all done. Very cool. I’ll have to remember that for next time we’re near there.
More importantly-if you’re in the area, I’ll hijack you to eat at my house :)
adventuresindinner recently posted: Nice enough for company
Well hey, at least you’re honest about it. These My Opinion Mondays are really great for the honesty. I’ve never given foie gras much thought, since I tend to be more concerned with the larger issue of factory farming.
Dani recently posted: Mini-Calzones for School Lunches
Honest, I suppose. Through the My Opinion Mondays I feel like I’m discovering that I don’t care about things as much as I thought I did. It’s still self-discovery though and really gets me thinking.
I’m loving these My Opinion Monday posts for the same reason – I don’t have the mental room to think about things unless they’re thrown at me.
Thanks for throwing, Christine.
The Mrs recently posted: Miscellany
And thank you for reading them. I’m enjoying writing them even more than I thought I would. I love politics but have never really gotten into food politics much. Being forced to think about things over the weekend and then come up with something to say on a Monday morning is keeping my mommy-brain kicking. It’s also freeing and interesting to be able to write without having to have a recipe tested and ready and pictures all set. I like that too but it’s more painstaking and time-consuming.