California Chefs Say ‘Foie You!’ to New Goose Liver Ban

Eight years after its inception in 2004, the California bill banning the “force feed[ing] of a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird’s liver beyond normal size” finally went into effect on July 1, much to the chagrin of chefs and gourmet foodies statewide. Violators can expect fines of up to $1000, though that hasn’t stopped at least one Antoine Price of San Clemente from serving a full-course, liver-infused meal last Monday night—just one day after the ban went into effect.

About his menu, aptly titled “Foie You,” the French-born Price said, “They can lock me up if they want. I don’t mind.”

The ban has itself been met with mixed reactions. Instituted in an effort to bring an end to controversial feeding practices used to create the Foie Gras delicacy, the ban counter-intuitively resulted in a 400% increase in sales over the last month—a side-effect of the surge of “doomsday” dinners and hoardings for those trying to get their last tastes of the now-illegal dish.

On Monday, an official lawsuit was filed against California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Governor Edmund Brown to protest the ban, which the plaintiffs have argued is “unconstitutional, vague, and interfered with federal commerce laws.”

In spite of all the fuss, however, some law enforcement officials have suggested the law won’t even be getting strict enforcement. One gastropub owner recently told CNBC he believed the whole thing would just eventually blow over.

As long as the ban is staying in effect, though, (and if we’re really thinking about our bird friends’ welfare), do you think we could extend it to apply to duck faces, too?

[Via OC Register, SF Gate]