It's not about glass. It's about the roasting pan.
Ortolans are birds in the bunting family, found in northern Europe. In France they are regarded as a culinary delicacy, consumed head, bones, all in one mouthful. Hunting Ortolans, however has been illegal since 1999. Now, French chefs are asking for one weekend a year when they can legally serve Ortolans. Birders are protesting. Ortolans are trapped by poachers as the birds migrate from Europe to Africa. The birds,weighing less than an ounce, are prized for their fat. Captured, they are kept in darkness for three weeks, and sometimes blinded, according to a story in today's "New York Times." The birds are fattened on millet and grapes. When the bird has tripled its fat, it is "drowned with Armagnac, plucked, roasted, and served hot in its entirety."
The decision on one legal weekend is pending.
