FYI

Attention anyone travelling to Hong Kong this is very important!

I have just found out from my good friend Diana that "Bird's Nest" the delicacy that you see being sold everywhere here... which is very expensive I might add, is in fact solidified bird spit! According to my source it is difficult to collect, hence the price. Appartentally, they are even more expensive if they have a little blood in them, because of the added nutritional value.

Anyways, if you read the next post carefully you will know I accidentally ate one of these today, so I am posting this now to make sure that future Hong Kong visitors have all the information before trying this local favourite.

"Authentic bird's nest are nests of the swiftlet, a tiny bird found throughout southeast Asia. The swiftlet lives in dark caves, using a method of echolocation similar to the bat to get around. Instead of twigs and straw, the swiftlet makes its nest from strands of its own gummy saliva, which hardens when exposed to air. Humans who harvest the swiftlet nests often come from families that have made their living this way for generations. Prying the nests from the cave walls is extremely dangerous, and many harvesters die each year."

http://chinesefood.about.com/library/bltrivia33.htm