In case you haven’t seen the cover in your neck of the woods (thank you Clustrmap.com!) The Village Voice gave prime real estate to foie gras production in the Hudson Valley.
I think its spot on. Please read it here and discuss.
Here’s what I wrote to the article’s author:
Dear Sarah,
I am a student at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. I’m also a career changer, so foie gras wasn’t new to me in the last few weeks when it appeared in recipes. I am an avid supporter of sustainable, local food production, I fish, my parents raise and slaughter chickens. My brother is an avid bow hunter. But even I was squeamish about foie gras, for exactly the reasons you outline.
The marketing of false brutality is shameful.
Thank you for giving me a tour of the Hudson Valley foie gras farm. I will happily support their enterprise and no longer wonder if I am supporting the torture of ducks.
Thank you also for printing Chef Brassel’s quote regarding the hypocrisy of protesting meat while wearing Uggs and leather coats. Its easy to jump on a band wagon – and lucky for us, even easier to be pushed off.
Keep up the good writing!
PS, I’m wearing Uggs right now. Well, Bear Claws. Uggs’ cheap bastard cousin.
I am so glad you are discussing these issues. I think some foie gras producers are more humane than others. And I think the methods for producing foie gras are become more and more humane, check out a producer in Spain, where they don’t force feed them at all. They do it by the seasons, the ducks fatten themselves right before winter. Pretty awesome. I will check out this article.