by Steven Doyle
Foie gras has been produced since the early Egyptians discovered how savory the liver becomes when a goose is overfed. Since those early times foie has been elevated to another level, but not without a certain level of controversy. A California law enacted in 2004 which becomes effective July 1, 2012, prohibits the “force feeding of a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird’s liver beyond normal size” as well as the sale of products that are a result of this process.
This isn’t the first such ban on foie in the United States. In April of 2006 a city-wide ban on foie was enacted in Chicago the prohibited the sale and leveed fines up to $500. A great level of civil disobedience broke out in the city not too unlike Prohibition when booze flowed freely in the meaty city. During the time of the ban in Chicago it was reported that 46,000 pounds of foie was sold and the ban was eventually ruled “silly” by Mayor Richard Daley and was overturned. Continue reading
