Food Porn Friday: An Open Letter

Foie gras jelly doughnut, aka “Death by Appetizer: The Scott Gold Story.”

Dear NolaVie readers,

Please find, pictured above, a photograph of one of the more egregiously delicious things I have ever eaten in my entire life: a foie gras jelly doughnut (if you would like to know more about the experience, get the full story here).

I realize that there are conflicting emotions and ideals involved when it comes to foie gras. Usually, I resist getting baited into a philosophical discussion about food ethics concerning the practice of gavage (the intentional – but not necessarily “forced” – fattening of a bird’s liver for the purposes of gastronomy).

But today, I say: To hell with that. You have feelings about foie gras? I know I do. I think it’s awesome. It’s a very special dish, an almost religiously delicious dining experience, and I cherish it. I love its rich and millennia-old history, and, when practiced responsibly, I feel that producing or enjoying foie gras is in no way any less ethical than eating commercial beef, and WAY less humane than eating factory-raised poultry. Lord, I’d rather be a foie gras duck than a McNugget chicken, a million times over.

So consider the gauntlet thrown, readers. This is your chance. I’m taking all comers. Riddle me this:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FOIE GRAS?

Bring it. Yours sincerely,

Scott

Native New Orleans food writer Scott Gold, author of The Shameless Carnivore and a blog by the same name, has written for Gourmet, Edible Brooklyn, The Faster Times, and other publications. His Food Porn Friday column for NolaVie offers a weekly mouth-watering photo designed to start culinary conversations in the Big Easy. Catch his weekly food column for The Advocate here.