more on foie gras in Chicago and Illinois

Foie gras continues to make big news. The New York Times editorial against it, which I sent out on Monday, appeared in the Wednesday, April 7, version of the International Herald Tribune. The dispute between Charlie Trotter and other chefs is on the front page of the Thursday, April 8, Chicago Tribune. And the Chicago Sun Times tells us of a proposed ordinance that would force Chicago restaurants to pull foie gras off their menus.

Though the anti foie gras bill in the Illinois legislature took a devastating amendment such that it would now ban production but not sale of foie gras in Illinois (which does not currently produce foie gras) the article in the Thursday, April 8 Chicago Sun Times, headed "Alderman wants foie gras off menus" indicates that the issue is not dead yet. It is short:

"Ald. Joseph Moore (49th) Wednesday followed the lead of famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter with a proposed ordinance that would force restaurants to pull foie gras off their menus. "The 'unethical treatment of animals should be completely distasteful' to restaurant patrons, he argued.

"'I just think that the public needs to be informed about the cruelty the birds must undergo, and it's incumbent on us for those who hold public office to take action,' Moore said later Wednesday. He said the council could vote on the matter as soon as its May 11 meeting."

It is on line at: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-foiegras07.html and you can respond at: http://www.suntimes.com/geninfo/feedback.html. Select "letter to the editor from the pulldown menu."

The New York Times editorial, "One Man's Liver," published in the International Herald Tribune, can be found on line at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/05/opinion/eddownes.html The IHT takes letters at: letters [at] iht.com

The Thursday, April 7, front page story is headed, "Trotter won't turn down heat in foie gras flap."

We learn "Trotter isn't apologizing for his harsh statements made to support his opinion that the production of foie gras -- the enlarged liver of a duck or goose -- is too cruel for the dish to be served."

Trotter faced "charges of hypocrisy" when the New York Post's Page Six column reported that just two weeks earlier "Trotter served three courses featuring foie gras" at his restaurant.

We learn "In fact the dishes were prepared by guest chefs Tetsuya Wakuda and Heston Blumenthal" and that Trotter says that is "consistent with his stance of not trying to impose his personal feelings about foie gras on other chefs."

In fact, Trotter doesn't support the anti foie gras bill, and is not generally fond of animal rights activists. But we read "Trotter retorted that in this case, maybe the animal rights folks are on the side of good. 'I know it's not making it easier for chefs, but is that a bad thing?' Trotter said. 'Would chefs suddenly feel like they were less of a chef if they were no longer able to serve foie gras? I would hope not.' Trotter maintains that his visits to three foie gras farms convinced him that the force-feeding process causes the ducks to suffer."

We are given some background on the issue:
"Animal-rights activists have conducted an aggressive campaign against foie gras, with restaurants, foie gras farms and at least one Bay Area chef's home suffering vandalism in recent years. The groups scored a major victory last September when California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill outlawing the production and sale of foie gras made from force-fed birds as of 2012.
By definition, foie gras comes from force-fed birds, with grains dropped into the duck or goose through a tube inserted down its hard esophagus, causing the liver to balloon. In February, state Sen. Kay Wojcik (R-Schaumburg) introduced a similar bill in Illinois, though it has been amended to apply only to foie gras production, which doesn't occur in Illinois."

You can read the whole article on line at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0504070058apr07,1,5263303.story?coll=chi-news-hed
(You may need to register, which is easy and free.)

The attention this issue is receiving is heartening. Letters to the editor keep it alive. The story presents a great opportunity about the cruelty of foie gras, reminding readers that it has been banned in many other countries, and in the state of California. And though the proposed ordinance banning it from Chicago restaurants was covered by the Sun Times rather than the Tribune, there is no reason letters to the Tribune should not refer to it favorably. You may want to use the foie gras issue as a jump off point for a letter on other issues of cruelty in the modern food supply -- though try to be brief, as shorter letters are more likely to be published. The Chicago Tribune takes letters at: The Chicago Tribune takes letters at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-lettertotheeditor.customform OR http://tinyurl.com/4lsug


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)