God to Jews: Chopped Liver, Not Foie Gras

An update on the Chicago foie gras ban: Two rabbis have threatened Chiacgo's two Jewish aldermen with the "wrath of God" if they vote to overturn the city-wide ban on the sale of foie gras. Alderman Bernard Stone--who initially voted for the ban, but is now worried about the "credibility of the City Council"--responded to one rabbi's statements:

"[Rabbi Jana Kohl] threatened my Jewish heritage. She obviously doesn't understand that Jews only know chopped liver. They don't know foie gras."

Kohl is the former director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies. Maybe PETA isn't so crazy after all.

More on the foie gras ban here, here, and here.

Comments

Pro Libertate | September 20, 2006, 2:20pm | #

Dogs and cats living together, real wrath of God stuff.

Will there be smiting?

peachy | September 20, 2006, 3:18pm | #

Well, I do like the smiting, and it's true that the Old Testament God did smite for pretty much anything... plenty of wrath to go around, for sure. But still - is he really get that worked up over some geese?

peachy | September 20, 2006, 3:33pm | #

Well, I do like the smiting, and it's true that the Old Testament God did smite for pretty much anything... plenty of wrath to go around, for sure. But still - is he really get that worked up over some geese?

Phileleutherus Lipsiensis | September 20, 2006, 3:33pm | #

They will take my foie gras from my cold, dead hands.

Pro Libertate | September 20, 2006, 3:44pm | #

But still - [does God] really get that worked up over some geese?

I'm thinking that we're lucky if God stoops down to noticing the existence of the Milky Way galaxy, let alone our planet, us, or our geese.

Let them be smotten.

John | September 20, 2006, 3:54pm | #

God has been smiting Chicago for years, anyone ever watched the Cubs?

Adam W. | September 20, 2006, 3:54pm | #

About foie gras-as a libertarian, I should be uncomfortable with this, but...the process seems especially cruel...

Bo Diddley | September 20, 2006, 4:21pm | #

"...Jews only know chopped liver. They don't know foie gras."

Bo knows foie gras.

Bo Jackson | September 20, 2006, 4:40pm | #

This Bo knows too.

Bee | September 20, 2006, 5:39pm | #

About foie gras-as a libertarian, I should be uncomfortable with this, but...the process seems especially cruel...

Then you don't have to eat it.

Warren | September 20, 2006, 6:22pm | #

In the history of mankind, no people ever took such pride in such god-awful culinary fare as the American Jews. I think we can safely ignore everything Jews have to say about food.

highnumber | September 20, 2006, 6:29pm | #

About foie gras-as a libertarian, I should be uncomfortable with this, but...the process seems especially cruel...

Which foie gras farm did you visit? What did you see there? What other farms have you visited? How were the animals treated there? Were they allowed to roam free?

I have the feeling that you cannot answer any of these questions. Don't fall into the trap that PETA, et al set for you.

James | September 20, 2006, 6:41pm | #

Did I read that right? Politicians starting to feel a bit foolish about one of their decrees?

I am quite certain I did not read that right.

smacky | September 20, 2006, 6:50pm | #

In the history of mankind, no people ever took such pride in such god-awful culinary fare as the American Jews. I think we can safely ignore everything Jews have to say about food.

Wha? *bafflement*

Hebrew National hotdogs? Matzo ball soup? Jewish rye? What's not to like?

highnumber | September 20, 2006, 7:06pm | #

*bafflement*

Tongue, boiled 'til it's grey brisket, and gefilte fish, maybe?

smacky,

I am with you. There ain't nothing wrong with some beef shortribs or a nice knish. The examples above are the only nasty ones I can think of.

Warren | September 20, 2006, 7:10pm | #

Smacky?
Are you kidding? You seriously consider those things to be good food? Are you Jewish? If there is any doubt as to the deficiency of the American Jewish palate, I have just one word: Manischewitz

smacky | September 20, 2006, 7:28pm | #

Warren,

No, I'm not Jewish. Granted, I wouldn't consider any of the examples I listed to be fine cuisine (ok, maybe matzo ball soup...), but I wouldn't say any of those three things are inedible by any means. Besides, you can't write off a whole culture's palate because of a brand name. If that were the case, Americans would be disqualified because of Franco-American products, makers of that culinary abomination, Spagetti-O's.

Brian Courts | September 20, 2006, 7:37pm | #

Hebrew National hotdogs? Matzo ball soup? Jewish rye? What's not to like?

Mmmmmmmmm... stop it smacky, you're making me hungry.

smacky | September 20, 2006, 7:43pm | #

More terrible food companies: Palmer, Nestle, Necco, Wonder, Hormel, Campbell's, and Healthy Choice. These are all American companies (I think), and they're all terrible -- although I suppose in theory they may be owned by "the Joos"...so you may have a point, after all, Warren.

Bee | September 20, 2006, 8:22pm | #

Speaking of Joos, I saw a "Kinky for Governor - Why the Hell Not" bumper sticker today in downtown LA.

It made me happy.

Woody A. | September 20, 2006, 8:26pm | #

No, I'm not Jewish.

What smacky meant to say was, "A self-deprecating Jew? That'll be the day!"

Warren | September 20, 2006, 8:32pm | #

Hey if "the Joos" are getting fat making crappy comfort food, more power to em. But nobody claims Spam is fine cuisine (aside from Hormel's product promotion dept.). It's quite beyond me how Matzo-anything could ever be classified as such.

My point is, that I have sat down to tables with $10,000 worth of linen, china, and silverware on them, and been served the most disgusting alcoholic grape drink to wash down food that ranged from bland to foul (as in taste like rotting).

I'll backtrack a little. I do prefer the Jewish Rye, it's only bread but its as good as store-bought bread gets.

smacky | September 20, 2006, 8:44pm | #

My point is, that I have sat down to tables with $10,000 worth of linen, china, and silverware on them, and been served the most disgusting alcoholic grape drink to wash down food that ranged from bland to foul (as in taste like rotting).

Was this, by any chance, a Seder dinner? (The traditional Passover meal). 'Cause I would agree that the food served at those is pretty nazty. Salt water and bitter herbs? Bleagh...

smacky | September 20, 2006, 8:57pm | #

...then again, unleavened hosts and crap wine at Catholic mass was never a taste treat, either. Why do major religions require their adherents to eat shitty-tasting food? I'm going to start a religion that encourages people to eat fancy hors d'oeuvres and wash them down with microbrews.

Pro Libertate | September 20, 2006, 9:37pm | #

The good Jewish food is mostly German food repackaged. The bad Jewish food is something they found lying around in the desert. . .under a dead camel. I like most food, but I was not a happy camper when I ate at a Seder with an ex-girlfriend. The only thing I liked was the chicken.

To be fair, the worst thing that I've consumed is sea urchin. Note to self: Don't order weird stuff at a sushi bar--it's weird enough to begin with, so just enjoy the "safe" rolls and be happy.

Warren | September 20, 2006, 10:21pm | #

Was this, by any chance, a Seder dinner?

That particular time was during Chanukah. But countless times I've seen my Jewish friends and their families rhapsodies over food that is at best mediocre and not infrequently, disgusting.

Now I understand about mama's, or grandma's, blintzes. They taste like all the good things of your childhood. My Polish grandma had a few special recipes I wouldn't mind tasting again. I just object to insisting that it's haute cuisine.

Hmmm | September 20, 2006, 11:04pm | #

To get back to the point of a supposed incompatibility between Halacha and foie gras, how do they explain this?

Apostate Jew | September 20, 2006, 11:28pm | #

Warren is correct. Worst food ever. Keeping kosher - or rather eating the tradtional crap my grandparents and parents ate - is torture. Peasant food.

I would have given up my place in the world to come for a ham and cheese sandwich. Come to think of it, I did.

Rick Barton | September 20, 2006, 11:33pm | #

Beside the threatening of potential wayward members of the flock with the "wrath of God" (which really isn't so surprising cuz we know well how intolerant and bullying Islam can be...What? Oh yeah); this is an ethical and legal problem:

Of course government shouldn't tell us that we can't eat some foods cuz government shouldn't stop us from doing anything that isn't force or fraud. But is a fair exception the prevention of unnecessary cruelty to animals? Does force-feeding constitute unnecessary cruelty?

When government is there, often folks forget about the option of voluntary measures to advance their values. As a personal choice, I only eat cage free eggs cuz I feel sorry for the chickens in the cages. And I will never eat foie gras cuz of the force-feeding. But should folks be banned from eating it for this reason? I don't know. Can I still be a libertarian and favor laws that proscribe, say, torturing pets? I hope so.

(BTW, whatever, I would still favor zero government over the smothering, confiscatory and murderous monstrosity that our government has become)

Rick Barton | September 21, 2006, 12:03am | #

Pro Libertate:

The good Jewish food is mostly German food repackaged.

Whatever the linage, there's some pretty tastee stuff to be found in Jewish Delis (German ones too).( BTW, Kanters, out in LA, is a wonderful Jewish Deli. It's on Fairfax, right across the street from Nova Express, a very groovy and delicious Sci-fi pizza place) But my very favorite cuisines are Indian and Mid-eastern.

Rick Barton | September 21, 2006, 12:08am | #

Yeah, I said "Sci-fi pizza place". Ya gota love LA.

Rick Barton | September 21, 2006, 1:25am | #

What Hmmm asked-So perhaps the whole point of what the two rabbis say that what God wants in this matter isn't based on dietary law.

Rick Barton | September 21, 2006, 1:57am | #

Oh yeah, and my fave Jewish Deli here in Denver is the Bagel Delicatessen and Restaurant on East Hampden Ave.

Smacky:

Was this, by any chance, a Seder dinner? Cause I would agree that the food served at those is pretty nazty. Salt water and bitter herbs? Bleagh...

Yeah, I know whatya mean. The first time I went to a Seder dinner, I became a little suspicious that friends mighta been playing a joke on me cuz I wasn't Jewish.

Pro Libertate | September 21, 2006, 9:29am | #

At the Seder I attended, I made the faux pas of blurting out, "Hey, this is just like the Last Supper! Cool!". However, I missed the opportunity to tell the group that one of them would betray me later.

German delis are great. Whether they're German-Jewish or just German. German potato salad. The Reuben, King of All Sandwiches. All the other stuff, of which they always seem to have a huge selection. Oh, yeah.

DRW | September 21, 2006, 5:05pm | #

You mean the delicious pastrami sandwich I got from Mendy's in Grand Central for lunch today isn't "haute cuisine?" Gevalt!

kevrob | September 23, 2006, 1:25am | #

As a former shabbes goy for the rabbi back in my home town, I have always liked some Jewish food. Bagels, chicken soup with kreplach, Dr. Brown's Sodas, and pastrami are favorites. But you can keep the schmaltz and chicken liver. If I'm ever captured and subjected to extraordinary rendition, my captors will be able to get me to say anything if they threaten to forcefeed me liver, and do anything if they bring out the onions. Yuch!

Don't people know what livers and kidneys do for a living?

Kevin