More Duck Liver, Mr. Governor!
Over here at MB NYC we’ve got a pretty universal blog-crush on our new Governor Elliot Spitzer. Except for a few things here and there, we’re pretty damn happy about his performance, both as Attorney General and now as the new Governor. Whatever he does, he’d be better than the stiff Pataki right? Well, now I’ll add to the list another reason to cheer for him: He’s seeking to block the ban on locally grown Foie Gras. Now I know this is a hot button issue, as it’s widely known that the practices of making Foie Gras are less than humane. There is also some discussion as to whether not the practice produces a food product that is safe to eat. There are plenty of videos on YouTube and other sites that widely discuss these issues at length so I not bringing them up here. It is undoubtedly stomach-turning as is the practice of most animal slaughter.
That being said, the dish is a delicacy and everyone once-and-a-while delight that I truly believe people should have the option to indulge in. I also believe that if people are against the practice they can chose not to eat it, or chose not to patronize restaurants that sell it. I believe choices like this should be left the individual diner and/or restaurant owner and not the city or state. And the question of whether or not the food is fit to eat should be left to the Department of Agriculture and Markets rather than to a state or city judge. The fact that people are concerned that they might “inadvertently” eat Foie Gras is just ridiculous. Thanks Mr. Spitzer for not caving on this issue like Chicago. I think we’re going to get along just fine.
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Not to go all libertarian - ’cause I’m not - but this just begs the question of “why go after a foie gras ban and ignore the smoking bans?”
Now, i’m all for banning smoking in family establishments: restaurants, movie theatres and the like. But now we’re going around banning trans fats and telling people they can’t even smoke in bars, that last refuge of the vice indulger. I tended to avoid bars by and large because I’m a tad allergic to secondhand smoke. It didn’t really affect my life all that much and god knows my wallet thanked me for spending less on vodka. But now we’re running around telling everyone what they can or can’t do and all I can think of is, “why the foie gras ban?”