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Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for February 09, 2015
February 08, 2015
February 10, 2015
Transcript:
Goat: Guard Duck found out that the chef still serves Foie Gras, which is that fatty duck liver they create by force-feeding the duck with a tube.
Pig: Does that hurt?
Guard Duck: We'll see.
Pig: It looks like it hurts.
Guard Duck: Chew, fatty, chew!
I just want to put in a good word for the Crocs to keep the comments balanced. I saw some geese being force fed on a travel show…a long necked funnel was employed to quickly pour a cup of grain in the bird ‘s crop. The geese seemed accustomed tl the practice. That said, I won’t eat foie gras or caviar.
If you’ve got a tube going down to someone’s stomach, they’d probably struggle to chew, and if they chewed it would be on the tube, not the food…
And, to be fair, being tied up looks like it hurts!
Also, I’m not really aware of ducks being force fed. There are force fed geese, some of them are treated atrociously and this would be a problem even if they weren’t being force fed, I hope. Some of them are treated very well, and inasmuch as I’m aware they don’t get even the same sort of discomfort that humans can get from being overfull. If you have ethical issues with raising animals for meat in the first place, then, of course this would be a problem regardless. If you don’t, I have to inform you that your chinese duck pancakes are probably about a few hundred times worse than ethical free range foi gras (factory farming is factory farming it doesn’t matter what else you add or subtract.)
And quite frankly, there are plenty of humans out there who are managing to feed themselves or their relatives about as much food relative to what they should have! Which just scares me really.
Several countries have national birds, national anthems, national dishes. Now Sweden has a national font. If the U.S. ever designates a national font, I hope it’s not the PBS font. One of the worst fonts ever. Too italic-y.
@Vince MI was wondering if I would be the only one that remembered that old cartoon of the duck and the mouse force-feeding gravy to the dog (after he ate an entire butcher shop…..)
While here in California, we just repealed a law that banned it being served in restaurants. I love meat, so I know this may seem hypocritical, but foie gras seems to be particularly cruel.
Force-feeding a duck is not the same thing as force-feeding a person. Ducks swallow their food whole, straight down their gullet, so there is no “chocking” feeling and certainly no chewing. The only part that is perhaps “cruel” is that their stomachs are fuller than they would otherwise be. I’ve seen the force-feeding done and the birds do not appear to be in any discomfort. We are all so overly sensitive about these things because we are so far removed from the farms and from the physiology of animals that we assume they feel what we would feel.
Bird physiology is definitely different from ours. I read a blog from a vegan who toured a farm where they force-feed ducks for foie gras, and her observation was that a lot of the ducks weren’t even uneasy with their handler. While her opinion was still against foie gras, it focused more on the idea that the ducks are suffering from liver disease by the time they are slaughtered. Personally, I don’t see the appeal of forcing food on animals simply to manipulate their metabolism. The end result is admittedly tasty, but in my opinion definitely not worth the cost. I’ve also heard of methods that don’t require a feeding tube – essentially providing plenty of the right foods and letting the animals gorge themselves at their leisure.…Where was I going with this? Oh yeah. There are plenty of reasons to dislike foie gras and the method of producing it, but it’s not realistic to characterize it as barbaric or torturous.
Sherlock Watson about 10 years ago
Didn’t Porky Pig once have a dream like this?
AGED_ENGINEER Premium Member about 10 years ago
Love the burgers, though.
Ida No about 10 years ago
Hummus burgers.
ShirleyNott about 10 years ago
Does he serve veal as well.
Arianne about 10 years ago
Hide the poodles!
doublepaw about 10 years ago
All right, how about more of the duck and cat and less, much less of those irritating crocs.
Sisyphos about 10 years ago
That’s a lot of fatty burgers for an already-portly chef! I hope Li’l Guard Duck knows what he’s doing! I’d hate to see a Chef Explosion!
Cameron1988 Premium Member about 10 years ago
LOL
jmarkoff2 about 10 years ago
It’s good for Pastis to call awareness to this antiquated barbarity.
jreckard about 10 years ago
The chef is actually a self-portrait by the cartoonist – Stephan Paté
taxisteve929 about 10 years ago
Always the funniest strip…..but this one is really powerful in the message!! I think your little animals are proud for a change!!
dominicd1 about 10 years ago
There is no chewing—that’s the point of the tube!
Dave Thorby about 10 years ago
After what Islamists did to the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, I wouldn’t recommend it.
3hourtour Premium Member about 10 years ago
…must be French…an American you wouldn’t have to force feed…ie …Homer in Hell with the never ending donuts…
gaelfire about 10 years ago
I just want to put in a good word for the Crocs to keep the comments balanced. I saw some geese being force fed on a travel show…a long necked funnel was employed to quickly pour a cup of grain in the bird ‘s crop. The geese seemed accustomed tl the practice. That said, I won’t eat foie gras or caviar.
sbischof about 10 years ago
If you’ve got a tube going down to someone’s stomach, they’d probably struggle to chew, and if they chewed it would be on the tube, not the food…
And, to be fair, being tied up looks like it hurts!
Also, I’m not really aware of ducks being force fed. There are force fed geese, some of them are treated atrociously and this would be a problem even if they weren’t being force fed, I hope. Some of them are treated very well, and inasmuch as I’m aware they don’t get even the same sort of discomfort that humans can get from being overfull. If you have ethical issues with raising animals for meat in the first place, then, of course this would be a problem regardless. If you don’t, I have to inform you that your chinese duck pancakes are probably about a few hundred times worse than ethical free range foi gras (factory farming is factory farming it doesn’t matter what else you add or subtract.)
And quite frankly, there are plenty of humans out there who are managing to feed themselves or their relatives about as much food relative to what they should have! Which just scares me really.
Vonne Anton about 10 years ago
I suspect my kids do something similar with pizza.
Vince M about 10 years ago
This time we didn’t forget the gravy!
painedsmile about 10 years ago
Several countries have national birds, national anthems, national dishes. Now Sweden has a national font. If the U.S. ever designates a national font, I hope it’s not the PBS font. One of the worst fonts ever. Too italic-y.
eddie6192 about 10 years ago
Nice to see that LGD is still up to his old antics.
puddlesplatt about 10 years ago
did they have to kill the Duck, just for the liver? I want pressed Duck Breast… like to rub my face in it!
Lawrence Stetz Premium Member about 10 years ago
That tube is too narrow to fit a cheeseburger through it.
Lawrence Stetz Premium Member about 10 years ago
That tube is too narrow to fit a cheeseburger through it.
CyberSpaceDrifter about 10 years ago
More Crocs, more Crocs, more Crocs …
Carl Rennhack Premium Member about 10 years ago
Gotta go with LGD on this one!
Godfreydaniel about 10 years ago
@Vince MI was wondering if I would be the only one that remembered that old cartoon of the duck and the mouse force-feeding gravy to the dog (after he ate an entire butcher shop…..)
Sheila Hardie about 10 years ago
I think they use geese. But way to go, Guard Duck!!
businessgypsy about 10 years ago
I’m with Ford Prefect on this one. Besides: http://www.cheeseslave.com/chef-dan-barber-brings-sustainable-humane-foie-gras-to-america/
lmonteros about 10 years ago
While here in California, we just repealed a law that banned it being served in restaurants. I love meat, so I know this may seem hypocritical, but foie gras seems to be particularly cruel.
Number Three about 10 years ago
The revenge of Guard Duck.
xxx
Mike Parsons Premium Member about 10 years ago
We’ve missed the psychotic little duck, good to have him back!
nosirrom about 10 years ago
You know Foie Chef would be an appropriate treatment for Gordon Ramsay.
claire de la lune. about 10 years ago
Guard Duck is back!
Fido (aka Felix Rex) about 10 years ago
Pastis is Californian? Yikes.
maggaggiemay about 10 years ago
Force-feeding a duck is not the same thing as force-feeding a person. Ducks swallow their food whole, straight down their gullet, so there is no “chocking” feeling and certainly no chewing. The only part that is perhaps “cruel” is that their stomachs are fuller than they would otherwise be. I’ve seen the force-feeding done and the birds do not appear to be in any discomfort. We are all so overly sensitive about these things because we are so far removed from the farms and from the physiology of animals that we assume they feel what we would feel.
Seeker149 Premium Member about 10 years ago
Bird physiology is definitely different from ours. I read a blog from a vegan who toured a farm where they force-feed ducks for foie gras, and her observation was that a lot of the ducks weren’t even uneasy with their handler. While her opinion was still against foie gras, it focused more on the idea that the ducks are suffering from liver disease by the time they are slaughtered. Personally, I don’t see the appeal of forcing food on animals simply to manipulate their metabolism. The end result is admittedly tasty, but in my opinion definitely not worth the cost. I’ve also heard of methods that don’t require a feeding tube – essentially providing plenty of the right foods and letting the animals gorge themselves at their leisure.…Where was I going with this? Oh yeah. There are plenty of reasons to dislike foie gras and the method of producing it, but it’s not realistic to characterize it as barbaric or torturous.
SpookyScarySkeletons over 4 years ago
You go, GD! Humans deserve a taste of their own medicine.
Guard duck is cool over 3 years ago
that is animal abuse people