Hollywood Bans Fun

Governor Arnold, in cahoots with the California state legislature, has recently made the production and sale of foie gras illegal in the state of California as of 2012. Siding with animal rights activists, he says that the force feeding methods used to produce foie gras are cruel. And he's probably right. But I doubt that the force fed geese are significantly less happy than the chickens, cows, pigs and other animals that are mass produced in factory farms across North America. Is this the beginning in a revolution in animal husbandry? Will we soon find ourselves eating Kobe style chicken and Kobe style bacon? Will all of our animals be massaged, fed luxurious diets and slaugtered when they least expect it? As tantalizingly tasty a prospect as it is, I do not find it to be terribly practical, or fair. If consumers want to pay for humanely raised meat, let them do so. If, however, they'd prefer the economic savings created by cruel factory farms, then let them make that choice as well.

If anyone hasn't tasted the creamy goodness that is foie gras, may I suggest that you get a few friends together and cook some up tonight. You'll need about a two hundred bucks, a hundred for the foie gras and and a hundred for the wine. Besides the cruel force feeding, this is the main reason that I don't eat foie gras. But should you find yourself with the money to spare, a hundred dollars will get you 1-1.5 lbs. of fresh goose foie gras and the other hundred should afford you a fine bottle of a 1983 Rieussec, an excellent vintage from a fine chateau. Don't forget to invite me over.