Your views on Foie Gras

[Loz]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> Edited to add the stupid word 'wow'. You think you do sarcasm?

And 'wow' isn't a stupid word. Why I once read of a lady that had a 'W' tattooed on each bum cheek just so it spelt 'wow' when she bent over naked.

[Alan Medic]

I wonder how many of you non liberal, non whiney flesh eaters would object if one of the local eateries starting serving cat and/or dog?

I retract my comment about the word 'wow'.

[RosieH]

Hmm, as a whiny definitely-liberal flesh eater, I'd have no problem with people eating cat or dog. I make no hierarchical distinction between animals on the menu, taste distinction perhaps, but then I've never (knowingly) tried cat or dog.

[maxxi]

I usually avoid eating other carnivorous mammals (it's an empathy thing) and stick to vegetarians as they are also easier to push around, fool into compliance and slaughter without much resistance (we call it farming). The more meat an animal eats the cannnier and potentially more dangerous it becomes (ill treated dogs can turn on their owners and have you ever tried to bath a cat?).

On an ethical level I have no problem with dog/cat consumption (or rodents, insects, small birds etc).

[Parkdrive]

Loz Wrote:

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> Parkdrive Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Lets hope any of you that enjoy this odious

> product never have a funnel shoved down your neck

> > and are force feed. Disgraceful.

>

> Let's hope that anybody who likes boiled potatoes

> never have their skin peeled off them and then

> dropped into boiling water.

>

> Now can you see the inanity your argument?

No, but I can see the inanity in yours. Potato and a living creature, easy mistake to make eh?

[Parkdrive]

Loz Wrote:

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> Alan Medic Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Frankly the human race has gone to pot when

> people

> > don't think this is wrong.

>

> What? Campaigning to ban Foie Gras? Totally

> agree. There are far more important issues in

> this world.

Yes there are, but this thread is on here and up for discussion, which is exactly what some of us are trying to do.

[Marmora Man]

Well my foie gras last night was delicious - served on toasted brioche with caramalised apples. The foie gras was cooked pink - about 30 seconds a side for a 2cm thick slice.

Only the trumpets were missing but otherwise heaven.

[Parkdrive]

Marmora Man Wrote:

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> Well my foie gras last night was delicious -

> served on toasted brioche with caramalised apples.

> The foie gras was cooked pink - about 30 seconds a

> side for a 2cm thick slice.

>

> Only the trumpets were missing but otherwise

> heaven.

2cm thick bread, god what a gourmet you are. I bet all your friends are so jealous of you. You should have hired the services of a mariachi band to serenade you while gorging your odious delight.

[Marmora Man]

Parkdrive Wrote:

2cm thick bread, god what a gourmet you are. I bet all your friends are so jealous of you. You should have hired the services of a mariachi band to serenade you while gorging your odious delight.

You clearly don't recognise the Sidney Smith quotation - but don't worry I don't expect erudition from vegetarians. It was a 2cm slice of foie gras - not bread, but there's enough left over to share with my sons on Christmas Eve, I'm looking forward to treating them to their first taste of foie gras very soon.

[*Bob*]

If the best flavour from lamb could only be obtained by plunging a red-hot poker into its eyeballs whilst simultaneously hitting it on the knees with a snooker cue in the week leading up to the trip to the abattoir, would this be ok? In the interests of flavour and gourmet bravado, I mean.

A ridiculous scenario, the point being that everyone would surely draw the line somewhere. That fact that a lot of people draw the line before force-feeding to the point of liver-burst hardly makes them camo-jacketed ALF radicals. Let's be honest, it doesn't look good on paper.

It does seem odd that the general momentum of the foodie brigade has consistently been towards allowing animals to exist in as natural a state as possible before they get eaten, free range, free roaming, - but for some reason, exceptions like this are don't count - because, well, it tastes so diddly-darned good!

[Alan Medic]

Why do you assume Parkdrive is a vegetarian MM? I think you are jumping to the wrong conclusion. He objects to something you seem to think is perfectly normal. Strange that it's production is banned in this country but it's allowed to be imported. A stupid EU regulation. It's either ok to do it or it isn't.In my view it's disgusting.

[Parkdrive]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> Why do you assume Parkdrive is a vegetarian MM? I

> think you are jumping to the wrong conclusion. He

> objects to something you seem to think is

> perfectly normal. Strange that it's production is

> banned in this country but it's allowed to be

> imported. A stupid EU regulation. It's either ok

> to do it or it isn't.In my view it's disgusting.

Exactly Alan, it is disgusting and abhorrent. And MM demonstrating his ignorance by assuming that anyone that puts forward a view contrary his his, MUST be a vegetarian. That coupled with the pompous attitude that vegetarians can't be erudite certainly indicates a lack of "erudition" on his part.

[first mate]

*Bob*

Well said.

[Marmora Man]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> Why do you assume Parkdrive is a vegetarian MM? I

> think you are jumping to the wrong conclusion. He

> objects to something you seem to think is

> perfectly normal. Strange that it's production is

> banned in this country but it's allowed to be

> imported. A stupid EU regulation. It's either ok

> to do it or it isn't.In my view it's disgusting.

It is, I agree, an assumption on my part that Parkdrive is a vegetarian. Is it correct? Do you know? Will Parkdrive enlighten me? Of course you don't know where I sourced my foie gras from and whether it is the by product of natural or forced gavage because you've made an assumption too.

As to whether Foie Gras is disgusting - you're right it's a view, but not mine.

It is a legal product, bought legally and enjoyed in the comfort of my own home.

Express your opinion certainly - I'm expressing mine - along with a lighthearted, but unrecognised, tease of a presumed vegetarian, but then so often single issue fanatics do tend to lose their sense of humour.

What I dislike, and hence my reason for posting repeatedly on this thread is the implicit threat of harassment that some make toward those that sell, and consumers that purchase, Foie Gras. As in the phrase "it would be wonderful if we could encourage them [Le Chardon] to stop serving it" used at the beginning of this thread.

[*Bob*]

In terms of flavour and texture, I'm told the naturally-fed type doesn't really stand-up.

If that's the type you get, is there one you can recommend?

[Alan Medic]

I don't think it's fanatical to want to stop something as gross as this. PD can speak for himself as I've no idea if he is vegetarian or not.

[Loz]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> I don't think it's fanatical to want to stop

> something as gross as this. PD can speak for

> himself as I've no idea if he is vegetarian or

> not.

Oh, he/she is quite obviously a vegetarian.

Look, if you people were to campaign about issues with factory farming with foie gras, then I would probably be on their side. But they aren't. They are, instead, going for the all-out, look-at-me-I'm-so-right-on let's ban all foie gras approach, which reeks of the standard "what we really want is to ban meat eating" approach that the self-righteous veggies of this world love to preach.

So I make no apologies for unremittingly taking the piss out of your emotional, ill-thought-out argument.

[Alan Medic]

What the fuck are you writing about Loz? PD is a male for a start(which you would know if you bothered your arse to read the forum) and as for the rest of your post I'd suggest it was written after too much consumption of drink.

[Isla]

[crap - wrong thread.]

Marmora Man & Loz - normally worth listening to but on THIS thread, nah. Can't believe you BOTH assumed park drive was vegetarian. I'm not vegetarian and FWIW I thoroughly agree with Park drive and Alan medic and a few others.

[civilservant]

I too agree with Alan M and PD although I'm not a vegetarian either

But I do hope that MMan enjoyed his "caramalised" apples and foie gras as I'd hate to think that the goose died in vain.

I suggest that we also extend our sympathies beyond the goose and worry about the foie-grassification of MMan's own liver as a result of over-indulgence in foie gras and Sauternes and that sort of thing. Also that we worry that he's trying to turn his own sprogs onto it, a bit like those fathers who used to insist on manning up their sons by teaching them to smoke.

[Huguenot]

Some of the arguments about Foie Gras are a little confusing, as they apply to all farmed meat.

Hoping that an animal tasted good so they didn't die in vain applies as much to burgers and cutlets as it does to Foie Gras?

The only thing you can really complain about with Foie Gras is the force-feeding, as other complaints about battery farming apply equally to chickens or other fowl.

[Alan Medic]

Huguenot Wrote:

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>

> The only thing you can really complain about with

> Foie Gras is the force-feeding, as other

> complaints about battery farming apply equally to

> chickens or other fowl.

Isn't that enough? Also the thread happens to be about foie gras.

[Huguenot]

It probably is AM, I just don't think anyone's going to win a battle against Foie Gras based on arguments about eating animals in general.

I don't need to be persuaded on Foie Gras either way, because I just don't like it.

However, I can see the moral argument that if we accept the eating of meat in general, getting angry about force feeding seems inconsistent. After all, by that measure we're already committing the 'ultimate' crime by breeding them to eat their flesh.

I'm also not going to stop eating meat for 'moral' reasons, because I regard morality vegetarianism and the application of human values to animals as a misguided intellectual conceit.

That's not to say I wouldn't go veggie for sensible reasons like resource management ;-)

[Marmora Man]

civilservant Wrote:

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> I too agree with Alan M and PD although I'm not a

> vegetarian either

>

> But I do hope that MMan enjoyed his "caramalised"

> apples and foie gras as I'd hate to think that the

> goose died in vain.

>

> I suggest that we also extend our sympathies

> beyond the goose and worry about the

> foie-grassification of MMan's own liver as a

> result of over-indulgence in foie gras and

> Sauternes and that sort of thing. Also that we

> worry that he's trying to turn his own sprogs onto

> it, a bit like those fathers who used to insist on

> manning up their sons by teaching them to smoke.

Thanks for your good wishes - I certainly enjoyed my meal and I'm sure my sons will enjoy theirs. Both, now in their 20s, are interested in good food & good cooking. They are keen to experiment and try new tastes - so oysters, foie gras, stuffed pigs trotters, brawn, braised ox cheeks, sauteed kidneys, whelks, eel and other less obvious ingredients are part of their growing up. As a family we'll eat vegetarian two / three times a week, not as a moral choice but as part of a sensible balanced diet. Mushroom risotto, a herb omelette, cheese souffl?, vegetable crumble are all on the menu too. We don't do blinkered at our table.

[civilservant]

I like what Huguenot says (although I do like foie gras, and it's on principle that I avoid it.) My thinking is that animals should be treated with kindness while they live and that their deaths should be as painless (and dignified) as possible - so this automatically excludes the production of foie gras. I also believe in nose to tail eating, so stuffed pigs' trotters, liver and kidneys are right up my street too - so I salute MM's desire to give his sons the benefit of a rounded food experience.

But recently in Tesco, I was quite disturbed at the quantity of dead flesh on display for Christmas - it seemed almost pornographic. Maybe it's just me getting old, but I find it increasingly hard to justify killing an animal just to eat it. Animals do, of course, but then we're not animals...