Celebrity Chef Thomas Keller’s Foie Gras Serving Ways Spark Major Protest

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by Michael Parrish DuDell May 7, 2010
Categories: Eats
Tags: .
Photo: prphotos.com

Get out your finest post-consumer poster board and soy-based Magic Markers…it’s protesting season!

The Animal Protection & Rescue League is warming up their vocal chords in preparation for a massive protest against Thomas Kellar’s three restaurants for serving foie gras.

In case you’ve missed it, foie gras is made by force-feeding geese until their livers swell to 3 or 4 times their normal size. So basically, it’s just really, really gross.

“As a veterinarian, I find foie gras to be a disease rather than a delicacy,” states Elliot Katz, DVM, President of IDA. “The liver’s function is to process toxins, and a liver in this grossly enlarged state from force feeding cannot function properly.”

The protest is set for Saturday, May 8, at Keller’s Per Se, Bouchon and French Laundry. More info can be found at HumaneSD.org.

Are protests an effective activism technique or do they cause more harm than good? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

  • ash

    I’m all for anything that raises awareness for this terrible terrible act against beautiful birds.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=693312268 Jay’me Golden

    I dont know why anyone would respond to the negative remarks made about Paul Shepard and what he does to protect all animals…it is something the spineless who have no passions or compassions for living being…live and let live…let the little people think what they want, they are meaningless and a waste of mankind…

    • David

      Who is Paul Shepard?

  • http://www.veganjapan.net herwin

    me don’t understand, just a few topics ago top chef Mario Batali was hailed as the new Green Icon of the MeatFree Monday movement (urm, nice PR stunt, Mario) because besides meat and steaks in his restaurants he serves some veggie dishes on mondays (and he apearantly did send a press release about it to any newsmedia on the planet who picked it up and gave him a free greenwashing)
    anyway, mr Batali also serves Foie Gras in some of his restaurants (just Google and thy wil findeth) so i think some people in the green movement are a bunch of retards who attack one cook for using foie gras while praising (might i say “cocksucking” ? the other foie gras user because he joins the Meat Free Monday movement, which in turn is becoming more and more a Hollow Hype and less and less substance.
    Meatfree Monday ; its about being veggie for a day, not about serving a bowl of salad next to your steak.

    • Bencat1000

      Totally agree………….

  • http://www.brownandpink.com Annie

    I think protests are a necessary part of life! Protest on!

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  • Fisher

    Man… i think i’m gonna be the only one on this stream to say it… but Thomas Keller is an amazing chef that makes incredibly good food. I think it’s probably pretty obvious that i eat meat. foie gras tastes incredibly good… so does veal for that matter. and as an omnivore… i’ll continue to eat them.

    while i will continue to offer my support to anyone voicing their convictions… and i can see how people gravitate to a “cruelty free” lifestyle… i think that this protest is entirely about publicity… and has very little to do with conviction… the main reason why Keller is being targeted here is because of his celebrity… there are so many other chefs and restaurants that have menus that rely almost entirely on “inhumane” meats. go look at the menu of Restaurant au Pied de Cochon in Montreal… and try and pretend that Keller is a bigger offender to your moral sensibilities than them.

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