Dear friends at PETA,
I wish your passion for animals had been redirected into the kitchen rather than at farmer’s markets where you tell the tales of mistreatment of animals. I know a bite of beautifully prepared Foie Gras would be enough to bring you to the ‘dark side’ of culinary experience. You might have to give up your dreadlocks and Birkenstocks (with socks), but trust me….we have a plate at the table for you.
I was visiting the Kitsilano Farmers Market and saw a table hosted by the “LiberationBC group (www.LiberationBC.org). One might think this is a group looking to stop the genocide in the Sudan, maybe support democracy in Iran, or feed the still homeless in New Orleans. Nope, none of the above. Instead this group talks about why you shouldn’t buy animal products because the cuddly little critters aren’t massaged in organic vegan beds at night.
One brochure that popped off the table at me was on Foie Gras. I picked it up. On the cover it said, “Foie Gras: How Much Cruelty Can You Swallow?” The girl at the table, sitting with her girlfriend, smiled at me. I said, “Ummm….I think I can get about 6oz of Cruelty in my mouth at a time.” Her smile (and that of her girlfriend) disappeared. I said to her, “Have you ever tried Foie Gras?” She said, “NO and I never would. It is cruel how they are force fed!” I said to her, ‘How come all the agencies that monitor cruelty to animals don’t agree with you? She replied that “the American Veterinarian Association and other groups are being paid of by the hundreds of Foie Gras producers in the US. It’s all about the lobby you know!” I shared with her that there are only eight farms in the US that are regulated to produce Foie Gras and wondered how many of those farms she or her colleagues had visited. She said that she would never visit those farms.
She said that 14 countries has outlawed Foie Gras production because of its ‘cruel nature’. I think she felt this was her trump card. I then asked her:
- How many of those companies have stopped importing Foie Gras? Answer: None. They all still import it.
- How many of those countries have outlawed fur? Answer: None.
She then asked me if I knew that “Pope Benedict XVI denounced Foie Gras (on biblical principals) in 2002?”
I replied, “No I didn’t. Did you know that he wasn’t elected Pope until 2005 and that he is against lesbian relationships? He might not be the best example for you to use.”
Her friend told me to “fuck off”. It wasn’t very Christian off her, but with victory in my pocket, I left. You may be asking yourself, what’s the silver lining to this story? The brochure they provide lists all the restaurants in Vancouver that have Foie Gras on their menu. I now have a list to work from when we host the “Best Foie Gras in the City” contest later this year.
It could be said that pigs raised on a farm, rather then in the wild is cruel. Or that cows who are fed feed, rather than eating organic grass with a view of the ocean is cruel. Make up your own mind, but don’t be swayed by arguments that can’t be backed up.
I say, “Give us the freedom to complete the circle of life. A duck is fed by humans until his liver swells, and he then become Foie Gras. We humans eat lots of Foie Gras and in turn get Heart Disease. We die, and our bodies are either buried (becoming part of the soil over time) or cremated to ash (which makes good planting). Our remains become part of the ecostructure, and we enrich the soil in which the grain grows to feed the ducks in the future. Again the cycle begins.”
Eating Foie Gras in fact, is one of the most environmental things you can do my friends.
Life is good. Eat it up!
I felt as if I was standing right there beside you while you were having this exchange. Good to see the rawer side of Mr Flett again. I am surprised you didnt throw Genesis 1:26 back in her face….”Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Hey did you hear the one about the “ALMOST” arson at the fur factory???? They found two animal rights activists try to strike a match, but couldnt because they were too weak from eating vegetables!!!!!
It was interesting to see the other side of the foie gras story. I haven’t seen the booth at Kits Market but I have seen protestors in front of “West” restaurant with their megaphones and pamphlets. I personally don’t eat organ meats, the thought makes me gag but if you want to and you feel good about it then go for it!!
After reading this entry, it really confirms for me that everyone has the right to love and hate whatever strikes them as true, the beauty of the ignorant is…….. there is more for foie gras for us! By the way, Vegans…..nice leather shoes your wearing…..