So they're not force-fed?

They have a feeding tube that runs the food straight to the stomach, but apparently the geese and ducks are food tube sluts.

Has anyone here ever had foie gras? Is it tasty? or just desired because of its exclusive reputation?

So they're not force-fed?

In the sense that the farmer sticks a tube down their throat and pumps grain in, yes. In the sense that it bothers the ducks/geese in any way, not really. It looks unbelievably painful because for a human throat, it would be, but for a bird, nsm.

Fois gras is an easy target because it's a luxury item (like lobster), and opposition to it has much more to do with that -- it's expensive and high profile, and easy to ask people to give it up since the vast majority of Americans never eat it anyway -- than with the way it's produced. Compared to an average grocery store chicken, fois gras ducks and geese are positively pampered. (But PETA can't ask cities to ban factory-farmed chicken, because then everyone would have to sacrifice.)

[eta: And yes, it's very, very tasty. Best in moderation IMO, because it's superrich -- those huge slabs you see on Iron Chef would be more than I could probably handle -- but very yummy when done right.]

I have. Buttery and pretty darn tasty.

(But PETA can't ask cities to ban factory-farmed chicken, because then everyone would have to sacrifice.)

Like protesting mink coats instead of leather belts?

Factory egg farming is far more cruel than creating foie gras, but you don't hear much fuss about it. The chicken are in boxes so small they can't change position, and they're so stressed that their beaks have to be clipped so they don't mutilate themselves.

Like protesting mink coats instead of leather belts?

Well, I suppose you could argue that mink are killed just for their fur, whereas leather is a byproduct of raising cattle for milk and meat.

But that's kind of a weak argument, as the buying of cow skin (for leather) would make the slaughter of cows for meat more economically viable.

Wait, or do people eat mink? Or milk them? (kidding) (about the milking)

It was right where Comm Ave and Brighton Ave split. We lived on a street right before the split (behind T. Anthony's best place for slice pizza and also cheeseburger sub!).

Holy crap! Naples Road or Babcock Street? Because I lived on Naples Road for 9 years (back in the 90s).

Oh, and Captain Nemo's in Kenmore Square had the best late night slice pizza, not T. Anthony's.

t /grease frisbee smackdown

Like protesting mink coats instead of leather belts?

Exaaaaaaaaactly.

Here's the foie gras I had. [link] Scroll down to the a la carte menu.

I remember it being very very very good, but as you can see from the menu, pretty much everything was. Kinda hard to rave about the foie gras when you also had crawfish and goat cheese crepes, grilled scallops, vanilla bean creme brule and peanut butter mousse dome along with whatever everyone else was ordering (I think I had a salad too).