Cruel to geese, unhealthy for humans. But delicious! Tom Smith

Chicago has overturned its ordinance against foie gras, that food treat made out of the livers of geese, who have (often?) been force-fed grain in order to make their livers bigger and fatter.

I have eaten foie gras a number of times, twice memorably.  Once was at the fancy French restaurant of its day in Boston in the 80's after a deal closing, the other at this trendy NYC restaurant more recently.  The former served it in its traditional French glory, more or less pan fried in butter.  The experience can be described roughly as being what it must be like if some Star Trek technologist stuck a probe into that part of your brain that registers pleasure when you encounter fat, and gave it an almost unbearably intense jolt.  So, fat heaven.  Pure, buttery, this will kill you, sort of pleasure.  Do you experience as much pleasure as the goose did pain?  Hard to say.  Improbable, I suppose.  But this is the last thing on your mind as you chow down on fried liver.  Goosey feelings be damned.  I am not saying this is right.  I am just saying this is how it was.  At WD-50, they cooked an entire goose liver using some sort of steam pressure method, and the liver came out looking like, well, a liver, instead of the crusty, gooey thing a la the traditional method.  The steam cooked thing was good, especially consumed with some obscure white wine, Riesling maybe, that our host, a very rich guy, had selected and was fortunately paying for.  I much preferred the traditional approach.  (I also object to the trendy co-ed restrooms that happenin' places in Manhattan such as that restaurant seem to have now.  Give me a gnomish man handing out little towels any day.)

I think the utilitarians have a point about animal suffering.  In fact, for something like two weeks in my youth, I was a vegetarian on ethical grounds.  The problem is, if you do this, you can't eat meat.  And face it, there's nothing like meat.  I may like meat more than the normal person.  I once ate an entire filet mignon steak raw.  I don't mean rare, but cool, right out of the fridge.  Yes, it was delicious, but I think it is better a bit cooked.  It's not that I don't care about animals.  I love animals.  It's just that I want to eat them too.  I would not eat a dog, but pigs are probably smarter than dogs, and I eat them happily.  So, I grant that vegetarians have a point, it's just not persuasive enough to stop me from eating animals.

But possibly foie gras is just too grotesquely cruel to geese.  I don't really know.  Perhaps there is a way to make it without force feeding the birds.  In the meantime, the reason not to eat it is that it is really bad for you.  If you do indulge, be sure to drink lots of red wine, which will help counteract all that fat.

Comments

[thedaddy]

My diet consists of probably 95% Fat and Protein, I am a triple bypass owner and my last blood test (done 2 weeks ago) shows that all my blood lipids are at or better than normal.

When I was on a "Heart Heathy" diet my readings were poor to borderline.

Bring on the Foie Gras and screw the wine, if the health nannies say its good for you it probably isn't.

TheDaddy

[Dan Simon]

Just curious--did it concern you at all, Tom, that you were eating very oily food at a restaurant called "WD-50"?

[Tom Smith]

Dan-- took me a moment to get this. Yes, WD-50 sounds like WD-40 (a San Diego company!), but WD are also the initials of the young chef (we met him and he looked about 19) and 50 is the address.

I'm not that big on new experimental foods, foams, strange flavor combinations etc. As suits a conservative (in some ways anyway) I am more interested in traditional and classic dishes. I would like to eat every classic Italian dish before I eat any more foam.

[USD Law Student]

I was watching "Top Chef" on Bravo and the chef from WD-50 was on there . . .he called himself a molecular gastronomist *rolls eyes*. And yes, foie gras and raw steak are both delicious, the steak especially when prepared as carpaccio or steak tartar.