Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

Duckeasies and Free Gras after Foie Fatwah
Friday, January 5, 2007

Who says civil disobedience is dead? Chefs in Chicago are taking all sorts of measures to get around the recent ban on serving foie gras. In one case, first reported this week, a restaurant served the delicacy free, since the law forbids only the sale of foie gras. "A [Health Department] department spokesman said the restaurant Bin 36 avoided a citation when health inspectors paid a surprise visit and found the restaurant was not illegally selling the liver delicacy but instead giving it away as a free side dish," something strongly hinted at on the menu.

In another case, a North Side restaurant-owner took the official warning from City Hall, threatening "punishment" if he continued to serve foie gras, framed it and set it beside his cash register. "We displayed it proudly," Doug Sohn, owner of Hot Doug's, a gourmet sausage eatery with daily specials including "smoked pheasant topped with foie gras chunks," was quoted as saying in the Tribune. "My customers and myself enjoy foie gras." The story also noted chef Didier Durand, who has conferred the priceless "duckeasies" label upon local chefs refusing to dishonor culinary tradition by refraining from serving foie gras.

Meanwhile, a Chicago Sun-Times story quoted a spokesman from the Health Dept as saying the issue is "without question the least-important thing we're called upon to do."

Labels: Food

Posted by B Feiler at 1:41 AM
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