A Buttery Luxury or Cruelty on a Plate?
April 27, 2006 — -- The buttery fatty liver delicacy foie gras is created by inserting a tube down the throat of a waterfowl, usually a duck, and pumping partially cooked corn down its esophagus. But it won't be served for long in Chicago.
The city, known by many as a tough, steak-eating haven, decided it was inhumane to force-feed the birds. Today's measure, passed in the city council 49 to 0, prohibits restaurants from serving foie gras in the city, and will take effect Aug. 22.
"Our city is better for taking a stance against the cruelty offoie gras," said Alderman Joe Moore, who sponsored the ordinance.
A little over a year ago, chef Charlie Trotter decided to take foie gras off his menu because of the way it is produced on farms. The controversy might have stopped there, but it brought the force-feeding of ducks to the attention of Moore, who said he was horrified.
"I thought, 'Why don't we extend the ban across the city?'" Moore said. "I was quite horrified when I learned how it was made."
Mayor Richard Daley opposed the measure and said the foie gras controversy should not have taken precedence over other issues facing Chicago.
"We have children getting killed by gang leaders and dopedealers. We have real issues here in this city. And we're dealingwith foie gras?" said Daley, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times on itsWeb site. "Let's get some priorities. Our priorities should bechildren, the quality of education. It should be seniors. We shouldworry about the gas price. We should worry about the globaleconomy."
But Moore said that just because there are "many challenging issues and horrible things happening to human beings in the city doesn't mean we can't speak out for animals."
A growing number of people, not just what some call radical animal-rights groups, have tried to make eating foie gras illegal. The very practice of selling it is the target of a flurry of state laws.
Massachusetts is considering a ban, and proposed bills made progress in Oregon and New York this year before losing steam. The Illinois Senate has unanimously passed a bill outlawing production in the state, which has never had a foie gras farm, and a proposal will soon be introduced in Hawaii.
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