Chicago's Foie Gras Outlaws

Kerry Howley | August 23, 2006

Chicago's foie gras ban went into effect yesterday, and duck-hating restaurateurs responded with an anti-hunger strike:

The illicit substance could be spotted in places it was rarely seen when it was legal: buried in Chicago's famed deep-dish pizza, in soul food on the South Side, beside beef downtown.

In one of the more unlikely (and opulent) demonstrations of civil disobedience, a handful of restaurants here that never carry foie gras, the fattened livers of ducks and geese, featured it on the very day that Chicago became the first city in the nation to outlaw sale of the delicacy.

Hey, I've got nothing against foie gras fans. It's the illegal foie gras eating we really need to worry about.

Comments

|8.23.06 @ 9:50AM|#

My retirement plan is to just wait for the health nanny's to finally get their way and open a illicit steak house that serves veal, foie gras, fried chicken made with lots of trans hydrogonated fat, good booze and allows smoking. It will be more profitable than selling crack

|8.23.06 @ 10:00AM|#

You can have my foie gras when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

|8.23.06 @ 10:01AM|#

When duck liver pate is outlawed, only outlaws will force-feed ducks...

You won't take my foie gras from my cold, dead lips...

David Rollins|8.23.06 @ 10:29AM|#

Ya know, on that Anthony Bourdain episode it seemed those geese were treated pretty well.

In sympathy I went out and ordered foie gras in Chapel Hill, despite it being served with sweet potato and prune dumplings (blech).

|8.23.06 @ 10:35AM|#

I don't even like foie gras that much, but if I were in Chicago I'd order a foie gras pizza.

|8.23.06 @ 10:45AM|#

I've had great foie gras once and i'll tell you that its miles apart from the foie gras you get at the average joe french restaurant around the corner..

Oh well, after they ban coffee, soda, carbs, meat, wheat and all genetically modified foods I guess we can chow down on our soy patties and smile.

Dan T.|8.23.06 @ 10:59AM|#

Next they're going to outlaw our dog fights!

What kind of a fascist nation have we become when we cannot torture animals?

|8.23.06 @ 10:59AM|#

First they came for the lawn darts, then they came for the bottlerockets (with report), then they came for the 80 round AR-15 magazines...

|8.23.06 @ 11:13AM|#

well, Dan, do animals have rights or are they property?

What are YOU having for lunch today?

|8.23.06 @ 11:26AM|#

The irritating part for me is that in cases where there is obvious animal abuse, they are not enforcing the laws against said abuse. I don't know about all foie gras producers, but I do know that some abuse or neglect their animals. The animals are not allowed to walk and as a result cannot walk. These animals would have to be euthenized if the business faltered because they would be full-time veterinary patients.

So, going after the serving of foie gras is an instance of gutless enforcement to me. It means that they are not willing to consider that some producers may be ethical, and that they are not willing to consider pressuring state governments to enforce their existing animal abuse laws.

|8.23.06 @ 11:49AM|#

The Chicago City Council seems incapable of doing anything except passing silly laws like this. Note that they've done nothing to hold the mayor accountable for the corruption and enormous waste of our tax dollars to keep him in office. Note that they've done nothing to investigate how the CTA has been doing a terrible job recently and has completely mismanaged construction on a rapid transit line. I can't wait to vote against my alderman next time--not that it will have any effect.

|8.23.06 @ 11:53AM|#

The irritating part for me is that in cases where there is obvious animal abuse, they are not enforcing the laws against said abuse. I don't know about all foie gras producers, but I do know that some abuse or neglect their animals. The animals are not allowed to walk and as a result cannot walk. These animals would have to be euthenized if the business faltered because they would be full-time veterinary patients.

So, going after the serving of foie gras is an instance of gutless enforcement to me. It means that they are not willing to consider that some producers may be ethical, and that they are not willing to consider pressuring state governments to enforce their existing animal abuse laws.

|8.23.06 @ 11:58AM|#

Daley thinks the ban is a joke and the city inspectors have no plans to enforce it except due to citizen complaints.
I am worried, however, about this faux foie gras.

|8.23.06 @ 12:45PM|#

However, Daley didn't think enough of the joke to veto the legislation.