As President of Penn State's Poultry Science Club, it is my privilege to reply to an article ("Group protests to remove delicacy from menu" Mon., Dec. 6). Foie gras is a French delicacy translated as "fatty liver." Foie gras is produced physiologically by feeding high energy diets to waterfowl exceeding daily energy needs and thus fat is deposited in the liver. Foie gras has been produced for over 45 centuries in the wild habitat for waterfowl. Foie gras is replicated in domesticated waterfowl by two operations in the United States with high standards of animal welfare and product quality. Both U.S. operations raise their waterfowl in climate-controlled barns or free range, not "caged up in crowded pens where they can't stand up or spread a wing." The article said growers inserted "metal pipes down bird's throats three times a day." Birds do not have a gag-reflex like humans, waterfowl have an expandable esophagus capable of swallowing whole fish. They failed to report that small plastic feed tubes, similar to ones used for unconscious humans, are used in production to deliver a pre-measured amount of feed to the bird's crop, a storage region of the esophagus. I applaud Zola's New World Bistro for offering this product and encourage students to try before they judge. As for Holly Schipp who called foie gras a "diseased liver," she should consider taking Penn State's course in Avian Biology or Avian Diseases because she is mistaken. As people I have discussed this article with have said, do something more productive with your Friday and Saturday nights, perhaps fight real "diseased livers" from alcoholism?