Foie Gras War: Voodoo and Vigilantes

By JULIETTE ROSSANT In Chicago, the Foie Gras War has taken a dive from the absurd to outright violence in events surrounding a hearing of the City Council on October 25. A week before the committee hearing, on October 16, the processing plant and associated buildings and vehicles at LaBelle Farms -- one of America's three foie gras producers -- caught fire and burned. Owner Herman Lee told Superchefblog that the fierce fire had razed one three-story building to the ground in under two hours. Fire marshalls have been unable to determine whether arson was involved, due to the fire's intensity. Lee estimated that his farm had suffered more than $750,000 in damage and will remain out of production for some months -- but he intends to rebuild. On October 25, the hearing before the Chicago City Council's Health Committee -- the vehicle used by Alderman Joe Moore (of Ward 49, a community whose area is "economically" foie gras free) to lead a crusade for having foie gras banned. Moore won the committee's vote on the 25th to approve the ban; the full City Council could vote to ban foie gras from Chicago tables as early as the next full council meeting on Nov. 30th if Alderman Moore brings up the issue for a vote. "I'm still in the process of educating my colleagues on this issue," Moore told Superchefblog. PETA-philes were out in full force for the hearing, with allies including Farm Sanctuary, Animal Protection and Rescue League -- and M*A*S*H* star Loretta Swit, who wept as she compared the treatment of ducks and geese to Abu Ghraib. Dr. Holly Cheever, Bryan Pease and Kath Rogers presented a video compilation, reputedly from foie gras farms. Herman Lee of LaBelle Farms pointed out, however, that the video does not show faces of farmers: he states his farm was not in the video and believes the "farmers" were in fact actors. Only two chefs spoke out against the ban, Carrie Nahabedian of Naha and Didier Durand of Cyrano's Bistro. The biggest names involved in Chicago's foie gras public debate, Rick Tramonto and Charlie Trotter, were conspicuously absent from the proceedings. Reliable sources have told Superchefblog that a number of hotels and restaurant groups actually forbade kitchen staff from speaking at the hearing. Alderman Moore explained to Superchefblog, "that very few chefs and restaurant owners attended the meeting is reflective of the fact that very few chefs and restaurants serve foie gras on their menus, and for those that do, foie gras represents only a very small portion of their sales." A quick glance at menus of Chicago's fancier restaurants reveals that at least two dozen have foie gras on the menu recently -- but none are located in Alderman Moore's neighborhood. Regarding chef participation at the hearing, Kevin J. Brown, President and CEO of of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE), one of the largest and most successful independent restaurant groups in the U.S., told Superchefblog: We have let this be a decision our chef’s make at their restaurants. We don’t take a stand on the issue; we still serve it in some of our places, but if we didn’t serve it anymore, we would be ok with that, too. Sure enough, foie gras remains on the (online) menu of LEYE restaurants such as Ambria, Everest, Eiffel Tower -- and Tru, where Rick Tramonto is executive chef. Whatever the debate -- or lack thereof -- after hours that same night of October 25, Cyrano's Bistro was attacked by vandals, who broke a window and flower boxes -- and smeared a red, blood-like substance on the door and the sidewalk. Have arson and voodoo-style vandalism become the new, low standard for public debate in this country? From recent events, it sounds like home-grown terrorists have sprouted a Chicago cell that has just gone active: hello, Homeland Security? Clearly, PETA & Co. understand that in order to be heard, one needs a (celebrity) voice that commands attention, or no one will listen to fact and science -- whatever version is presented, hard fact or "intelligent design." Actually, forget the reports and scientific arguments. Common sense should govern in this issue. Let's go see some foie gras farms -- it's not too hard since there are only three (3) of them in this whole country. Seeing is believing -- and that must be why every single Health Committee member declined an invitation from Marcus Henley to visit Hudson Valley Farms. What do you mean, go on a fact-finding mission? We might stop believing our ears and start believing our eyes, one can almost hear the committee members saying to themselves. Let's follow common sense further. Aren't far more chickens, pigs, and cows suffering on a far larger scale on giant corporate farms than ducks and geese through gavage? PETA & Co.: do you need to see The Meatrix again?....... And when the Avian Flu mutates into a human flu, will PETA & Co. protest mass killings of chickens? In fact, forget animals completely for a moment: what about several million human beings starting to freeze in Kashmir after the October 2005 South Asia Earthquake? Where are the priorities: who comes first? A handful of ducks and geese (who enjoy gorging a la gavage), animals on animal farms, or humans? Ever read George Orwell's Animal Farm? It seems the PETA camp believes that their animals are more equal than others. On October 26, The Chicago Tribune reported Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley as saying: So the City Council is going to start (making) lists of things you should not buy? What is the next issue? Chicken? Beef? Fish? Everyone has questions about that. What is the mayor actually doing about the situation? Investigating those crimes? Mr. Mayor, please call Homeland Security! Their FEMA section may have botched several emergency natural disasters, but when it comes to terrorism, foreign or domestic, these guys are ghostbusters (one hopes). Meanwhile, one hopes that a few more chefs in Chicago starting growing better organic "huevos" and speaking out at important hearings. Related articles: Ireland Online Canadian Free Press Bloomberg Chicago Tribune Chicago Sun Times Chicago Tribune Chicago Sun Times UPI Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Previous articles: Foie Gras War: Chicago Slaughterhouse New York Times on Foie Gras Before STORE WARS: The Meatrix Foie Gras War 2: Ban All Poultry? Foie Gras War From Boulud's gourmet hamburgers arise... delicate Philly cheesesteaks? Super Chef vs. Governator: Todd English Fights For Foie Gras Rights Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, foie gras, Chicago --> back to superchefblog