[Faline]

Lovers of foie gras in California have run out of time to enjoy the controversial delicacy.

The state has banned sales of the foodstuff with a penalty of $1000 (£636) to any restaurant that continues to serve it.

The ban may be good news for geese overall, but they have paid the price in recent days.

In a state previously known for oil and gold rushes, there has been a stampede for foie gras ahead of the ban.

"Practically every night in June saw another multi-course foie gras menu staged in another famous restaurant," reports the Los Angeles Times.

On the menu apparently, foie gras doughnuts, shaved foie gras piled in drifts and, says the paper, so much "foie gras ice cream" has been doled out it "actually became a cliché".

"SB 1520" comes into effect - banning the production and sale of foie gras - this weekend.

It is the way foie gras is made that has fallen foul of Californian legislators.

Gavage is the process whereby geese and sometimes ducks are force fed through tubes rammed into their throats, fattening up their livers to produce a staple delicacy of haute cuisine.

Opponents of the bill say it is the thin edge of a legislative wedge that could one day lead to sanctions against the consumption of meat for instance. Today foie gras, tomorrow chickens, they fear.

They are worried it may embolden activist vegans to hijack the legislative process for other ends.

For a country notorious for its poor quality cuisine, America is taking a closer interest in controlling food for a variety of reasons.

The foie gras ban has been imposed on moral grounds but on the other side of the country New York Michael Bloomberg has outlawed super-size sodas, because of their impact on ballooning American waistlines.

There has also been a huge public outcry recently about so called "pink slime", a by-product of meat production used in junk food. Thousands of schools have banned the product from their meals.

The ban on foie gras is also causing controversy in France, where the dish was invented.

The French, who have long ridiculed their revolutionary cousins for their poor diet, have reacted with disapproval to the new law.

"It's a question of cultural shock," said Marie-Pierre Pe, general delegate of the Paris-based Interprofessional Committee of Foie Gras. "Could you imagine France banning ketchup or hamburgers?"

No, but then French radicals have been known to drive bulldozers into McDonalds restaurants, it has to be said.

Foie gras production is so cruel that it has been condemned by the Pope, and it is prohibited in 15 countries, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

[Faline]

Should be banned completely imo. I'd love to stick tubes down the throats of those still doing this and force feed them.

[K9Grip]

I had no idea it was banned is so many countries. Good.

[kellyhound]

"It's a question of cultural shock," said Marie-Pierre Pe, general delegate of the Paris-based Interprofessional Committee of Foie Gras. "Could you imagine France banning ketchup ?

they already did in schools.

[zombie-rot420]

I'm against force feeding. But banning it entirely is one step closer to New World Order shit.

[Sharon]

Ban it 100%, it's one of the cruellest things out there. I've watched how it's obtained and it is disturbing. Good on California

[candymosh]

Did not even know that such a thing existed.

[Sandbwoy]

Originally Posted by candymosh2 ↗

Did not even know that such a thing existed.

Same here, first time I've heard of it.

I would agree with the majority here though, and believe that it should be banned. Anything that causes unnecessary discomfort to any living creature, such as the creative process in this case, is animal cruelty. And as such, it should be outlawed.

[Sharon]

The French can be so arrogant, it annoys the Hell out of me and I'm 100% with Jeremy Clarkson when he takes the slash

They eat sparrows baked entombed in potatoes

HOW can you liken foie gras to KETCHUP??? Stupid bint.

[chris50stang]

what the hell is it?