Friends and Foie Gras! Friends are forever, Foie Gras is not.

A year ago, under a beautiful sunny sky I had written my editorial from Carlsbad-California while gazing at the serene Pacific Ocean and I felt so good about it. At that time, if you remember, the Seattle newspapers kept claiming we had broken a record: having the longest consecutive rainy days. If only we had known a year later that this record looked quite paltry compared to the wicked weather we have been experiencing since November 1st of 2006. Unfortunately, this year, I need to find my writing inspiration for my editorial out of the gray and very windy Seattle.

One thing I promised I would do in the first days of this New Year (part of my good resolutions), would be to reconnect with past old friends whom I have not contacted for a while. I am primarily referring to these "friends" that have crossed our paths at some point in our lives whether during childhood, college time or other circumstances and then, as we enter adult life, discover they have gone in other directions and we've suddenly lost track of them. I am sure, like me, you have cherished vivid memories of those good old days spent with friends you could count on and whose loyalty was rock solid. Not to mention the "crazy" things done together that sometimes led us to some mischief. As the aging process is starting to creep up on me, I realize that friends of our childhood are key witnesses to our past and besides our own family, they can bring back the feeling that we have never grown up and are immortal. Most of the friends I used to have live in France. Although going quite often to France, I tend to devote this time to my family and do not necessarily put the efforts to contact my friends.

This is where it is tricky: who will make the call first. We all are too familiar with the nonchalant "Let's stay in touch" attitude. Bottom line, if you follow this approach, ten years later you would still be waiting for a call that will never come and these friends would disappear forever from your life. There is nothing wrong to initiate the first step and follow up on your good intentions. I must say within three days I reconnected with four friends and it was a wonderful feeling. They were thrilled to hear from me and for a while I got this reassuring feeling that I never grew older.

You might ask why I bring up this point? Very simply because it relates to the importance of redefining our priorities by voluntarily setting aside time devoted to values that can only enhance our lives. The values I am referring to are family and friendship. More time spent with family and friends can only ensure a happier life. That will be my priority for the year 2007 - to keep nurturing these bonds with family and friends. And as you are aware of my philosophy, there is no better way to strengthen these connections than to spend time together around the dining table.

On a stunning note, I was bewildered by a decision of the Chicago City Council to outlaw foie gras (don't call it "Pâté"), the fatty liver of geese or ducks that is considered a delicacy by epicureans who know how to enjoy the good life "Savoir Bien Vivre" (I am one of them). This is always bad news when the government decides for you what you should have on your plate. The good news is I understand many Chicago restaurants still have foie gras on their menu and are ignoring the law (for how long?). The reason behind this measure is the cruelty imposed on these poor animals "forced" to eat more so their liver can grow bigger.

If only the geese or ducks could talk, they could honestly tell us how they really feel. Fortunately, we have some "experts" who can speak the duck-goose language and have told us these poor animals were very unhappy and dissatisfied with their treatment. These same experts have come to France to spread the word, but quickly realized that they were fighting an uphill battle. It created a major reaction from the French citizens and politicians. Their first reaction was amazement as they discovered that some people could speak the duck-goose language. The second reaction was a patriotic one and almost led to an outburst of national street demonstrations to protect our ducks and geese from starvation. Then the issue was brought up to the Assemblée Nationale (equivalent of our House of Representatives) and spurred a heated debate. Finally, it was decided that the foie gras would always be part of the French cultural heritage and if necessary, a law will be passed that will declare geese and ducks endangered species and would have to be protected.

A while ago, I visited a duck farm in the Périgord and quite frankly, I got the impression that these ducks were quite happy (please see the picture) and did not seem to complain a bit about their treatment (this is only my interpretation since I don't speak their language).

The irony of this situation is that you rarely hear people complaining because they have too much food. It is usually the reverse. I am wondering what is more cruel: to be food-deprived or to be overfed? If I had to face this dilemma, I know exactly what option I would prefer. How about you? So please, for many more years to come, let us keep enjoying this great delicacy that foie gras is. There are so many things much more cruel and inhumane that overfeeding ducks that should deserve our attention and energy. Next time you have your friends over for dinner, you know what you should be preparing for dinner... Bon Appétit!