Treats From The Philippines

March 28, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Upper-School Blogger Alyna Rei

I have never been to the Philippines before let alone out of the United States. But traveling there has always been on my bucket list. Along with traveling comes food and bakery goods. Note: I eat Filipino food on a daily basis. And, sometimes, it is cooked by my grandma–who is from the Philippines. But, Filipino baked goods overall are totally different from the day-to-day food served here in the U.S. I am writing this with an American perspective.

Puto

Before you yell at me for saying a bad word, Puto is a treat. It tastes like plain pancakes. Puto is basically a steamed rice cake. For me, I have always eaten Puto shaped in a muffin form, which is the most common shape for Puto.

Kutsinta (koo-chin-ta)

When I go to any Filipino store, I always search for their Kutsinta. Kutsinta is another steamed rice cake, but it’s a lot sweeter and gummier than Puto. Kutsinta tastes like brown sugar with a tapioca consistency.

Along with Puto, Kutsinta has the familiar “muffin” shape. Photo source: pinoycookingrecipes.com

Pandesal (pan-de-sal)

Pandesal is another one of my favorite Filipino treats. To other people, Pandesal looks just like regular bread rolls. But, I prefer Pandesal over any type of bread. Pandesal is more doughy and floury than other types of bread. If I do have Pandesal, then I typically have it with breakfast before school. You can even have Pandesal with other things: such as butter, peanut butter (I like the crunchy peanut butter with Pandesal), beef, and even on the side with your meal. There are also a lot of flavors to get. My favorite is the pandan. Pandan tastes like coconut with a hint of vanilla, which confuses me since the color is green.

The outside of Pandesal is crispy while the inside is soft and fluffy. Photo source: seriouseats.com

This is pandan-flavored Pandesal. I pair this up with butter to get a sweet and salty taste. Photo source: sugarampsprinkle.com

Mamon (ma-moan)

Mamon is Filipino sponge cake. Like Pandesal, there are many flavors: such as butter, ube, mocha, cheese, etc. My favorite is butter mamon since it’s common and easier to get. When I’m in a rush for school, I usually take mamon with me since it’s easy to eat. Mamon tastes sweet but airy.

*Red Ribbon* is my favorite brand of mamon. Photo source: TripAdvisor in Las Vegas

If you do wish to try these bakery goods, I would recommend actually going to a Filipino store as that is the closest you can get to the taste from the Philippines. The only stores I am familiar with are “Seafood City” and “ Island Pacific Market.” Mind you these stores are not in the Coachella Valley. The nearest Seafood City would be in Rancho Cucamonga, and the nearest Island Pacific Market is San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Out of all of these sweet treat options, I would recommend you try Pandesal. It may appear just like bread, but it tastes so much different.

MERCURY SEASPIRACY

March 23, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Hey, you. Yeah, you! Put that tuna sandwich down, or tuna sushi, or…whatever you’re eating that includes fish and listen up. There’s an astounding amount of mercury in your seafood. The amount of mercury in bluefin tuna, the fish commonly used in tuna sushi, is around 1 part per million (mercuryfactsandfish.org). To give you an idea of how high that concentration is, the FDA recommends that adults do not eat more than 6-8 ounces of albacore per week. A can of tuna typically holds 3-5 ounces. Albacore, which already contains a relatively high amount of mercury, has 1⁄3 of the mercury concentration of bluefin tuna (edf.org). So, you essentially cannot eat more than ⅓ of a can of bluefin tuna per week. Maybe that isn’t that difficult for you. Maybe you don’t like fish. But, if you often indulge in tuna, you’re probably getting more and more frightened with every line you read. And, I don’t have good news for you.

Effects of Mercury Poisoning

Let’s say you’re reading this article after you’ve had a nice dinner at a sushi restaurant. You’re not adventurous, so you stayed away from the monkfish liver, the live jumbo shrimp, and the squid balls. You played it safe and went to town on the tuna nigiri. Well, here are the effects of the neurotoxin you just ingested, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

-Numb or “pins and needles” sensations

-Cognitive impairment

-Impairment of speech

-Loss of peripheral vision

-Loss of muscle coordination

-Seizures (my.clevelandclinic.org)

-Multiple organ failure (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

-Death

How did tuna become infested with so much mercury in the first place? Why is your tuna nigiri laced with thermometer juice? The answer lies in the food chain. There is a low level of mercury present in our waters, so many microorganisms contain a small amount of it. The bluefin tuna, being a large fish, is far up on the food chain. A small fish eats tons of microorganisms, gaining their mercury. A larger fish eats many of those small fish, and the level of mercury grows exponentially as you go farther up the food chain. This is why sharks contain the highest concentration of mercury out of all seafood (sharkconservation.org.au).

The Takeaway

The pescatarians are obviously trying to kill us all! Eat more steak. Eat more plants. But, as we say in Wagyuland, fish is best eaten in moderation.

Being a cow is actually healthy

March 23, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Junior Luke Sonderman

Cows eat grass. Do you eat grass? You heard me correctly: I asked if you eat grass. Most people would probably say, No, I don’t eat grass! But, if you want to regulate your blood sugar, slow the growth of cancer, lose weight, and eat healthier, then you should be like a cow and add wheatgrass to your diet.

What is wheatgrass?

“Wheatgrass is the young grass of the wheat plant, Triticum Aestivum”(webmd). It is grown as a microgreen (to learn about how microgreens are grown visit my microgreens article on thebirdonfire.org). Wheatgrass has many proven health benefits. You may see wheatgrass sold at farmers markets and used as an ingredient in juices and juice-cleanses. Here’s what wheatgrass can do for you.

Slow the Growth of Cancer Cells

Wheatgrass has dozens of proven health benefits: one being slowing the growth of cancer cells. In a study conducted at the Sinhgad Dental College and Hospital on the effect of wheatgrass on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC)–one of the most common forms of cancer, Professor Sangeeta Jayant Palaskar along with colleagues concluded that “the aqueous extract of wheatgrass has an inhibitory effect on the oral cancer cell line proliferation” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Wheatgrass is known to increase oxygen levels in the blood, and since cancer cells grow best in oxygen deprived blood, wheatgrass will slow the growth of cancer cells by up to 65%, according to Dr. Alice Williams at the Origym Centre of Excellence (express.co.uk/life-style/health).

Lose Weight

A study conducted in 2015 by Doctor Gil Bar-Sela and colleagues at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa showed that there may be promising evidence that wheatgrass can increase metabolism aiding in weight loss (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Studies have also shown that ingesting wheatgrass daily can reduce hunger and help patients maintain a healthy caloric deficit to safely lose weight (prevention.com/food-nutrition).

Regulate Blood Sugar and Diabetes

According to the Journal of Herbal Medicine and Toxicology, “[W]heatgrass is very effective in enhancing the levels of lipids and glucose, which in turn helps in controlling diabetes” (24mantra.com/blogs/health). According to a study at Pondicherry University, India, wheatgrass can increase the capacity in which insulin can bind to its receptors, increasing the efficiency of insulin in type II diabetes patients (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

Contribute to a Healthy Diet

Wheatgrass contains phytochemicals which help boost the immune system (health.clevelandclinic.org). Wheatgrass can also assist the gut in breaking down food because of its enzymes (webmd.com). Wheatgrass also contains Vitamin A, C, E, K, B, and Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium (webmd.com).

Summary

In conclusion, there is no reason that you shouldn’t take wheatgrass!* It improves your gut health, slows the progression of cancer, aids type II diabetics, and helps you lose weight! It is a super potion.

*Do adhere to medical guidelines if you have allergies.

Tinalina: Girl from the Grass

March 22, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Eighth-Grader Louisa Richardson

Once Upon A Time…

. . . There lived a small fairy. She lived on the great lawn of Buckingham Palace. Her house was an old peanut shell which was practically a mansion compared to the Mushroom Apartments she and her family used to live in. This little fairy girl’s name was Tinalina. She was an ordinary little fairy girl who lived with her two brothers and one sister. However, she tragically lost her fairy father due to an incident involving one of the Palace Guard’s shoes.

Tina often thought about that day. She wondered if the humans knew that they existed. Her kind had always lived in harmony with the other animals big and small in the lawn. Tina had never really been outside of the gates surrounding the lawn; she heard rumors about tunnels leading to the outside world. However, many families at fairy school had lost a family member or friend due to shoes or, worse, a tire. Venturing out of the great lawn was always a consideration to Tina as a little hatchling, but there were those stories involving the horrors of the outside world. Because of this, Tinalina was always very cautious when venturing outside her peanut.

One day while walking to school, she saw something amazing–it was a tunnel leading to the sidewalks outside of the gates. The tunnels existed. She immediately ran to inspect it. Tinalina had never seen over the grass, so she wasn’t really sure who lived outside the gates. She imagined it was probably more grasshoppers and ladybugs. Curiosity grabbed a hold of her, and, before she knew it, she was climbing down into the tunnel, but as she tried to make her way down, she caught her wing on a little ledge. All of the sudden, she fell into the deep dark pit.

After falling to the very bottom of the tunnel, she looked around. All around her were beautiful crystals, and a small sign with an arrow stating, “Outside World This Way.” Tina was so small, she never really knew that there was more to the Outside World beyond the Buckingham Palace lawn. Tinalina’s curiosity got the better of her, and she ventured out in the direction of the sign. Once she reached beyond the sign, she noticed that the tunnel lost the crystals that lined the walls, and things started to get very dark and gloomy. Finally, she saw a light. She ran to the end of the tunnel. Outside was a huge shoe. It was bigger than any of the grasshoppers she’d seen before, even bigger than a pinecone! All she could do was stand perfectly still until the foot passed with a loud thud. Tina’s mouth hung open as she watched all the commotion and chaos outside the tunnel–huge children screaming, gigantic mothers chasing, and enormous couples pointing at the castle. Tina was in awe. She took a step into the new world and began to explore. She flew over the traveling cars and took a closer look at the palace. It was one of the most beautiful places she has ever seen. All of a sudden, she heard someone clear their throat. She felt someone pluck her out of the air, and before she could even think, she was aggressively thrown into a dark, moist, bag.

TO BE CONTINUED

Dear Marley

March 21, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Meet Marley. You may have seen Marley dropping off and picking up her human Jess in front of the Upper School. Marley leans authoritatively out the passenger-side window sporting a red or pink sweater. Marley, we’ve come to learn, knows much about the world. And, since it is a confusing world out there, we are fortunate Marley has agreed to share her sage advice here at The Bird on Fire.

Hello everyone! It’s me, Marley–your favorite chihuahua. I am very popular and looked up to, so I thought I’d answer some questions from my fans.

Why does your head look so weird? — Luke Sonderman

Hi, Luke, thank you for your question! I have a very large brain which takes up a lot of space. Also, unfortunately, I cannot control how I look. #bekind #bigbrains

Marley, do we have a connection? — Ms. Zachik

Hi, Ms Zachik, of course we do! I love that you got so excited to see me. It made my day. I’d love to meet you in person sometime.

Do you ever get bored of eating the same thing every day? — Louisa Richardson

Actually, I have a well varied diet. I usually begin my morning with some bacon and whipped cream. For lunch, I’ll have some turkey mince, and for dinner I’ll have chicken. About once a month, I’m treated to filet mignon.

What is a wise piece of wisdom you can share? – Maya Karpaty

Always be yourself, even if people make fun of your head shape.

Between you and me, is Jess actually your bestie? How’s our relationship? – Enzo Lomsky

Enzo, you are my true number one bestie. I love you more than I love Jess! Let’s hang soon.

Have you ever thought of running away? — Zachary Kazmouz

Yes, everyday actually. I want to live with my best friend Enzo.

How are you doing? – Simee Patel

I’m really good, thank you! I love answering questions from my friends:) How are you?

What is your favorite thing to do during the day? – Ms. Perea, US Administrative Assistant

I love to annoy my dad when he’s on work calls and sleep in the sun.

How big do you think you are? — Audrey Guess

Such a great question, Audrey! I’m proud to say I weigh 22.5 pounds.* That is a fact.

Have you had any past lives? – Ike Spry

Yes, I was a cat in my past life. #meow. Jess said she wishes I was still a cat.

What is your favorite part of living with Jess? – Mirabelle Lee

Jess is so cool and funny. I love living with her because of that!

What is your favorite toy? — Anais Lee

LAMBY!

Who is your favorite family member? — James Billimore

Obviously, it’s Jess.

Thank you for reading. Tweet me with more questions or add them to the comments here @ thebirdonfire.org. #lovemyfans

*Marley weighs in at 4 lbs.

What’s Love?

March 16, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By AI and Luke Sonderman

I asked bloggers to define that slippery concept “love.” Luke turned to AI. The result was “Blah.” Then, Luke went Luke-ish. His poem is not a love missive most want to receive, but it’s original.
Blog Advisor Zachik

Love according to AI:

Love is a fire that burns within,

A force that knows no end or sin,

It binds two souls with gentle touch,

And fills their hearts with love so much.

Love is a melody sweetly sung,

A symphony that never becomes unsung,

It brings together hearts and minds,

And leaves all else far behind.

Love is a flower that blooms and grows,

A fragrance that always flows,

It lifts us up and makes us whole,

And warms the coldest, loneliest soul.

Love is a treasure that we hold,

A story that will always be told,

It’s the magic that lights up our days,

And forever in our hearts, it stays.

Love according to Luke:

Love is being right.

There is nothing better than being right.

Whether being right makes someone else cry,

And especially when it makes someone else say “I am wrong,”

Love is being right.

Some people say “It’s not about being right, it’s about being nice.”

Those people are what I like to call LOSERS.

Do you want to be a loser?

No.

Be a winner.

Be Right.

If anyone knows what love feels like, it’s me.

Because I am ALWAYS RIGHT.

Ask anyone, they’ll tell you.

So the next time you feel down or lonely. Maybe unloved.

Scoot your way into an argument and WIN.

You can trust me. I am ALWAYS right.

Why Lindsay Lohan’s “The Parent Trap” is the Greatest Movie Ever Made and Often the Most Misunderstood

March 16, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Indiana Behr

I know that’s a long title, but hear me out. My favorite movie of all time is the 1998 version of The Parent Trap. I think it is genuinely flawlessly crafted. It incorporates elements of a classic romantic comedy, but the dramatic elements are also done well. It may be a Disney movie, but there is no doubt this film can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I think that it is also misinterpreted by most people who watch this film. I think that the character often viewed as the villain, Meredith Blake–the stepmother-to-be, is not a villain at all, and is a much more complex and layered character than one might think after the first watch. I argue that the twins are actually the villains of this film.

Why The Parent Trap (1998) is the Best Movie Ever Made

I genuinely do not enjoy a single movie more than I enjoy The Parent Trap. This film is of course a remake of a film of the same name that was released in 1961. I have seen the 1961 version a few times, and I think it is a very well made movie. However, I actually think the 1998 film is an improvement upon the original. Most Disney remakes are pretty underwhelming, especially the ones that turned animated movies into live action. I feel like this version is an exception.

It may be inspired by an older movie, but the creators of the remake were willing to make any changes they felt necessary to keep the story fresh and contemporary, and I felt like it was successful. In the original film, both twins were from different parts of the United States. In the remake, Hallie is from Napa, California, all the way in the Western US, while Annie is from London, England. I think this makes the culture shock more significant, as it is two different countries rather than just two regions of the US.

I find Hayley Mills’ performance in the 1961 movie to be very good, but I find Lindsay Lohan’s performance to be even more impressive. Lindsay Lohan was just 11 during filming for the 1998 film; whereas Mills was already 15 during production. Additionally, Lohan had to learn an accent from an entirely different country, and I think she did so skillfully. Mills only had to learn the accent of another region of the US. I also generally think the other performances in the 1998 version, such as the butler and housekeeper, were better, and I think the humor has stood the test of time better than the predecessor.

Another reason I really like this movie is the music. I think the soundtrack of this film is excellent. The opening credits that show a montage of the twins’ parents meeting on the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner set to Nat King Cole’s L-O-V-E is probably my favorite movie opening ever. Whether it’s the suspenseful music heard during the scenes at the summer camp in the beginning or the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun when Hallie (pretending to be Annie) helps her mother, Elizabeth James, at her fashion business, I think that the music is perfectly done from beginning to end.

Why the Twins Are Actually the Villains and Meredith Blake Wasn’t Actually That Bad

Both versions of The Parent Trap have the repeatedly used evil step-mother trope, but part of why I prefer the 1998 edition is because I think the character of Meredith Blake was a much more complex and layered character than Vicky Robinson, her 1961 equivalent. Over the last few years, many others have come to this conclusion, and in 2022, Elaine Hendrix, who portrayed Meredith Blake, stated that she sympathized with her character. She even made a TikTok with the caption, “He had twins he secretly separated at birth when he broke up with their mother and didn’t tell you about it until the twins discovered each other at camp and swapped places to try and get their parents back together.” Really makes you think, huh? Maybe the twins and their father were the villains more than Meredith…

I am not going to lie to you, when I first watched this film, I thought of Meredith Blake as a classic Disney villain, but after hearing others’ opinions and watching it again, I have started to understand Meredith Blake’s actions. Even after they first meet, Annie, pretending to be Hallie, is incredibly passive aggressive towards her, intentionally splashing her with water by aggressively jumping into her pool, and then blatantly lying by calling her “number twenty-nine” when it had already been established she was the first relationship her father, Nick Parker, had entered since the twins’ birth. Then, after Annie describes this interaction by phone, Hallie states, “Well, you’ll just have to break ’em up. Sabotage her. Do whatever you have to.”

When I advocate to others that Meredith Blake was not actually as bad as she is made out to be, their rebuttal is often that she stated that she wanted to send Annie to boarding school. However, I think this was just hyperbole, especially considering she never seemed to make any effort to go through with it. I do not think you can blame her for being somewhat angry about her boyfriend’s daughter being incredibly nasty towards her after meeting just once.

Once the twins successfully get their parents to reunite in San Francisco, the twins and their parents go back to Napa where their father lives after Hallie convinces them to go on their annual camping trip with her father. However, before leaving, Elizabeth, not a fan of the outdoors, tells Nick that she thinks it would be better if Meredith went instead. The twins were unsurprisingly unhappy with this, but Elizabeth insisted. Then, during this trip, the twins are horrifically cruel towards her. They put a lizard on her head, which crawls into her mouth first. Then, they give her sugar water claiming it will help with mosquitoes, and tell her that whacking two sticks together will scare off the mountain lions. There were in fact no mountain lions where they were camping.

Then, after all of this, the twins do something that ultimately destroys Meredith and Nick’s relationship. They take Meredith’s air mattress from her tent, and place it in the lake at the camping site, and she floats away asleep, only to wake up in the morning in the middle of the lake. First of all, this is obviously just a horrible thing to do to someone. Second of all, this is dangerous! Falling into the middle of a river when you are asleep could very well cause drowning. After this, Meredith approaches Nick and says he has to pick between the twins and her. I think him picking the kids was obviously the right decision, but I very much sympathize with her.

Overall, I recognize Meredith Blake is kind of aggressive at times, but I also think she is a very determined character who knows what she wants. I think it’s fair to say that money may be a part of her interest in Nick, but I do not think he was oblivious to this, and I do think she probably liked him. This very complex character is part of why I like this movie so much, and why I prefer it over the original movie. I think you should try watching or rewatching The Parent Trap (1998) with this perspective in mind.

What am I?

March 15, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Junior Jess Billimore

You see me everyday,

Or do you?

You’re familiar with my presence,

Maybe too much so.

You walk all over me,

To and fro.

Some of you dislike me,

Yet I continue to grow.

Am I invasive?

I endure the pain that you give;

All I want is to live.

I take up lots of space,

Growing at a fast pace.

Is my existence a waste?

You see me everyday.

Please, appreciate me today.

*Log in your answers in the comment section.

I started a microgreenery in my friend’s backyard.

March 15, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Luke Sonderman, Backyard Farmer

Microgreens. No, I’m not talking about broccoli and baby carrots. I am talking about microgreens. What are microgreens? I asked myself that same question before I spent a thousand dollars building a farm.

What are microgreens?

Microgreens are vegetables that are picked as young seedlings right as leaves begin to grow (integrisok.com). Microgreens are grown in many varieties and can be found at farmers markets and fancy boutique grocery stores. If the microgreens are grown hydroponically (grown in water with no soil), you can find them at stores and farmers markets still growing in the package!

How did I become a microgreen farmer?

I decided to go into business with my best friend Ethan after he pitched the idea of growing microgreens to me. I had no idea what microgreens were, but after researching microgreen business models, I discovered that it was a business venture with very little risk. Ethan found a business in Joshua Tree via Facebook Marketplace that was selling a 10ft x10ft microgreens grow tent, microgreen racks, microgreen grow trays, a grow tent ventilation fan, several LED grow lights, and booth decoration for farmers markets. After purchasing the equipment, we built the tent and set up the racks with lights. With our farm assembled, we began doing research into the most profitable microgreens to grow and the most popular microgreens at farmers markets.

How microgreens are grown

After starting our farm, we had to make the big decision whether to grow our greens in soil or hydroponically. Hydroponically-grown microgreens are grown in water trays with no soil. This means that when you package them, if you put water into the container they will continue to live and grow as long as they stay in water. For simplicity, we grow our microgreens in soil. It is much easier.

When can you buy our microgreens?

Since we are still in the testing and licensing phase of our farm, our microgreens are not yet for sale. In coordination with multiple local farmers markets, we plan to have multiple farmers market spots throughout the seasons where we will sell our microgreens, mixes, and microgreen beverages! So, in the next few months, when you are at your local Coachella Valley farmers market, look for the name Little Sprouts, and try some microgreens. Maybe you’ll get a little friends and family discount!

Can you eat Foie Gras guilt free?

March 14, 2023 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

We said, “Write about the implications of grass.” Levi, as always, went in a surprising direction: foie gras. (Note: “gras” does NOT mean grass, but “fat.”) Foie gras is a highly contentious cuisine. Levi thinks he’s found a guilt-free way of tasting the delicacy.

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Have you heard of foie gras? “Foie gras” is French for fatty liver. If you’ve heard of it but don’t like it because it’s unethically produced, then I have good news for you. There exists ethical foie gras, where the geese frolic about a pasture eating acorns, olives, and grass. If you don’t know what foie gras is, then why are you even here?

Foie gras is fattened goose (or rarely, duck) liver. Typically, it is produced year-round in factories by shoving metal tubes down the throats of geese and force feeding them (sentientmedia.org). And, they are forbidden from exercising. This force feeding of stationary geese can fatten the liver to 10 times its normal volume (npr.org). If you read my wagyu article, you’d know that the more fat involved, the better flavor and texture. Unsurprisingly, because of the name, this is a product of France. However, in Spain there exists two men by the names of Eduardo Sousa and Diego Labourdette who have a farm that produces foie gras…ethically (npr.org).

Geese wandering around the farm outside of Pallares, Spain (npr.org).

How do they do it?

As I said earlier, these geese are not force fed. They roam free, eating–of their own free will–olives, acorns and whatever else they desire. Naturally, the geese fatten themselves up during the beginning of the winter to prepare for their annual Southward migration (a-z-animals.com). We all know, though, that the geese will not be making their Southward migration. They will instead be “sacrificed” on a “night of the new moon” when their livers are the fattest (Eduardo Sousa, npr.org). In an interview with NPR, Sousa revealed that before they kill the geese, they “paralyze them with flashlights.” After the geese are hypnotized, they are swiftly and painlessly killed with a knife. The rest of the goose is used for various other products such as meals of duck leg and duck breast (npr.org).

What does this ethically-raised foie gras taste like?

Usually, foie gras barely tastes like liver because it is so fatty, but this liver tastes like liver. While I cannot personally vouch for its flavor, James Beard award-winning chef Dan Barber said it was “the best foie gras of my life” (npr.org). Taking on the flavors of what they eat, the foie gras would probably have a deep, earthly flavor with notes of acorns, olives, and whatever else the geese choose to eat.

How to buy it?

Because only a handful of geese are slaughtered every year, Sousa’s foie gras is extremely difficult to obtain. You can find the foie gras on their website (lapateria.eu/) for €200 per 180g. It is currently sold out, but I will try to get my hands on it and report back this winter!