Foie gras has long been controversial outside the fine-dining world. Traditional production involves feeding ducks or geese in a way that enlarges their livers, including a process known as gavage, in which food is delivered through a tube. The practice has faced bans and years of opposition from animal rights groups.
That controversy reached a sidewalk in Seattle, Washington, when a group of activists gathered outside a restaurant to protest foie gras. Things quickly became heated when they were confronted by a woman who appeared to be associated with the restaurant.
A video of the confrontation was shared on Reddit by r/PublicFreakout. It shows a small group of activists standing outside the restaurant with a microphone. They repeatedly chant, “Foie gras sucks,” and tell people to “eat somewhere else instead.”
That’s when the owner appears angry. The woman gets close to the activists, claps directly in their faces, and repeatedly yells, “Shame on you.” She also tells them they do not have the right to be there. A man wearing an apron can be seen nearby talking to police, who appear to have been called to the scene.
The confrontation gets even more heated when the woman blows smoke toward one of the activists.
One activist asks her, “Why do you like making ducks suffer?” The woman responds, “No, I like making you suffer.”
The activist tells her that foie gras does not make her suffer and that it hurts the ducks instead. The woman then responds, “No, the ducks are dead. The ducks are already dead,” repeating the statement as the argument continues on a Washington street.
Internet Reacts to Washington Foie Gras Confrontation
Reddit users were largely unsympathetic to the woman’s outburst. One commenter wrote, “She’s a miserable person who fell for the bait,” while another added, “Wow she is crusty.” A third took a jab at her appearance, joking that “jamming meat in your face for decades does not result in graceful aging.”
Others sided with the activists’ underlying message even while poking fun at the spectacle. One commenter admitted, “They’re not wrong foie gras does suck.” Another took a more skeptical view of the dish itself, writing, “The thing is, it doesn’t even taste good. It tastes ok. Not that it would make it THAT much better if it tasted amazing… but it would at least make more sense.”
As of publication, it is unclear whether the woman or any of the activists faced charges. It is also unclear why police were called beyond the confrontation shown in the video.
