Hot Take: Leave the Foie Gras Alone

Force-Feeding the Restaurant Industry

The older I get, the harder it is to eat meat. Science keeps confirming what a lot of us have suspected — that animals are smarter, more sentient, and more complex than we’ve been comfortable admitting. I recently came across a documentary about octopus and told my wife I might be done eating them. I like eating octopus. But I can’t unlearn that they’re problem solvers, playful, capable of using tools, and — according to aquarium keepers — have distinct personalities. Timely reminder: in 2010, Paul the Octopus went 8 for 8 correctly predicting World Cup matches, including upset champion Spain. Place your bets.

I’ll be honest though — that’s a pretty easy sacrifice. I eat octopus maybe twice a year. The harder test is pork. My octopus rationale clearly applies to bacon too. I’m not ready to go there yet. I’m still evolving at 45. Check back when I’m 50.

So here’s where I land on foie gras: I’m done. Force-feeding ducks and geese through metal tubes to produce a fatty liver delicacy is indefensible. I didn’t need city council to tell me that. I’m convinced on the merits.

But really? Really? This is what our city council is working on?

According to Willamette Week, seven votes are lined up to pass a foie gras ban. The ordinance would affect seven restaurants and one retailer in the entire city. Was there a popular mandate for this that I missed? Did residents of Lents and Centennial and St. Johns flood their councilors’ inboxes demanding action on foie gras?

I know the counterargument — trust me, I’ve made it myself. You can walk and chew gum at the same time. Passing this ordinance doesn’t prevent the council from working on housing, food access, or any of the plethora of things that actually got them elected. Fine. Governing isn’t always zero-sum.

But political capital is. And so is messaging.

Look at what Zohran Mamdani is doing in New York City. Transit. Potholes. Pre-K. A proposed balanced budget without gutting core services. He negotiated 1,000 World Cup tickets at $50 each so that kids who can’t afford soccer cleats have a shot at experiencing something extraordinary in their own city. Every single thing he picks up sends the same message to New Yorkers: I see you. I’m here for you. That’s not an accident. That’s discipline. That’s a politician who understands that the issues you choose to fight for tell people who you’re fighting for.

I learned in writing this that NYC banned foie gras years ago, so you might be thinking to yourself that Mamdani isn’t working on it because it’s already banned. Fair enough. But there are plenty of foie-gras-adjacent issues he could be chasing — good causes, defensible on the merits — and he’s not running at those either. Haven’t we learned our lesson from the paper straw movement? Mamdani seems like he has. He’s decided what his platform is for, and he deploys it that way every single day.

Our city council doesn’t have Mamdani’s popularity or his political capital. And they’re spending what they have on a ban affecting seven restaurants. At best, this invites comparisons to the television parody of our city. At worst, it sends the message that the people and businesses who most need their government to fight for them are not the top priority.

The ban will probably pass Thursday. Seven restaurants will have 180 days to update their menus. The ducks and geese in upstate New York will be marginally better off for the slightly decreased demand. And precious political capital will have been spent by a council that — with a 24% approval rating — cannot afford to spend it this way.