"Couleur Caca d’Oie": Learning French Can Be Gross!

If you want to describe something that's a yellowish-green color, you probably call it “yellowish-green.” (Or “greenish-yellow”!) But in France, they have a cool gross saying for this hue: couleur caca d’oie.

This translates to “the color of goose poop.” 

The phrase shows how important geese are to the French. This is partially because the French love foie gras, the overstuffed liver of the goose.

But animals should be cared for thoughtfully and slaughtered in a quick, humane way. And that’s why foie gras has been outlawed in some parts of the world. It’s a paste made from the swollen livers of ducks or geese. But to get the livers tasting the “right” way, a foie gras rancher grabs a duck and shoves a funnel down its throat. This funnel goes all the way to the animal’s stomach. Then the animal is force-fed (or force-gorged) to digest more food than it would ever eat naturally.

This process is so disgusting, food celebrity Anthony Bourdain almost blew chunks when he watched a French duck being fed like this. 

And after eating foie gras and taking a car ride home, he DID throw up. Spectacularly!

Goose picture from the Boise Guardian.