Foie Gras

M

Melendez

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
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I always knew the production methods were dodgy on the cruelty to animals front but a discussion on another forum board led me to actually find out what exactly they were for the first time. It certainly is not pretty.

When done properly, foie gras is probably my single favourite thing to stick in my gob. I'm not sure I can eat it anymore. Then again, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist it when I see it on a restaurant menu.

From hatching to slaughtering, the totality of the duck's/goose's life is probably better than a battery chicken, but, as was mentioned on the other forum that is hardly a reasonable relative standard. The bad bits of its life are totally inhumane.

Did any foie gras lovers give it up?
Can any foie gras lovers justify continuing to enjoy it?
 
Melendez, foie gras is one of a number of things I will not eat because of the methods used to produce it. I also steer clear of veal, just in case, and, in addition to buying only free-range pork, chicken, etc., I do not buy pork or chicken products unless they are produced from free-range animals/birds.
 
I wouldn't eat the stuff if it was free not only because of how it is produced but, because there are countless other options of treating your taste buds to without abusing an animal. ;)
 
Would agree with you on the foie gras principle, Mel.

With reference to the veal issue, I would have been with you on that one, Anne, until someone pointed out to me that by steering clear of veal, I would be making the situation worse, not better, with regards to the thorny problem of dairy calves.

Brits as a rule prefer not to eat veal, because of the inhumane way veal was produced both here (many years ago) and on the continent (until pretty recently). Which was of course in single crates and deprived of natural light to produce the white meat.

However, rose veal, if reared properly here, is no different in production methods than that of eating lamb, so if you have no problems with eating lamb, then logically, eating rose veal is no different.

Veal here is almost exclusively produced from dairy cow calves, either crossed out with a beef breed (less common because they are usually reared as beef stores) or the pure bred dairy bull calves, which have no other value, although a market is rising again for bull beef and so more and more black and white bull calves are now being reared on for this market.

If there's no market at all for b/w bull calves (as there wasn't after Efffing M until very recently) they are simply shot at birth, which is an appalling waste and impossible to justify.

So if you can verify where and how veal has been produced, it may not be unacceptable to purchase and enjoy it.
 
I used to love schnitzels until I, too, decided to back off veal on production grounds. As we raise most domestic livestock for eating purposes, I prefer them to have as good a life as possible until their despatch. That's better news, Songy, so I may find my conscience clearing a bit in future! But as for force-feeding - that should've gone out with the Suffragettes.
 
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