The Duck Confit Police: Traditional Foods, Why Protect Them?

As I mentioned in my last post, foie gras has been given some legal attention in Europe - namely, the E.U. has issued a statement that its production must not grow beyond regions where it is already being made.  Which is a way of saying "We think it's a cruel practice but we're not willing to pry duck livers out of the cold, dead hands of Frenchmen."