KAMOURASKA, Que. — Animal rights activists are fuming about the Quebec-based Bistro Cote Est’s Phoque Bardot Burger, which is made with seal meat and named after Brigitte Bardot who campaigned against the Canadian seal hunt, reports the National Post.
“We are receiving a lot of hate messages, and we’re almost inclined to let [the critics] win, because we don’t feel like fighting,” Perle Morency, co-owner of Bistro Cote Est, told the Post.
“There is a lot of intimidation. I don’t want my restaurant to be blamed anymore — for people to call and say, ‘You are crazy, you are inhumane, you are assassins.’”
According to the owners, the majority of criticism has come from Europe. But, Morency defends the burger, saying seals are overabundant and not considered an endangered species.
The seal meat burger — which is topped with foie gras, wild greens and Saskatoon berries — is one of the restaurant’s top sellers. [nationalpost.com]
