No sooner had I shoved The Bazaar‘s cotton candy foie gras in my mouth, in a swift, greedy gulp, than two men approached me, in awe.

“You just ate that whole thing in one bite!” the first one exclaimed.

“We were standing over there watching you, saying, ‘Look at that tiny girl with that cotton candy’ and then suddenly we watched you eat the whole stick at once!” the second one reeled.

I shrugged my shoulders, “It’s meant to be eaten in one bite.”

“What was that anyway?” the first one asked.

“Foie gras,” I answered.

“What’s that?”

“Fattened duck liver,” I said.

“Whaaaaaat?!” the guys looked like I had smacked them both in the face.

“You eat liver?” the second one asked.

“I eat everything,” I responded.

“Was it good?” the first one asked.

“So good, it’s practically illegal,” I answered ironically.

And boy was it ever.  Upon contact with the tongue, the airy cocoon of vanilla cotton candy vanishes quickly, like a fleeting dream, leaving a buttery foie gras parcel in place.  That too begins to melt, and as you attempt to savor its richness, you find yourself chomping on crushed corn nuts – the salty crunch a satisfying reminder, of what once was.  It’s an epicurean magic trick; an evanescent trip on the palate.  One that now, with five days remaining before the ban of foie gras goes into effect, is a bittersweet reverie.

A special acknowledgement must be made to The Bazaar’s gracious manager and hostesses for going out of their way to acquiesce to our pleas, and acquire the foie gras cotton candy after the kitchen closed.

The Bazaar By José Andrés, 465 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90048. (310) 246-5545.