6D Tracy Wong
Learning English through Debating
You recently read an article in the Kowloon Voice calling for a ban on the French delicacy foie gras in Hong Kong. Foie gras is goose liver that comes from geese that are forced to eat large amounts of corn before they are killed. Write a letter to the editor supporting or opposing the article’s call for a ban on foie gras.
Dear Editor,
I am writing in favour of the article ‘ Ban Called for Foie Gras’ by Sophie Kinsella in the ‘Insights’ column yesterday. As everyone knows, foie gras comes from maltreating the goose to attain a liver rich in fats. This is actually an act of selfishness of human being.
To begin with, at ethical level, producing foie gras deals a big blow to conscience. As a matter of fact, people obtain a fatty, juicy liver by forcing the goose to consume loads of corns. It is certainly exploiting the rights of goose. Note that foie gras is regarded as a kind of luxurious food. Most likely, foie gras is only affordable to the people from the upper class. Hence, businessmen and manufacturers are making a large sum of money at the expense of the dignity of the geese. According to the declaration made by the United Nations with respect to animal rights, it is of paramount importance to protect animals as there is no difference between the status of animals and human. Taking all these into consideration, one should shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the interests of animals. It is ridiculous to allow such kind of cruelty like forcing the goose to eat large amounts of corn before their death. Thus, a ban on foie gras discourages the abuse of goose.
Apart from ethical concern, the production process of foie gras exacerbates the uneven distribution of resources in the world. Biologically speaking, the large amount of corns in the stomach of goose has not been completely digested. This is definitely wastage of food. In developing countries like Kenya and Brazil, corns are the daily access of nutrition for the poor. The French people are now using their invaluable food to get a filling liver, which cannot sufficiently alleviate the hunger of a single person. In addition, corns are one of the alternative sources of energy, which contributes to global technological development. In that case, using thousands of corns to produce a small piece of foie gras is a misuse of resources. We should bear in mind that every country is now craving different energy sources to solve the energy crisis. To draw a small conclusion, a ban on foie gras can help save some resources for our rainy days.
To dig deeper into the issue, goose livers are rich in cholesterol and lipids, increasing the risks of people having cardinal problems. This, in fact, brings harm to the public health and further exerts burden on our medical expenditure. Needless to say, a foie gras contains a lot of fats due to the excessively nutritious geese. One single intake of foie gras results in huge consumption of calories and cholesterol. Consumers of foie gras simply neglect the consequences of eating this kind of delicacy. From what we observe in Hong Kong, the number of cases of heart diseases and obesity are on the rise. Hence, the writing is already on the wall if eating foie gras is encouraged among the public. It will exceed the capacity of our medical system to take care of patients with heart problems while complaining about the labour shortage of medical staff.
To come to a conclusion, foie gras brings a lot of disadvantages both to Hong Kong and to the world. Therefore, it is urgent to call for the ban on foie gras.