Smithsonian Drops Foie Gras Show

The Smithsonian Institution canceled a celebration of foie gras--a delicacy produced by the forced feeding of ducks and geese--in the nation’s capital after complaints from animal rights advocates, including Sir John Gielgud, the British Shakespearean actor. The program, “Foie Gras: A Gourmet’s Passion,” had been scheduled for Sept. 21 to include a talk by Michael Ginor, whose Hudson Valley farm in Ferndale, N.Y., makes the product. After a panel discussion, samples of foie gras, French for “fat liver,” were to have been served with a glass of wine. The Humane Society of the United States said it was pleased with the Smithsonian’s decision.