France to California: This Means War

Animal-rights activists in California attempted to block not only the in-state production of foie gras but also its importation.  The French, never willing to take an act of aggression lying down, responded with a call to boycott California wine.

An interesting side note:  California Republicans argue that, while the state can do almost any fool thing it wants within the state, the Interstate Commerce Clause forbids it to regulate what happens outside its borders.  It falls to the federal government to make mistakes in that arena.

6 comments:

Grim said...

I had foie gras once. It was on our anniversary some years ago, and I took my wife to a restaurant in Atlanta with an excellent reputation. The reputation was certainly justified by the meal we had there, and the rack of lamb was particularly wonderful.

However, the foie gras was not to my taste. I assume it was just as well-prepared as everything else, but I couldn't get into the texture of the meat. Nor the flavor, really.

Anonymous said...

I like it with other things (dried fig preserves, quince paste), and in very small servings. But I also love liver sausage (Leberkaese), so I'm probably the culinary outlier. :)

LittleRed1

james said...

France imports California wine? I'd not have thought it was a big item, but apparently the EU as a whole imports quite a lot.

MikeD said...

What amazed me when I was in Ireland is that not only do they import Budwiser, the Irish actually like it. Bleh.

douglas said...

Foie Gras is certainly to be had in small amounts (too rich to eat too much) and with something else (too homogenous of texture to be satisfying in itself), but with just a little something to dress it up, it's wonderful.

Wine is one thing California does right. It's interesting to read about the 1976 taste test that shocked the wine world, when French wine conossieurs (who were quite sure French wines were best, but I repeat myself) blind tested French vs. American (Californian) wines, and rated the Californian wines better.

I'll also say that Bud can be good- ice cold as a substitute for a cold glass of water on a really hot day. Everything has it's place.

douglas said...

Oh, and I just have to add that I had one of the best beers I've ever had recently- Charley Wine by Mammoth Brewing Company. It's a 10 percent brew, so it's potent, but just has such great flavor and smoothness. Good luck finding it, though.