First Foie Gras Infraction

[oliveDC]

Hot Doug's gets in hot water for hot dog: story here.

Will foie gras speakeasies be far behind?

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Hot Doug's gets in hot water for hot dog: story here.

Will foie gras speakeasies be far behind?

I predict that foie gras hang-outs will spring up right outside the city limits; like liquor stores and fireworks stands at the state line. And I wonder if the law could be circumvented with a byofg policy. That way, technically, the restaurannt wouldn't be "selling" foie gras.

[Mark Slater]

The easy way around it is to put on the menu "Frog Wah".

[DanCole42]

The easy way around it is to put on the menu "Frog Wah".

But what if we want actual frog wahs?

[dinwiddie]

I would hope that this is going to be a test case for the law. After all you can't challenge the law until there is someone harmed, and now someone has been cited, the court can look at it.

[Mark Slater]

I would hope that this is going to be a test case for the law. After all you can't challenge the law until there is someone harmed, and now someone has been cited, the court can look at it.

Who was harmed? A duck?

[dinwiddie]

Who was harmed? A duck?

The guy who got busted

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I would hope that this is going to be a test case for the law. After all you can't challenge the law until there is someone harmed, and now someone has been cited, the court can look at it.

What, the restaurant is going to claim that the ordinance is somehow invalid? He could make that claim, but di doubt he would win. If a foie gras ordinance is invalid, then so is a no smoking ordinance. The ordinance is valid. The restaurnat association in Chitown needs to make a special assessment of its members to create a fund to pay the fines, sort of an foie gras ticket insurance fund.

[Mark Slater]

?

[dinwiddie]

What, the restaurant is going to claim that the ordinance is somehow invalid? He could make that claim, but di doubt he would win. If a foie gras ordinance is invalid, then so is a no smoking ordinance. The ordinance is valid. The restaurnat association in Chitown needs to make a special assessment of its members to create a fund to pay the fines, sort of an foie gras ticket insurance fund.

Nonsmoking ordinances are valid based on harm to those who are in the restaurant by second hand smoke. (such as employees and other patrons) However, the foie gras ban is based soley on the perception that the production of it is cruel to animals. It isn't even tied to a health threat like the transfat bans are. The question the court will have to decide is whether the city's authority in regulating restaurants for the purpose of protecting the public's health covers this ban or is it purely a political decision that is outside the city's authority. If this is valid then a city could ban all restaurants from serving meat and require that they have a completely vegan menu.

[oliveDC]

I just love the owner's final quote in the story:

“It’s sort of at the point where I don’t really care,” he said. “If we don’t serve it, we don’t serve it. I hope people opposed to it are leading ethical and moral lives. And they better not be wearing leather shoes.”