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Foie Gras Doughnuts Spark Protest, Petitions
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jul 18, 2011
Modified Jul 18, 2011
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jul 18, 2011
Modified Jul 18, 2011
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Earlier this month, we were introduced to Bed-Stuy restaurant Do or Dine's foie gras-filled doughnuts, which were described by some customers as nothing short "heavenly." Now, perhaps unsurprisingly, the two-month old establishment is on the receiving end of an animal rights-fueled anti-foie gras petition.
"Do or Dine Restaurant: Stop Serving Foie Gras Donuts" reads the petition, started by vegan blogger Annie Hartnett, who writes that "Birds should not have to suffer for donuts." Hartnett, who was not available for comment, thinks "it's likely that Do or Dine's foie gras comes from Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York" (which is maybe not so cruel, after all). So far, the petition has almost 600 signatures, and a smattering of xenophobic comments, like "We KNOW this can't be an american restaurant. Stop this cruelty. Take it back overseas. See what immigrants will do in this country???? This is sickening!"
We spoke to Do or Dine chef Justin Warner to get his thoughts on the drama, and here's what he had to say: "People love this dish. They go crazy for it. But I'm lucky if I serve 30 doughnuts a week—we're not exactly cranking them out over here. People all over the world are signing this petition, condemning us, telling us we're monsters, but the one percent of people who are actually coming here and eating them are pretty jazzed." When asked if he would be taking the doughnuts off the menu as a result, Warner said "we're not so attached to anything on the menu," which changes weekly, and told us that the sources his foie from a farm in Pennsylvania.
A counter-petition was just launched for supporters of the doughnuts, which reads: "It would be cruel to stop making them several times a day before I have a chance to come and try them. They sound like the kind of thing I'd want to eat enough of that I'd be engorged to ten times my healthy size. But I'm willing to suffer for donuts."
Tagged
animal cruelty
animal rights
bed stuy
brooklyn
do or dine
foie gras
foie gras doughnuts
Jamie Feldmar
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