
A foie gras farmer feeding her ducks during the brief period of gavage. The ducks at the bottom of the photo showed no signs of illness or discomfort (they were quite merry, actually, if that's possible). Photo by Michael Ruhlman.
Last summer, on assignment for
Condé Nast Traveler, I visited a farm that raises ducks for foie gras, driven there along harrowing roads in southwestern France by
Kate Hill. I'd never seen the practice, vilified in America, of force-feeding ducks and, being in the land of foie gras and
confit de canard, I had to see for myself. The farm, Souleilles, run by
Yves and Geneviève Boissière, is wide, wide open in the town of Frespech. The husband and wife were warm and welcoming and ...
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