| |
Jan
15
|
 |
Now that City Council is back in session and everybody is ignoring David Oh’s lawsuit about the November election, we can move on to pressing issues. And then once we fix all of those — should be like a week or two, I bet — Jack Kelly can try to ban foy grass again.
Kelly’s wish to ban of the french delicacy made out of bird liver comes not out of wanting to control our lives, but because foie gras is just mean to animals: “I’m not against any food product whatsoever. But what I am against, I’m absolutely against, the torturing of any animals. Any animals.”
Kelly is the candidate who was elected by people like Stu Bykofsky, who voted for him because he likes animals. (This is different than people who didn’t vote for Tom Knox in May because a guy in a giant shark costume told them not to. Man, politics is confusing.)
Anyway, expect more protesters in real life but not in the comments of this blog, as thankfully the foie gras people aren’t as organized online as they are in real life, or they are apparently better at recognizing satire (or whatever) than supporters of a certain presidential candidate are.
|
|
dmac | 1:00 PM | 2 Comments
|
Dec
7
|
|
It’s been a while since I’ve though about foy grass, the goose/duck liver delicacy that I have absolutely no desire to ever eat but also have no desire to ever prevent someone from eating it. But now! After being able to ignore a duck protest-related coffee throwing, I cannot keep my eyes away any longer. Hugs for Puppies and Professionals Against Foie Gras are hosting a “No Foie Gras Gala” at the Ethical Society on Rittenhouse this Saturday.
But wait, there’s more! Not only will there be a foy grass-free party near Rittenhouse, but there will be protesters outside promoting pro-foie gras ideals at the same time. London Grill co-owner Terry McNally is spearheading the “correct information” movement and a French documentary team will be in Philly to film the highly hilarious shenanigans.
Also exciting: Yesterday, a total of six protesters showed up at a population-controlling deer hunt at Tyler State Park in Bucks County. The sign the paper reported: “What’s next, Rudolph?” Rudolph? Haven’t these people ever seen a movie. Clearly, the deer that’s next is Bambi’s mother. Geeze.
|
|
dmac | 11:18 AM | 3 Comments
|
Oct
16
|
|
Hey, kids! Did you know that eighty-five percent of Pennsylvanians think foie gras (foy grass) should be banned? Sure, it was a ridiculously leading question — Do you want the stop the rupturing of duck organs or are you with the terrorists? — but, hey, eighty-five percent!
Despite an Inquirer Sunday cover story and the harsh words of smoking ban opponent/Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky, a group of Philadelphia chefs continue to fight back against those who wish to stop the force-feeding of ducks. It’s hard, of course, for me to figure out a reason why I should really care about this issue at all, but the tactics of the anti-foie gras people are hilarious:
[T]he Hugs for Puppies group has moved onto other restaurants, picketing the businesses and homes of chefs like David Ansill who recently removed foie gras from his menu at his restaurant Ansill after protesters hounded his customers and staff and leafleted his neighborhood for months. “When I talked to him he hadn’t slept in 15 days,” says foie gras distributor [Ariane] Daguin. “The acts of the protesters are nearly terroristic,” she says. Said Ansill wearily: “It wasn’t worth it. I caved.”
Meanwhile, the London Grille — on the front lines of the most pointless battle ever — has invited the author of Foie Gras: A Passion for The Book and the Cook. Meanwhile, City Councilman Jack Kelly told Time (Update: Err, apparently, Kelly told Metro.) he “could care less about those snobby French chefs. They can stick their $5 foie gras up their rears.” Ha ha, get it, the French! Snobby! Putting duck liver up their asses!
Fight for Your Right to Pâté (cute) [Time]
The book, the cook… the war? [Metropolis]
|
|
dmac | 1:14 PM | 6 Comments
|
Sep
26
|
|
I don’t like food, but if I did, I’d have a rule for the meat I eat: If I know where it came from, I don’t want to eat it. We know hamburgers come from cows, but who knows what part of the cow it came from. We know hot dogs come from pigeons and rats and shoes, but who knows what part of the shoe you’re eating.
Anyway, this — well, among other reasons — is why I have absolutely no desire to eat lobster. You know it’s a lobster when you eat it. You know when you eat the… whatever part of a lobster you eat. (The claws? You don’t eat the claws, do you?) And this is also why I have absolutely no desire to eat foie gras (foy GRASS). Mmm, goose/duck liver? Yum!
But that doesn’t mean I want to cave in to the four people who don’t want you to eat foy grass. Well, actually, I don’t care; if restaurants don’t want to serve it because of protesters, go ahead. And if they want to serve it, uh, that’s okay too? Anyway, as part of a promotion, a group of local restaurants will be serving foy grass for just five dollars.
We do not believe that a minority of animal rights zealots should determine the direction of our business. Nor do we want to be intimidated by them at our restaurants or homes. We want the City Council to know that these few do not represent the whole of Philadelphia.
In the city of Philadelphia, the birthplace of American liberty, we want to keep the right to serve foie gras.
I believe that’s in the Declaration of Independence: That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to eat as much disgusting-sounding Duck Liver as they want.
Try foie gras for $5 [Foobooz]
[Image by Pikaluk, licensed via Creative Commons]
|
|
dmac | 1:54 PM | 8 Comments
|
Sep
11
|
|
In the future, 9/11/07 will be known as the day that the tide finally turned and the ducks and geese would be free to, uh, die in peace. Yes, a new group has joined the fight against foie gras, bringing the total number of people who really care about this issue to 15. (This will probably get them about 48 more Sunday Inquirer cover stories.)
Foie gras — pronounced “foy grass” — is made from the fattened liver of geese and ducks. About 2-3 weeks before slaughter, the goose or duck is force-fed through a tube in its esophagus. Some people think this is cruel to the animals, sometimes pontificating about it while they chew on a juicy hamburger.
The new group that’s entered the fray is called Professionals Against Foie Gras; its members are attempting to convince City Councilman Jack Kelly to push a bill through City Council that would ban foie gras; he introduced a bill back in April 2006 but — surprise! — nobody who matters actually cares.
Meanwhile, a bunch of horses were killed today after breaking their legs on horseracing tracks, but that’s heroic.
Local Group Enters Fray Over Idea To Ban Foie Gras [KYW 1060]
|
|
dmac | 12:56 PM | 4 Comments
|
Aug
17
|
|
Yes, it’s once again time for another foie gras protest. From an “Alert Philadelphia” email (really):
Today, Friday, August 17th, approximately 7-10 members of the Hugs for Puppies group will protest from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Tinto Restaurant located at 120 S. 20th Street and then at 7:15 PM the group will protest Amada Restaurant at 217 Chestnut Street for selling Foie Gras. [Should that be capitalized? Get Angry Grammarian to check.—dmac]
The Philadelphia Police Department’s Civil Affairs Unit has assigned personnel to this event. The Commanding Officers of the Central Police Division, the Sixth and Center City Districts have been notified of this activity.
Let’s just hope rival foie gras protesters Pennsylvania Advocates for the Animals don’t show up, or there could be a rumble. Like West Side Story or the “Beat It” video.
|
|
dmac | 2:24 PM | 14 Comments
|
Jul
16
|
|
Yeah, not only are there two foie gras protest groups in Philadelphia, but the two separate groups are feuding with each other.
Michael Klein writes the Wynnewood home of chef Guillermo Pernot was protested last Saturday morning by Philadelphia Advocates for the Animals. The nine animal lovers chanted at eight in the morning until the cops told them they were too loud. Pernot, you see, served foie gras while working at Pif in South Philly.
Only, ah, he’s never worked at Pif. And he’s never served foie gras. Klein talked with the Pennsylvania Advocates for the Animals people and apparently the rival group, Hugs for Puppies, gave them bad intel.
Asked for comment, Christopher Semick of PAFA said it was [Nick Cooney of Hugs for Puppies] who had tried to “throw us under the bus” by force-feeding “his unfounded research” to other activists.
“What happened at Mr. Pernot’s home is an embarrassment and is going to do nothing but hinder the achievement of our goal,” Semick said by e-mail.
Soon no one in Philadelphia will be safe from the 15 or so people who are strongly against foie gras. Everyone will have to take a turn being protested in the morning due to these rival groups.
Ducking the issue [Inquirer, 2nd item]
Friday: Free Speech Zone Set Up For Foie Gras Protesters (Includes incredibly cute puppy photo)
|
|
dmac | 9:30 AM | 7 Comments
|
Jul
13
|
|
The anti-foie gras group Hugs for Puppies (at right: a puppy) will be forced to stay 50 feet from the London Grill in Fairmount on Bastille Day. A judge ruled the group would just hug too many puppies to stand anywhere near the restaurant.
On Bastille Day, the London Grill has a recreation of the storming of the Bastille as people storm, uh, Eastern State Penitentiary. The London Grille site even plugs the foie gras protest, writing “QUACK IF YOU LIKE FOIE GRAS.” Hopefully the duck boats will be involved in this somehow, too.
London Grill owner Terry McNally said: “I think this will make us feel safer as long as they comply with it.”
If Hugs for Puppies do not stay away, the terror alert is expected to be raised to red due to a “gut feeling.”
Anyway, the group can only have four protesters handing out fliers or whatever, but that’s okay since the group only has like four members anyway.
Foie gras protesters must stay 50 feet from restaurant [Inquirer]
[Photo by vzabalza]
|
|
dmac | 12:01 PM | 3 Comments
|
Jul
6
|
|
It’s been a while since I’ve checked in on Chris Freind, America’s Best Columnist™. But, since he stopped by the comments to plug his interview with Georges Perrier, I figured it was time to take another look.
In his interview with Perrier, the two talk about how awful the foie gras protesters are and how the ducks actually enjoy being tube fed until their livers become the size of Buicks. (Apparently, ducks don’t have a gag reflex, which means they’re not being tortured. I prefer my animals to suffer before they die, so forget foie gras as a delicacy.)
Perrier also bashes all the other restaurants in the area for not defending him from the four people protesting over foie gras: “Steven Starr is a coward. It makes me mad. Starr used to be a big leader in the restaurant industry, but he removed foie gras because he didn’t want to fight (the protesters).” Oh, wah, wah, wah. How dare he run his business how he wants to! Did you know he made his restaurants no-smoking, too, before the smoking ban passed?
More »
|
|
dmac | 12:24 PM | 2 Comments
|
|
|
