French President Wants to 'Bombard' USA With Foie Gras

California's foie gras ban controversy rages on, and now it has become international. French president Francois Hollande is cranky that California has banned the French delicacy, and during a visit to a foie gras farm told press, "I will not allow any challenge to foie gras exports, from certain countries or from certain American states." That's not really how that works?

No matter: according to the Independent, Hollande plans to "bombard US political leaders with gifts of foie gras." Good luck trying to get the ban's sponsor, former California legislator John Burton, to try it — the guy infamously told chefs who signed a petition against the ban to "I'd like to sit all 100 of them down and have duck and goose fat — better yet, dry oatmeal- shoved down their throats over and over and over again." But, you know, it's worth a shot?

Meanwhile on the frontlines, San Francisco restaurant Txoko is throwing "Free Foie Wednesdays", during which they offer the first 25 people in the door each night a "free foie gras pintxo." Inside Scoop SF describes the dish as, "a foie gras torchon, with macerated prunes and wild rocket on a slice of Acme baguette" but notes it's just "a small bite." (They're not the only California restaurant serving up free foie gras.) And that is your update on who's feeding Californians foie gras now: Txoko and Francois Hollande.

· Hollande Vows to Fight California's Ban on Foie Gras [Independent]
· Txoko Begins Free Foie Gras Wednesdays [ISSF]
· All Foie Gras Coverage on Eater [-E-]