Sun, surf, and perfect weather. What more could Californians want?

Foie gras, that’s what.

Ever since the controversial food, which translates to “fat liver” in French, was banned from California in July last year, chefs and foodies alike have been on the hunt for the delicacy.

And now the obsession with foie gras — fattened duck or goose liver, that is — has been taken to a completely new level.

As the Reno Gazette-Journal notes, foie gras aficionados now have no qualms about travelling to another state to get the banned food. For many, that means heading over to Reno, Nevada to get their fix of the fatty stuff. Foie gras is often created by force-feeding the bird to enlarge their liver. This process, known as gavage, is seen as cruel by many animal rights groups.

Already, about a dozen restaurants in the Reno area are offering up the delicacy. And it’s no surprise, since many restaurants know it could be a lucrative move for their businesses.

“Right after the ban, we saw a big resurgence of people coming from the Bay Area, and that sort of leveled off, but the holidays are in there, too. People are very happy to come over here and have it,” Carol Wilson, a general manager at 4th St. Bistro, told the local newspaper.

Restauranteurs in California have been trying to sneak the highly coveted item onto the menu, with some success (many dub the foie gras “complimentary” in order to skirt the laws about selling the delicacy). But according to a CNBC report on the Nevada foie gras boom, it’s gotten harder to get away with serving the illegal food at home.

Reno: If you bring foie gras, we will come.

H/T EATER + PicThx NPR

Jennifer LaiTwitterFacebook

At the ripe age of three, Jennifer Lai sampled dishes as diverse as foie gras, jellyfish, and chicken feet. She was born Canadian, hails from Los Angeles, and lived in Berkeley and Chicago before moving to New York, where she now resides and writes. She spends at least one night a week compulsively roasting vegetables and re-watching episodes of Good Eats -- sometimes at the same time.