Foie Gras - A Delicacy of Despair

Message From PETA to all Malaysians:

Vietnamese chef Bobby Chinn will be hosting a cooking demonstration and other events in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this week.

As you may know, Chinn uses foie gras, which is made from the grotesquely enlarged livers of ducks and geese who have been cruelly force-fed, in many of his recipes.

Please join PETA in making sure the animals' side of the story is told: send letters to the editors of local media today explaining that Chin should be ashamed of promoting cruelty to animals!

Please send your letter to the following top newspapers (of course, you're welcome to write to more!):

· The Star: editor@thestar.com.my

· Malay Mail: hotline@mmail.com.my

· The New Straits Times: mailed@nstp.com.my

Malaysia Kini : editor@malaysiakini.com

One published letter has the potential to be read by thousands of people! To make sure that your letter has a good chance of being published, follow these tips:

· Put "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line of e-mails.

· Be brief! Sometimes, one short, pithy paragraph is enough – try to stay under 300 words (about one typed page). Editors are less likely to print long letters.

· Make sure that you include your name, address and telephone number in your letter. Some newspapers verify authorship before printing letters.

The following talking points about the cruelty behind foie gras may be helpful to you in writing your letter:

Foie gras, French for "fatty liver", is made from the grotesquely enlarged livers of male ducks and geese. The birds are kept in tiny wire cages or packed into sheds. Pipes are repeatedly shoved down the birds' throats, and up to 4 pounds of grain and fat are pumped into their stomachs two or three times every day.

The pipes puncture many birds' throats, sometimes causing the animals to bleed to death. This cruel procedure causes the birds' livers to become diseased and swell to up to 10 times their normal size.

Many birds raised for foie gras become too sick to stand up. The birds who survive the force-feeding are killed, and their livers are sold for foie gras.

People around the world have spoken out against the cruelty of foie gras. In 2004, California passed a law banning the sale and production of foie gras, effective in 2012. Foie gras production has been outlawed in the UK , Germany , the Czech Republic , Finland , Luxembourg , Norway , Poland , Sweden , Switzerland and Denmark .