Wine blogger Dr. Vino has a fascinating, insightful account of a tour he took of a foie gras producer in France's Dordogne region last month. Now before anyone jumps down my throat, let me say that I've had the pleasure of eating foie gras only once or twice. And in all honesty I'm a bit conflicted as to whether force feeding geese in order to fatten their livers is indeed cruel or, rather, as some have told me, a process for which they greedily line up.It remains to be seen whether I'll ever tour a foie gras operation, but one thing I do know is that the good doctor had the nerve and intellectual curiousity to tour one such farm while the rest of his family opted for a swim. Among the issues Dr. Vino raises are the relatively pleasant conditions the geese enjoy while they are outside in two large fields as opposed to the darkened gavage barns where they are force-fed four times daily. Even he seems uncertain as to just how cruel the process is. But in the end he concludes that it's probably best for all to know where their food comes from, foie gras or otherwise.








