On the way in to work the other morning, I heard a news story about the upcoming ban on Foie Gras in the state of California that takes effect on July 1st of this year.
The law was actually passed eight years ago, with a delayed effective date so that producers of the delicacy might be able to come up with a more humane way in which to produce the fattened livers from which the product is made.
Apparently, there isn’t a way, as the sole producer in the state is shutting down production.
Now I’m sort of agnostic about the dish itself. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten Foie Gras, but I do admit that one of my favorite comfort foods happens to be a nice plate of calf’s liver and onions with a dark brown gravy, and mashed potatoes.
What struck me most was a sound bite aired on the radio show, of a young lady who was busy protesting in front of a California restaurant that was still serving Foie Gras. She stated that any consumption of meat was cruel and akin to torture, but that the manner in which Foie Gras was produced was particularly cruel to animals, and we were left to think that this dish is just the first on a list of foods that we’ll soon only be able to read about in old cookbooks.
The way the California law is written, it makes it against the law to force a bird to consume more food than it would consume left to its own devices. The scary part is that while the law specifically mentions ducks and geese, it also has that famous loophole that leaves the barn door wide open. “…including, but not limited to…”
As one commenter stated on the show, what is next? Are the nut cases in California going after the Thanksgiving turkey next? Or farm raised chickens? Apparently most of the more vocal backers of these types of laws are vegetarians and vegans.
As everyone who has read anything I’ve posted here should know by now, I grew up in South Florida, raised by some very southern folks. We were caught by surprise when my Aunt Marian and Uncle Wayne picked up an moved out to California in 1969. They were chasing good jobs of course, but in our minds, California was the home of hippies, Charles Manson, movie stars and the Mojave desert. The running joke was that someone had tipped the country up on edge, and all the loose nuts rolled to California.
Stay out of my plate! I like the occasional hamburger with blue cheese, or a nice New York Strip, or a roasted chicken, or a nice filet of catfish. Are those idiots going to say we can’t eat fish anymore because we catch them with a hook?
I realize that California is only one state, although it is a big one. However, it seems that weird ideas that started in California, like a virus, have a habit of spreading slowly across the country.