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One foie gras foe vandalized 7 eateries, Web poster claims
Obscenities spray-painted on signs, doors, windows in downtown Austin.
Photos of vandalism against Austin restaurants that serve veal and foie
gras have been posted on the Internet, underscoring an ongoing local battle
between animal rights activists and restaurateurs over the meats. Seven downtown restaurants, far more than previously were made public,
were defaced with obscene, spray-painted slogans late July 2 or early July 3,
according to the posting. The eateries are Aquarelle, Eddie V's Edgewater
Grille, Fleming's, Restaurant Jezebel, Ruth's Chris Steak House, the
Spaghetti Warehouse and Truluck's. Foie gras is duck or goose liver that has been fattened through force
feedings of the animal. Veal is the meat from beef calves that critics long
have complained are not always treated humanely. "We didn't know it was the same person doing all this," David
Tripoli, an executive with the Truluck's restaurant chain, said Monday.
"We thought it was a random act." It was not random, according to the Web site, which showcases the photos
of the damage. "Certain restaurants in the downtown Austin area were vandalized with
graffiti by an local animal rights activist," the posting states.
"The incident occurred sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday
morning. Here are some photos from the incident." The statement does not say whether the vandal and the Web poster are the
same person. Only two of the acts of vandalism, at Jezebel and Aquarelle, were reported
to police, according to a spokeswoman for the Austin Police Department. Tripoli, who said this was the first time Truluck's has been painted with
graffiti of that nature, said the restaurant staff assumed it was an isolated
act, most likely by an inebriated person. After learning that six other places were involved, Tripoli called the
mass vandalism disconcerting. "That's unacceptable," he said. "Everyone has a right to
express their opinions, but that kind of behavior isn't going to help the
cause." Noah Cooper, who has been leading an anti-foie-gras campaign for Central
Texas Animal Defense and has contacted several restaurants urging them to
stop serving it, agreed. "We're taking a much more positive approach, trying to work with
restaurants rather than vandalize their property," Cooper said. "It's just not helpful. We have tried very, very hard to show
restaurants that we're not trying to put them out of business or cause any
damage. We just want them to remove one dish." drice@statesman.com; 445-3859 |
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