I haven’t tried it and I don’t intend on trying it. I’ve seen the videos and I consider it, in my opinion, to be cruel. Yes, other animal rearing techniques are cruel and I do go out of my way to try and avoid buying that food. I fully accept that not everything I buy is reared in a way I’d want it to be but at least I am trying. With Foie Gras if it isn’t reared in a way I find cruel then it simply isn’t Foie Gras, so for me there is no ethical way for me to eat it. So I don’t.
In essence, I’m not perfect but I try. I avoid what I consider to be unethical meats whenever possible and Foie Gras is by definition one of those.
And no, I am not going to get all snooty towards everyone here that does eat it. You’ll have lines that you won’t cross but I will. Different strokes and whatnot.
What about the idea that we are the masters of all we survey, and animals serve at our pleasure line of thinking? I understand not being cruel to animals that are being raised for slaughter when it can be helped…I don’t see foie being any different from any other factory farmed animal.
I simply don’t think that way (regarding master of our domain). And as I said, I try to eat “ethically” (as in, to my concept of ethics) with everything. I admit that some stuff slips through the net as I simply did not know, but when I do for definite know I just won’t go there. This can range from simple free range eggs (and yes, I check that they can actually walk outside and not just move around inside and be able to see outside if they are lucky) and avoiding cheap meats that almost certainly are factory farmed to me knowing that I will never, ever hunt.
As I said, I’m not perfect but I am trying. Some people don’t feel this way and fair enough. Everyone to their own.
I have had seared Foie three times in my life. The first it was amazing, the second two times it was overcooked and terrible. For my money (and that’s really my concern) it’s too easy to screw up for me to order again unless I am in a place where I am *positive *they won’t screw it up. So if I am ever dining in a place with a Michelin star or two under their belt I will give it another shot, otherwise I am staying away.
I really want to like marrow, but I am easily squicked out by things involving blood and I can’t get what marrow actually is out of my mind long enough to actually eat it, particularly when I am digging it directly out of the bone. It’s a sad failing on my part.
You might be thinking of pot-au-feu. That can be served as two separate courses, but I believe the marrow usually comes an accompaniment to the broth part of the course (for your bread), although I don’t see why it couldn’t be served along with the meats and veggies in the second course.
Yes! That’s it! Pot-au-feu. I have been dying to try that since I first read about it in Food Lover’s Companion (which is excellent shitter reading material, by the way).
Don’t give up! Foie can be disappointing, especially given its cost at a restaurant, if done improperly. When you pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 for an appetizer, naturally your expectations are really high, and the letdown is really steep if the chef or one of his or her underlings fucks it up.
If marrow’s what you’re after, just throw in some nice marrow bones next time you make a broth. Growing up, our soups often had marrow bones in them, and part of the fun was scooping out the marrow and spreading it on toast.
I am not going to try cooking it on my own, but I do live near New York City and have a birthday coming up where I can justify the expense. Recommend a place that does it well (anyone) and I will give it another shot.
+1
The first nice meal I ever cooked for my gf was veal shanks. She had no idea it was veal. Sitting around finishing our wine, I mentioned the word “veal” and she :eek:.
Turns out she hadn’t had veal since she was a little kid. Ethical concerns. We discussed the situation and now have veal every so often.
Come to think of it, I’ve had lamb and beef marrow before, which were both great. In hindsight both would have been better with a bread accompaniment, rather than just on their own. Never had veal (marrow), though. Thanks for the tip
kayaker, where are you getting your veal shanks from? (I assume Strip District Meats but if not I’d like to give your place a shot)
It’s not that hard to ‘get’. I’m a happy meat eater, but I make sure I buy ethically reared meat, such as organic, free range chicken. I don’t but mass market, bargain bucket meat because I don’t trust the farming practices or the quality of the product.
I have eaten fois gras and find it rather too rich. I no longer eat it since a trip to the Dordogne in France where the practice originates – their gleeful touting of tourist postcards showing geese being force fed was really quite revolting.
I eat meat, but I’m not prepared to support unnecessary animal cruelty.
