Euro Notes: EU Regulations Versus Peking Duck?

Delicious dinner or public health hazard?

I love Peking duck. Absolutely adore it. No fantastic special-occasion dinner is complete with it, and I rush off for a glutton-fest of duck whenever I can, special occasion or not. But can I do this if I'm in the UK and not in the US of A?

So, can this culinary desecration possibly be true? Here is an infuriating blurb about an EU ban of that splendid dish in the UK:

It is a firm favourite in Chinese restaurants the length and breadth of the country, but crispy Peking duck faces extinction at the hands of the European Union.

The traditional gas ovens used to cook the dish, which are made in China and imported into Britain, have fallen foul of Europe-wide regulations over carbon monoxide emissions.

Eleven restaurants have already had their ovens permanently closed by council environmental health officers in Westminster, London, and a further 39 have been issued with notices saying they must replace the ovens with models which meet the higher standards.

They face having to pay up to £4,000 for replacement appliances approved by gas watchdog Corgi, despite the fact that there have been no reported problems involving faulty ovens. [My emphasis -- DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTED PROBLEMS!]

It is now feared that the move could be copied by local authorities across Britain, forcing the popular dish off the menu at thousands of restaurants and takeaways.

The ban has been condemned by celebrity chef Ken Hom, who said he was "livid" about the decision.

He said: "It's absurd. What do the Europeans know about making Chinese duck?..." [PREACH IT, KEN! -- MM]

The ovens are being switched off because they do not carry the CE (Conformité Européenne) mark which shows they adhere to rules set down by bureaucrats in Brussels.

It follows similar action carried out by the same council in 2005 when it targeted burners used on tables at Korean restaurants. It is also investigating traditional Indian TandoorCORR ovens.

Did you get that last bit? Do-gooder nanny government bureaucrats carrying on against Korean barbecues and Indian tandoori ovens? I insert a bit of satirical sarcasm: Hey, why does the EU hate ethnic Asian food?

Anyway -- Peking Duck. Cook it. Eat it. Fight the power. Time to gather your Chinese cookbooks into barricades and turn your woks into helmets. Hey, food police! You can have my Peking duck . . . when (come on, gentle readers, you know when!) when you (all together now) pry it out of my cold, dead hand!