This Sunday, California's foodies face a terrible prospect: life without fattened goose liver. At the urging of animal rights activists, California passed a foie gras ban back in 2004, the Wall Street Journal explains, and it finally hits this weekend. So Californians are stuffing their gullets with foie by any means necessary—and that includes things like foie gras donuts, cheesecake, waffles, toffee, and even cotton candy. The donut "doesn't sound appealing," one diner admits, "but I just had to try it before the ban."
A group of chefs is lobbying to lift the ban, and some are protesting in other ways—one has vowed to leave a blank spot on his menu in memorium. But for now, they're riding the last-minute surge of demand. Many are throwing Saturday night farewell feasts. "I've sold more foie gras in the last couple weeks than I've ever sold in my chef career," said one chef offering a special all-foie menu. A New York foie farm confirms that business is surging. "We now have so much going to California that we can't keep up." (More foie gras stories.)