Didier Durand

The citywide foie-gras ban passed last August hasn’t kept Chicagoans from getting their fix of force-fed duck liver. Many restaurants simply disguise it or give it away free, but plenty of chefs are still fighting against the ban. At the forefront of the struggle is Didier Durand, chef at Cyrano’s Bistrot and co-founder of Chicago Chefs For Choice, a coalition of about 250 restaurants campaigning not only to repeal Alderman Joe Moore’s ban, but also replace Moore in the aldermanic elections February 27. Just before the CCC’s final fundraiser, The A.V. Club spoke to Durand about the ban, his outrage with vegetarians, and polygamous ducks.

The A.V. Club: How effective has the ban been?

Didier Durand: Not at all. Even the health department said that this ordinance is not enforceable. Some chefs can get a citation, and the judge completely dismisses it because we’re not selling. The ordinance said you cannot sell, so we’re giving it away for free as a garnish. You throw in some carrots, and we charge for the carrots. That’s the way we went around the ordinance. In the Prohibition there were speakeasies, now we’re “duckeasies.”

AVC: The ethical objections to foie gras are similar to veal, but there’s no veal ban. Why does foie gras get singled out?

DD: I think it’s an easy target. They say that the duck suffers. The opposite is true. There’s no pain, no stress. For the foie gras, the farmers are breeding moulard ducks—that’s a special breed of duck. The moulard duck is good for the force-feeding, like a horse that is built to be ridden, the greyhound to run.

AVC: What’s the cruelest food you know?

DD: I say everyone needs to understand humans are the top of the food chain. The food chain is what it is. We are on top of it, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. People want to put vegetables on top now. I find it rude to pick up some carrots from the soil. It must hurt the carrots. I think vegetarians are heartless, when they pick up leaves or vegetables from the soil—especially when they pick up the baby ones. That’s even worse. They don’t know that the vegetable is crying when you pick them up from the ground.

AVC: Ducks live in couples or groups. How do you feel about breaking up fowl households?

DD: [Laughs.] Listen, humans take care of themselves. Ducks should also take care of themselves. I think ducks have different wives. A male duck can have about 10 wives. 

AVC: They’re polygamists?

DD: Yes, so I don’t feel bad about that. I know what they say about the French, but I try not to cheat my wife. I’m not into cheating my wife, but I guess the ducks do. 

AVC: So they get what’s coming to them?

DD: Right. [Laughs.]