Paws off my foie gras

A Senate bill that proposes to ban the sale of foie gras produced using inhumane methods ticked off some people yesterday stirring up angry comments from foodies after the news of SB2170 hit the popular micro-blogging website Twitter.

Some of the comments/tweets included:

@NctrnlBst: Call your Hawaii state senator and tell the Food Nazis to stop wasting time on frivolous bills! http://ow.ly/16uQND

@hollyhadsell: Say it isn't so!! RT @NctrnlBst: Call your Hawaii state senator and tell them stop wasting time! http://ow.ly/16uQND

@LKozawa: Thats my point. Government encroachment as to what you're allowed to eat is never a good thing. Look up codex alimentarius

The ban is being proposed because of animal cruelty issues. Foie gras is a French delicacy and typically made by force-feeding ducks or geese to fatten the liver, although outside of France some producers use more humane methods.

However, the reasoning behind the bill is beside the point to those incensed by the bill. That doesn't mean they think sticking a tube in a duck is okay. The fact is that many of the food connoisseurs angered by the bill just plain don't appreciate government trying to dictate what they can and cannot eat.

Ed Morita (aka @nctrnlbst), a former pastry chef turned food writer and freelance photographer from the blog www.bakershours.com, was compelled to write an opinion piece last night on the the foie gras ban bill. He explains the way foie gras is made, makes some points that the bill has neglected to account for, and discusses a law in California that will ban force feeding in 2012.

To be fair, those in support of this bill do make some good points as well. From their perspective, animals being raised for food still deserve humane treatment and our state should not condone inhumane methods by allowing these products into our state. Visit the national ban foie gras website to learn more about their views and other proposed legislation.

The bill passed out of its first Senate committee yesterday. It will go to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further discussion.