Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
French farmers fatten their geese to
enlarge their livers, considerd a delicacy.
They force-feed the geese four times a
day. Then, when their livers grow from
a quarter-pound to two pounds, they
slaughter them and eat the fattened liver,
or foie gras. The English travel in droves
to France's Dordogne region to enjoy this
gourmet treat. Animal-rights activists
worldwide object to the treatment of the
geese, and for a time, foie gras was actual-
ly illegal for restaurants to serve in Illinois.
But French farmers don't understand all
the fuss. They tell me the tradition started
when their ancestors caught geese who
had fattened up their own livers to make
the migratory trip to Egypt. They found
them very tasty and decided to raise
them, help them fatten those livers, and
spare them that long fl ight to Egypt. They
claim that geese are designed to grow fat
livers, and they pride themselves in creat-
ing fi ne living conditions—as the quality of
the foie gras depends on the quality of life
the geese lead, right up until the day they
are slaughtered.
