AR-News: Fleming¹s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Golf Magazine Promote the Force-Feeding of Ducks and Geese

[Bruce Friedrich]

http://www.peta.org/Automation/AlertItem.asp?id=1012

Fleming¹s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Golf Magazine Promote the
Force-Feeding of Ducks and Geese
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On May 19, Fleming¹s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Golf Magazine will be
hosting the ³Golfers & Vintners Wine Dinner,² during which foie gras will be
served at all 23 of Fleming¹s restaurants. For a complete list of locations,
please visit: www.flemingssteakhouse.com/special_events.htm.

Foie gras is actually a disease that is induced in ducks and geese through
cruel force-feeding practices. As many as three times per day, workers grab
the birds, pry their bills open, and force-feed them by violently shoving a
long, inflexible pipe down their throats and pumping several pounds of feed
into their stomachs. The birds¹ livers, which become diseased and swell to
up to 10 times their normal size as a result of the process, are then sold
as foie gras. Stress and pain often leave the animals unable to walk, and
they are reduced to pushing themselves along the ground with their wings.
Many birds are confined to tiny boxes or cages, in which they cannot even
turn around, with their necks protruding from an opening so that workers
have easy access to their throats. The terrified birds are unable to run
away.

Foie gras production is so cruel that it is illegal in many countries, and
in the U.S., many institutions have rejected this ³delicacy² after learning
about the torture involved in its production. Recently, Williams-Sonoma
removed foie gras from its catalog, the Smithsonian Associates canceled a
panel discussion on foie gras, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra decided to
remove it from the menu at its first annual Wine and Food Classic.

To learn more about a recent undercover investigation into U.S.-based foie
gras producers by a coalition of animal-protection groups known as
GourmetCruelty.com, please visit: www.gourmetcruelty.com/.

WHAT YOU CAN DO 

Please contact both Fleming¹s and Golf Magazine by May 19, politely asking
that they remove foie gras from the Golfers & Vintners Wine Dinner menu:

Bill Allen, CEO and Cofounder
Fleming¹s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
1300 Dove St., Ste. 105
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949-222-2223, ext. 201
949-222-0313 (fax)
customerservice at flemingssteakhouse.com

Christopher P. Wightman, Publisher
Golf Magazine
2 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10016
212-779-5070