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They don't make foie gras kibble, so The Hound has never had the chance to taste what many consider to be a delicacy. But after a two-year ban on the rich livers made by stuffing feed down the throat of geese and ducks, Chicagoans are free at last to dine on foie gras.

The Chicago City Council, with more than a little prodding from Mayor Richard M. Daley, voted overwhelmingly the other day to ignore the bleatings from the increasingly powerful animal rights lobby and Ald. Joe "Foie Gras" Moore (as hizzoner dubbed the alderman) to allow restaurants to once again serve the dish.

The Hound understands it just wasn't a foie gras-free zone down in the big city. Enforcement of the law was done with a wink and a nod. Like speakeasies of old, those in the know knew the passwords to tony eateries to get their lips around foie gras, French for "fat liver", at between $20 and $25 a pop for a serving about the size of a pack of cigarettes.

The Hound, who has known to chase a few Canada geese at retention ponds around area office parks, always felt If people want to eat goosey foods or they want to eat something they like, they should have the option. Whether it be a fowl's pumped up internal organ or french fries plump with trans fats, it should be the diner's choice. At least in free countries.

The Hound also understands animal rights activists who consider foie gras a cruel dish because geese and ducks are force-fed to make their livers bigger. The Hound wouldn't want to be force-fed. Who wants their livers to be bigger?

So, a Grey Goose toast to Chicago aldermen who finally saw the light and decided, if the 2016 Olympics are headed this way, that foie gras has to be on the menu. After all, the French no doubt will be sending a contingent of Olympians to the Windy City.

The Hound has noticed a lot of those "recyclable" bags at area food and retail stores. But here's the question that has been bothering The Hound: Is it OK to take a Jewel bag into, say, Dominick's or a Wal-Mart bag into Target?

The Hound has heard of one Dominick's where a manager gave a customer two free bags (theirs are black) rather than seeing her use Jewel bags (dark green).

So, what is the etiquette here? Is it OK to use any bag you have because they are environmentally sound (or so we are told)? Or do your bags have to be store-specific?

Life is just full of questions, right? Next week The Hound will tackle organic foods. Then again, maybe not.

The Hound was at the vet the other day, getting his annual physical and was reading one of those magazines only found in a sawbones' office. That was when he learned of the best and worst brand extensions of '07.

As The Hound was preparing his Thanksgiving feast he happened upon some commie pinkoes contending that this all-American holiday is nothing more than a selfish time to celebrate our affluence and thank ourselves for the success we've gained.

If you travel across the Cheddar Curtain enough times, you will see the huge Mars Cheese Castle sign, beckoning like some siren of yore to stop in at the cheese store/deli off Interstate 94 for Wisconsin's most-favorite product or some delicious cheese bread.

The Hound figured Six Flags Great America in Gurnee would come up with some sort of eating torture for this year's Fright Fest, considering the success of last year's offering of munching on giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches. But what they've come up with surely isn't a blue-plate special.

This dog likes a burger just like any other, so the old mouth was watering since he's been hit with a flurry of e-mails complaining about "Hardees/Carl 's Jr. hit new lows with ads." Who knew? We don't have Hardees up north here.

While the rest of you were enjoying a leisurely Labor Day, The Hound was holding a celebration, gnawing on several Big Macs and marking the 40th anniverary of the quintessential American burger.

There's some mourning among Waukegan grocery shoppers after they learned Friday the Pick 'n Save in the Lake Plaza on Belvidere Road will be closing next month. That would be the four who actually shopped there.