While you’re probably quite familiar with the concept of fat shaming, I doubt anyone has attempted to explain duck fat shaming to you. Not that it needs much of an explanation. Duck fat shaming is used to annoy diners enjoying extremely heavy foods.
I first noticed it while enjoying a quick cup of cassoulet on the sidewalk. For some, class warfare extends beyond the financial system and into cuisine, where dishes are divided between rich and poor.
It can start innocent enough. “You gonna eat all that yourself?” As if people haven’t been enjoying thick bean soups since Caesar hopscotched his way across Gaul.
The smart remarks get more sinister with each passing spoonful. “You’re not gonna add salt, are you?” “I hope you have gout insurance.” “Ever heard of a minestrone?” It can go on like this for the entire duration of the meal. Here I am, trying to savor some meat, beans, soaked in duck fat, and there are people who want be to be ashamed of my choices. They are under the delusion that a salad would be a wiser a choice. That a couple of breadsticks would suffice. That skipping lunch in favor of dietary self-denial is somehow ideal.
What they don’t understand is that I feel no shame. No one does this to the bacon fat contingent, feted for their passion for lard. Ducks are different. They’re cuter, perhaps.
I would ask this. Would you go to the French embassy and duck fat shame or is it just that you see me talking to myself in perfect English that makes you feel comfortable that I pose no real threat?
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