Blogs from Strasbourg, Alsace, France, Europe - page 9

Our last day in Europe :( We started out the morning by going to a place to eat goose and duck liver. I wasn't a huge fan of the liver, but I did atleast try it. It reminded me of what I think cat food would taste like. But, I did like the wine! We got to tour around the factory and watch a video of how the business runs and came to be. The man who showed us around was very nice and informative. As much as I didn't like the foie gras, I enjoyed our visit. When then got to spend a couple of hours of free time in Strasbourg for lunch. Vanessa and I ate ham and cheese sandwiches on bagets at a little cafe outside. Then a group of us headed to ... read more

Today our first stop was at the foie gras factory which was very interesting because they explained to us how they process and package geese and duck livers. I was amazed how they did everything by hand and had no machines that packages and labeled everything. The gentleman that gave us the tour was very different from some of the other people that gave us tours such as Christian. This man worked in retail and realized that retail wasn't his passion and he loved foie gras and there just happened to be a opportunity that opened up for him to take over a company that made it and he did. He did it because it was his passion much like Christian but this man didn't grow up making it he just started because he loved it. ... read more

Today we visited a foie gras factory! The goose and duck foie gras was an experience. I enjoyed the goose much more than the duck. The wine that accompained it went perfect with it. In New York foie gras can not be served because the geese are force fed to make their livers bigger. The owner of the Foie Gras du Ried mentioned that the farmers he gets his geese from have a very good relationship with them. They feed the geese, then wait 30mins to an hour and feed them again and this continues throughout the day. While some of the group toured a brewery, the rest of us stayed in Strasbourg to do some shopping. First we sat at a little cafe and had coffee because it was too early to have lunch. After, ... read more

PROMPT: What issues surround foie gras? Are these American only issues? Have you found the beer in Europe to be different that what we normally drink in America? Some of the issues that surround foie gras are the humane treatment of the animals being used for the product. In order to get the goose or duck’s liver large enough for a good pate the handlers must force feed them ensuring an enlarged liver. Many people would claim that this is animal abuse and is wrong. Also, the living conditions of the animals must be taken into consideration. If the animals are being both force fed and then living in bad conditions it makes the whole process seem very cruel. I think this is only an issue in America because in Europe foie gras is seen as ... read more

Tuesday, June 2 is the day I tried foie gras and to be real honest it was not my cup of tea. I think it got to me mentaly knowing that it is duck and goose liver and so automatically I just did not want to eat it. I'd have to so say out of all the tours we got this was my least favorite. I thought the guy compared to Hauns the 4 and Christoff was absolutely a drag but Mrs.Runnels did say he told her that foie gras was his passion even though it did not come across that way. I was happy to leave there and move on the next adventure. We had a choice after eating lunch and that was to either go to a brewery or to stay in Strasbourg to ... read more