Is “Abnormally Fatty Liver of Tortured Geese” coming to Mississippi Avenue?

Is “Abnormally Fatty Liver of Tortured Geese” coming to Mississippi Avenue?

Developers building the Mississippi Avenue Lofts condos on Mississippi Avenue are reportedly going to have an upscale market, “Pastaworks,” in their retail space.

The current Pastaworks at 3735 S.E. Hawthorne St was the site of a Valentine’s Day protest to dissuade people from the consumption of “abnormally fatty liver of tortured geese,” also known as “foie gras.”

Foie gras is the massively enlarged, diseased liver of a duck or goose that can only be made by shoving a metal pipe down his or her throat and pumping food through it daily (SEE PICTURE) until their liver swells to ten times its normal size.

Undercover investigations and open rescues have revealed the disgusting conditions these birds live in tiny, cramped cages filled with feces and vomit where they regularly experience ruptured livers, suffocation from inhaling vomit, and severe infections. These animals grow so large they cannot walk and live in areas so small they cannot spread their wings.

Both veterinarians and the ASPCA have come out against the cruel production of foie gras and California has become the first state to pass a law banning the sale and production of force-fed birds by 2012.

Chicago has also banned its sale. Fifteen nations, including the UK, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Israel- previously the fourth-largest producer in the world- outlaw force-feeding birds for foie gras.

If “abnormally fatty liver of tortured geese,” or “foie gras,” is coming to Mississippi Avenue, then the protestors surely will as well. The Valentine’s Day protest included graphic photos of force-fed animals, multiple cop cars with flashing lights, chanting and sign-waving, bullhorns, and one business had to turn out its lights and lock its doors.

Do Boise Neighbors want a business selling such an extraordinarily cruelly-made product in our neighborhood? Do Boise Neighborhood businesses want not-good-for-business protestors making a scene on Mississippi Avenue?