From Today's New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Defying Law, a Foie Gras Feast in Chicago” (news article, Aug. 23):

Given Chicago restaurateurs’ juvenile reaction to the ban on foie gras, I have to wonder if they would go out and kick stray dogs if lawmakers passed legislation intended to protect homeless animals.

People are not permitted to engage in many actions that cause others to suffer—robbery, rape, property destruction, and so on. The foie gras ban is not fundamentally different because it is intended to prevent suffering in animals.

It should not be ignored simply because some people like the way foie gras tastes.

Ducks, like other animals, deserve protection, too.

Nedim C. Buyukmihci
Dilley, Tex., Aug. 23, 2006
The writer is emeritus professor of veterinary medicine, University of California at Davis.

To the Editor:

I wonder why journalists almost never point out, when they note that ducks are missing a gag reflex, the additional and very important fact that ducks feed their young by sticking beaks down their throats.

This would lead to the question, “In what way would a duck interpret the way it is being fed for foie gras as a bad thing, given that it is fed this way from birth?”

Visits to foie gras farms in the United States show that the ducks are well treated, clean and otherwise live natural lives—in heavy contrast to many chickens, cows, turkey, non-grass-fed beef, farmed fish and so on.

Given that ducks receive perhaps the gentlest of all animal treatment in the food world, the derision of foie gras is perplexing.

Ann Evans
Brooklyn, Aug. 23, 2006

To the Editor:

As a dietitian, I am concerned with some Chicago restaurateurs’ idea of culinary rebellion. The foie gras ban is in effect because of animal cruelty issues, but people should also consider the health consequences of consuming this fatty product.

Foie gras derives approximately 85 percent of its calories from fat and contains a whopping dose of cholesterol. Fat and cholesterol are two things no one needs more of—especially the residents of Chicago, one of the fattest cities in the United States, where rates of childhood obesity are soaring.

This is a good time to celebrate that one less unhealthful food will be offered, as opposed to the “sticking it to the man” attitude.

Susan Levin
Washington, Aug. 23, 2006