Foie gras chefs blast John Burton over ‘violent rhetoric’

Prominent chefs are pushing back against state Democratic Party chair John Burton’s remarks last week attacking their efforts to fight the state’s July 1 ban on the sale of foie gras. Among other things, Burton said he’d like to shove dry oatmeal “down their throats over and over and over again.”  In a Chronicle op-ed today, chef-owner Mark Pastore of San Francisco’s Incanto restaurant, speaking on behalf of about 100 chefs, condemned Burton’s “ongoing use of violent rhetoric” in the debate over the fattened duck liver dish. An excerpt:

Use of threatening language to inspire fear violates California's "criminal threats" law. When the threats are issued from a leadership position, such as chairman of the California Democratic Party, it sends a signal far and wide that inciting violence and causing fear are acceptable tactics in public discourse.