By LIZ ROBBINS of the New York Times
The “80%” Stop Predatory Horse-Eaters
“Take THAT Sue Wallis!!” ~ photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
M. Wells Dinette, the highly anticipated reincarnation inside MoMA PS1 of a celebrated Queens restaurant, has been open for only five days, but its chef and owners have already removed a controversial item planned for the menu.
The restaurant’s chef and co-owner, Hugue Dufour, said Thursday that he would not serve horse meat tartare, in response to outrage from animal rights advocates and concern about legal ramifications from health officials.
“Horse meat is off the menu at the Dinette, and it is not likely to return,” the restaurant said, beginning a passionate statement that Mr. Dufour; his wife and partner, Sarah Obraitis; and their lawyer and co-owner, Adam Cohn, drafted after a busy lunch service on Thursday. “We took it off because it upset so many people, which truly surprised us. That is not the effect we look for in our food, so away it goes.”
Mr. Dufour, a French Canadian who ate and cooked horse meat when he trained as a chef in Montreal, had not imported the meat yet from Canada. But after he announced his plans in an interview with New York magazine two weeks ago, animal rights advocates formed two petitions through change.org that drew approximately 1,300 signatures demanding its removal.
The controversy erupted around the time Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey signed a bill banning horse slaughter in his state, after the public urging of advocates including Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica, an accomplished equestrian.
Mr. Dufour and Ms. Obraitis said they had been receiving angry e-mails and postings that threatened their personal safety. The museum, they said, also received letters demanding that its upscale cafeteria not serve the meat.
Mr. Dufour said he had intended to get the horse meat from the same strictly regulated slaughterhouse in Canada where he acquired the meat for a food festival in Brooklyn in May. At the time, he said, he had approval from government agencies.
But in August, the United States Department of Agriculture changed the policy on importation of horse meat, said Dirk Fillpot, an agency spokesman. He said the agency was prohibiting the imports until it was “able to finalize our processes and methods” for inspections of domestic horse slaughterhouses. Jean Weinberg, a spokeswoman for the city’s health department, said the city was following the USDA guidelines.
Mr. Dufour said that in the last week he and his lawyer received conflicting information from officials in both the city’s health department and the federal Department of Agriculture.
Sitting at a communal table in a space remodeled to look like a schoolroom with diner accents, Mr. Dufour said: “I love horse, but I’m not going to start killing my neighbor because he doesn’t want to eat horse. I can serve other things.”
His M. Wells Diner was a foodie phenomenon in Long Island City, Queens, that lasted 14 months and was named one of the Top 10 new restaurants in 2011 by a food critic for The New York Times. But Mr. Dufour and Ms. Obraitis closed it because of a rent dispute.
In the new restaurant, the menu, chalked on a blackboard, changes daily.
On Thursday, the selections included foie gras oatmeal, smoked herring Caesar salad, braised veal cheeks, braised rabbit bucatini and blood pudding.
In explaining why it had planned to serve horse meat tartare, the restaurant said: “We get tired of beef-chicken-pork all the time and we assume diners do, too. Whatever else horses are — draft animals, companions, transport — their meat is also delicious and affordable.”
Mr. Dufour said that at the Great GoogaMooga food festival at Prospect Park in May, he served 5,000 grilled-cheese sandwiches made with horse-and-pork bologna and foie gras.
“Nevertheless,” the restaurant said, “scandalizing animal lovers is not what we want to be famous for. It was certainly not our intent to insult American culture.”
A version of this article appeared in print on October 5, 2012, on page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: Outcry Scuttles Plan to Put Horse on a New York Menu.
Click (HERE) to visit the New York Times
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Horse meat HAS NO PLACE ON THE MENU IN THE USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shame on those who believe so!!
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I agree with you 100%!
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We DID it!!!!!
My one concern is he may try to sneak it on later. I also have to say I do not condone threats of physical violence under any circumstances. Not necessary, not appropriate.
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What are these people thinking? This is America and true Americans do not eat their horses.
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I guess in this instance the squeaky wheel does get the grease. But Jo Claire, I too think that they may to sneak it in under the radar only because of what was said in the interview about hot subjects and short term memories on part of the advocates and public..
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Just when you think the abominable horse haters in this country can’t get worse, they do.
The mentality of persons who want to abuse, starve, stampede horses from their own land and eat horses is a blight on this country. This country has fallen to an all-time low with such mindless and uncivilized people living here.
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Hopefully, with all of the publicity, they will not attempt to put it back on the menu. There are enough animal advocates in that area that it would not go unnoticed long. He certainly learned a valuable lesson about American’s and their culture. Of course, I can honestly say, the other items on his menu don’t look so appetizing either. I wonder if those 5,000 people that bought the grilled cheese and bologna sandwiches realized it had horse meat in it.
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This restauranteur is no fool. I think he was taking a page from P.T. Barnum, who is reputed to have said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
As far as I’m concerned, every item on his menu shows his — and his customers’ — lack of compassion and respect for life.
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Unfortunately, I can see no place in the article where the toxic drug residues are mentioned, which is an overwhelmingly important point! The story has “animal rights” prominently voiced, but the medical importance is indirectly alluded to by this—-“… agency was prohibiting the imports until it was “able to finalize our processes and methods” for inspections of domestic horse slaughterhouses. Jean Weinberg, a spokeswoman for the city’s health department, said the city was following the USDA guidelines” POOR journalism
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Hi, Susan. Not only did they not mention the toxicity but also didn’t mention that it is illegal to sell horse meat. You can’t sell horse meat without it being federally inspected – imported or not.
As you know, Wallis asked her minions to call to support the restaurant and that is just more proof, she has no regard for the law or has any intention of following laws and regulations.
Humane and regulated slaughter my …
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“The restaurant’s chef and co-owner, Hugue Dufour, said Thursday that he would not serve horse meat tartare, in response to outrage from anima rights advocates and concern about legal ramifications from health officials.”
Key words there- “concern about legal ramifications from health officials.” As if they care about the hurt feelings of animal lovers… this is all about the public gaining awareness of the health risks and legal implications of serving/selling horse meat- something they want to avoid at all cost.
IMO these are the two biggest weapons in the anti-horse slaughter campaign. If we continue to bring light to these two key issues we will inevitably win the battle. 🙂
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Hooray for change.org and the 80% . Now we need a change.org petition to STOP BLM from killing off the remaining wild herds–stop the round ups,stop the incarceration,stop the zero-out effort,stop the stampedes&injuries&deaths……stop the madness that passes for management. I do not want my grand-daughter to ask for a trip out west to see the wild cattle. Will an 80% vote get BLM off the Federally Protected Wild Horse menu? Wish it were that easy.
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If anyone here doesn’t know what foie gras is it is duck and goose liver from birds that are force fed large amounts of food until the livers are huge and diseased. Then the birds are killed with the livers ground up and used for food dishes. There are groups up here in WA that try to stop it being served but are ignored and legislature won’t do anything about this cruelty. Veal I have boycotted ever since I found out the cruel way the calves are raised.
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We did it! We can stop this and all animal cruelty.
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Little victories mount up. The give us credibility when we go on to the next battle. They remind us what we can do when we act as a collective group rather than rag tag rabble. To everyone who made a call, sent an email, blogged or commented on editorials…CHEERS!
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Glad the emails & comments did some good.
Honestly, dont think these people “get it”.
Why is it that its so hard to make people realize the simple fact that horses arent bred & raised for slaughter? Any breed organization (quarter horse-thoroughbred, etc) certainly has the information about what drugs, meds, wormers etc are being given to horses their whole lives. Yet they continue to encourage their breeders to breed & register more horses. Knowing that probably 30-40% go to slaughter! Dont understand that mindset at all.
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I wouldn’t trust this glutton for a minute, that when things calm down horse meat will be on the menu- HE makes me puke! …”“We get tired of beef-chicken-pork all the time and we assume diners do, too. Whatever else horses are — draft animals, companions, transport — their meat is also delicious and affordable.” Just reading what ‘other’ animals he can find (veal cheeks) to serve up. I have had it up to here with chefs that feel it’s their right, everyone of them should be sent to factory farms(foie gras)/feedlots then slaughter plants for the animals they put on plates.
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This never ends! I hope New York bands horse slaughter and hopefuly band the transport and eating of horse meat!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think it is the only way to stop horse slaughter in the USA and getting meat form Canada!!!!!!!!!!!!! My dream is no horses would be slaughter here or over in Canada and Mexico!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need to keep fighting!!!!
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