This weekend's New York Times featured an article about the all-foie gras dinner hosted by chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal in L.A. The 320 spots for the "You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Foie!" dinners, hosted in response to California's impending ban on foie gras, sold out in 16 minutes; four telephone operators were assigned to deal with the crush.  

The article presents both sides of the story, with PETA activists calling the event as an exercise in futility. "This is a rather embarrassing temper tantrum on the part of these chefs; the bill will take effect whether they like it or not," said Lindsay Rajt, an associate director with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "The idea of paying upwards of $100 to eat pieces of a diseased organ would be laughably funny to most people if it didn't involve cramming pipes down birds' throats and painfully force-feeding them."

On the other hand, Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies and public health at New York University, said that she viewed the California law as excessive.

"What's being regulated here?" she asked. "You are denying people the food that people in some countries have been eating for generations. They don't believe the process of fattening up the ducks or geese is painful to the ducks or geese. I've seen the videos, and everyone says the same thing: they all seem to run up to be fed."

She continued: "The question is whether you believe that the killing of animals for food for people is acceptable. It's a moral judgment. You have an ethical slippery slope here."

What say you? To ban or not to ban? Share your two cents below.