It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
Now, wooden structures are being used to house
swiftlets.

http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
http://swiftletranching.com/
http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html

Eat all you want! The birds will make more!

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
> swiftlets.
>
> http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
> http://swiftletranching.com/
> http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
>
> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!

Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?

Ick.

I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!

Plus they crap in the nests so you are eating bird feces too.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:19:35 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
>> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
>> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
>> swiftlets.
>>
>> http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
>> http://swiftletranching.com/
>> http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
>>
>> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
>
>Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
>
>Ick.
>
>I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
>

you'd rather eat something that comes out of a bird's ass?

your pal,
blake

On Jun 28, 1:31 pm, blake murphy > wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:19:35 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >In article >,
> > Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> >> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
> >> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
> >> swiftlets.
>
> >>http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
> >>http://swiftletranching.com/
> >>http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
>
> >> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
>
> >Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
>
> >Ick.
>
> >I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
>
> you'd rather eat something that comes out of a bird's ass?

Cloaca.
>
> your pal,
> blake

--Bryan

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:19:35 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > Mark Thorson > wrote:
> >
> >> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
> >> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
> >> swiftlets.
> >>
> >> http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
> >> http://swiftletranching.com/
> >> http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
> >>
> >> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
> >
> >Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
> >
> >Ick.
> >
> >I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
> >
>
> you'd rather eat something that comes out of a bird's ass?
>
> your pal,
> blake

Eggs come out of the uterus...
At least they are sealed in a shell!

If you want to eat bird poop (mixed with spit), be my guest. ;-)
I'll pass my portion to you!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article >,
> Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> > It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
> > Now, wooden structures are being used to house
> > swiftlets.
> >
> > http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
> > http://swiftletranching.com/
> > http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
> >
> > Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
>
> Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
>
> Ick.
>
> I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
>
> Plus they crap in the nests so you are eating bird feces too.
> --
> Peace, Om

Don't be rediculous! The dried nests are cleaned thoroughly before
cooking!

On 2007-06-28, Arri London > wrote:
>
>
> Omelet wrote:
>>
>> In article >,
>> Mark Thorson > wrote:
>>
>> > It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
>> > Now, wooden structures are being used to house
>> > swiftlets.
>> >
>> > http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
>> > http://swiftletranching.com/
>> > http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
>> >
>> > Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
>>
>> Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
>>
>> Ick.
>>
>> I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
>>
>> Plus they crap in the nests so you are eating bird feces too.
>> --
>> Peace, Om
>
> Don't be rediculous! The dried nests are cleaned thoroughly before
> cooking!

Arri London wrote:
>
> Omelet wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Mark Thorson > wrote:
>>
>>> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
>>> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
>>> swiftlets.
>>>
>>> http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
>>> http://swiftletranching.com/
>>> http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
>>>
>>> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
>> Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
>>
>> Ick.
>>
>> I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
>>
>> Plus they crap in the nests so you are eating bird feces too.
>> --
>> Peace, Om
>
> Don't be rediculous! The dried nests are cleaned thoroughly before
> cooking!


Yes, the nests are cleaned before being prepared (rinse, drain,
repeat... hey, kind of like beans! haha... pick out any feathers or
crud, etc.), but the nests *themselves* are made of hardened swiftlet
saliva, with bits of straw and/or seaweed or whatever. So while there
probably won't be any (much) bird poop residue, you are still
essentially munching on some rubbery, gummy bird spit.
I'd probably try it if I were somewhere where it was offered... here in
Ohio, I doubt I'm going to run across it anytime soon, though.

Karen Burns wrote:
>
> So while there probably won't be any (much)
> bird poop residue, you are still essentially
> munching on some rubbery, gummy bird spit.

It sounds bad when you put it that way,
but what about all those Americans who eat
or drink dried ground-up flies (listed as
"carmine", "carmine extract", or "natural
color" in pink soft drinks and strawberry
ice cream). Or the ones who eat ground-up
meat scraps stuffed into intestines (called
"natural casing" on packages of sausages).
Or the ones who eat fruit with the dead
body of the pollinating insect inside of
it (called "figs"). Lots of things sound
disgusting if you try to characterize them
that way.

Now, where can I buy canned surstromming
around here?

Mark Thorson > wrote:
>It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
>Now, wooden structures are being used to house
>swiftlets.

What was politically incorrect about the caves?

>Eat all you want! The birds will make more!

They kinda were anyway.

--Blair
"But, no, thanks, I'm full up on
bird-barf."

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Karen Burns wrote:
>> So while there probably won't be any (much)
>> bird poop residue, you are still essentially
>> munching on some rubbery, gummy bird spit.
>
> It sounds bad when you put it that way,
> but what about all those Americans who eat
> or drink dried ground-up flies (listed as
> "carmine", "carmine extract", or "natural
> color" in pink soft drinks and strawberry
> ice cream). Or the ones who eat ground-up
> meat scraps stuffed into intestines (called
> "natural casing" on packages of sausages).
> Or the ones who eat fruit with the dead
> body of the pollinating insect inside of
> it (called "figs"). Lots of things sound
> disgusting if you try to characterize them
> that way.


Yes, but they taste sooooo good! : )


Karen
fig eater, you can have my share of strawberry 'flavored' anything,
though...

>
> Now, where can I buy canned surstromming
> around here?

eek! I had to look that one up, and had myself a good laugh here,
reading this (especially the last paragraph):

http://www.allscandinavia.com/surstromming.htm

Karen Burns wrote:
>
> eek! I had to look that one up, and had myself a good laugh here,
> reading this (especially the last paragraph):
>
> http://www.allscandinavia.com/surstromming.htm

Here's another site:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=surstr%F6mming

In article >,
Karen Burns > wrote:


> > Now, where can I buy canned surstromming
> > around here?
>
> eek! I had to look that one up, and had myself a good laugh here,
> reading this (especially the last paragraph):
>
> http://www.allscandinavia.com/surstromming.htm

This is nothing. The Romans had their garum. In Southeast Asia they
have many names for fish sauce:

What is Fish Sauce?

Q.*A recipe I have for Fish with Lemon Grass asks for 2 teaspoons of
fish sauce. What is this ingredient?
A.*Fish sauce is a Southeast Asian staple, made by fermenting small,
whole fish in brine, drawing off the liquid, and steeping that in the
sunlight before it is bottled. In Vietnam, it is called nuoc nam, in
Thailand, nam pla, and in the Philippines, patis. It has a very pungent,
salty taste, and is an essential ingredient in many dishes in these and
neighboring countries.*
Fish sauce is also used as a condiment, and plays a broad role similar
to that of soy sauce in Chinese and Japanese kitchens. Different
varieties of fish sauce are available in most Asian markets, as well as
online.

Then there is Worcestershire sauce, made from fermented anchovies.

Karen Burns > wrote:

> Yes, the nests are cleaned before being prepared (rinse, drain,
> repeat... hey, kind of like beans! haha... pick out any feathers or
> crud, etc.), but the nests *themselves* are made of hardened swiftlet
> saliva, with bits of straw and/or seaweed or whatever. So while there
> probably won't be any (much) bird poop residue, you are still
> essentially munching on some rubbery, gummy bird spit.
> I'd probably try it if I were somewhere where it was offered... here in
> Ohio, I doubt I'm going to run across it anytime soon, though.

I have eaten swallow's nest soups many times, mostly the low quality
stuff served in Chinese restaurants in the West, but I have also eaten
it in Hong Kong at Fook Lam Moon in Wanchai, a famous old Cantonese
restaurant which Ken Hom once declared to be the best in Hong Kong. One
of its specialities is swallow's nests, offered in many gradations of
quality and price. I chose one of the higher quality offerings, to see
what it was all about. I can report the following: swallow's nests are
nearly devoid of any detectable taste, they are all about texture, which
plays a much, much greater role in Chinese food culture, as well as
about their supposed/imagined health benefits suggested by the
traditional Chinese medicine. The nests may be rubbery and gummy when
raw, but they are soaked or cooked for a long time and the resulting
texture is actually what I would describe as glutinous, jelly-like, or
jelatinous, and all that in a fairly subtle way, somewhat resembling an
egg white. I would say that such foods as swallow's nest, shark fin,
and jellyfish, all of which share some of the above characteristics, are
not anything usually enjoyed by people raised on "Western" food. They
just appear as bland and pointless, as they are perceived as being just
too exotic and expensive to serve as mere carriers of other ingredients'
flavours.

There are accepted Western equivalents of such foods, too, namely
potatoes, pasta and rice, which are not very flavourful in themselves
and are rarely served on their own, with no adornments. They are prized
for their ability to provide the appropriate texture and absorbent
qualities to serve as carriers of, and accompaniments to, other, more
flavourful ingredients.

Victor

In article >, Arri London >
wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> >
> > In article >,
> > Mark Thorson > wrote:
> >
> > > It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
> > > Now, wooden structures are being used to house
> > > swiftlets.
> > >
> > > http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
> > > http://swiftletranching.com/
> > > http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
> > >
> > > Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
> >
> > Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
> >
> > Ick.
> >
> > I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
> >
> > Plus they crap in the nests so you are eating bird feces too.
> > --
> > Peace, Om
>
> Don't be rediculous! The dried nests are cleaned thoroughly before
> cooking!

To get all traces of poop, you'd have to clean them with soap and water.

That would dissolve the bird spit too. ;-)

This is one dish I'd give a definite "pass" to!

Someone would have to have been awfully hungry to try eating bird spit
in the first place imho! <lol>

Sorry, this just sounds really really gross to me.

YMMV!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:58:36 -0700, BOBOBOnoBO® >
wrote:

>On Jun 28, 1:31 pm, blake murphy > wrote:
>> On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:19:35 -0500, Omelet >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> >In article >,
>> > Mark Thorson > wrote:
>>
>> >> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
>> >> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
>> >> swiftlets.
>>
>> >>http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
>> >>http://swiftletranching.com/
>> >>http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
>>
>> >> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
>>
>> >Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
>>
>> >Ick.
>>
>> >I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
>>
>> you'd rather eat something that comes out of a bird's ass?
>
>Cloaca.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
>--Bryan

you say cloaca and i say tomahto.

your pal,
ira

blake murphy > wrote:
>
>you say cloaca and i say tomahto.

And I say "check, please!"

--Blair
"Will wash dishes for bromo."

Dan Abel > wrote:
> Karen Burns > wrote:
>> > Now, where can I buy canned surstromming

Stockholm.

>This is nothing. The Romans had their garum. In Southeast Asia they
>have many names for fish sauce:
>Then there is Worcestershire sauce, made from fermented anchovies.

And their close cousin, shrimp paste, which smells like
sewage until you dare to put it in your food and heat it.

Tonight I made broiled pompano with cajun spice (love
the way that works on fish) and along with it had oyster
mushrooms sauteed with onion, fresh lemongrass, garlic, and
baby bok choi. Towards the end of the sautee the fond was
getting a bit heavy, and I wish now I'd deglazed it with
fish sauce. Left a lot of lovely stuff stuck to that pan.
But the veggies were lighter without it, which kinda worked
with the pompano. Still, though.

--Blair

Victor Sack > wrote:
>There are accepted Western equivalents of such foods, too, namely
>potatoes, pasta and rice, which are not very flavourful in themselves
>and are rarely served on their own, with no adornments.

You kidding?

Those three things have amazing flavors.

People who are raised on gravy-covered butter probably
never tasted them, though.

Fat hides flavor.

--Blair

In article >,
Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

> Dan Abel > wrote:
> > Karen Burns > wrote:
> >> > Now, where can I buy canned surstromming
>
> Stockholm.
>
> >This is nothing. The Romans had their garum. In Southeast Asia they
> >have many names for fish sauce:
> >Then there is Worcestershire sauce, made from fermented anchovies.

That first sentence was supposed to read, "This is nothing new.".

I guess I need to read more closely before I send the post.


> And their close cousin, shrimp paste, which smells like
> sewage until you dare to put it in your food and heat it.

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:25:39 GMT, Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>
>> Fat hides flavor.
>
> That makes about as much sense as "salt masks flavor".
>

Such is the wisdom of Blair.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

> Victor Sack > wrote:
> >There are accepted Western equivalents of such foods, too, namely
> >potatoes, pasta and rice, which are not very flavourful in themselves
> >and are rarely served on their own, with no adornments.
>
> You kidding?
>
> Those three things have amazing flavors.
>
> People who are raised on gravy-covered butter probably
> never tasted them, though.
>
> Fat hides flavor.

That's funny.

Victor

cybercat > wrote:
>
>"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
>> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:25:39 GMT, Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>>
>>> Fat hides flavor.
>>
>> That makes about as much sense as "salt masks flavor".
>
>Such is the wisdom of Blair.

Yes, because it really is wisdom, having come from
experience, rather than being a rote repetition of someone
else's mistaken apprehension.

The amount of fat needed to mediate the flavor of
fat-soluble molecules is a tiny fraction of the amount of
fat being added by the average goober who justifies his
adipose addiction with "fat adds flavor".

But you go on being a petulant lardass. I'll enjoy
my food.

--Blair

Karen Burns wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
> >
> > Omelet wrote:
> >> In article >,
> >> Mark Thorson > wrote:
> >>
> >>> It doesn't have to come from caves anymore.
> >>> Now, wooden structures are being used to house
> >>> swiftlets.
> >>>
> >>> http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s1184106.htm
> >>> http://swiftletranching.com/
> >>> http://swiftletfarming.com/birdsnest.html
> >>>
> >>> Eat all you want! The birds will make more!
> >> Ok, but who the heck wants to eat bird spit?
> >>
> >> Ick.
> >>
> >> I'm adventurous with food but even _I_ have my limits!
> >>
> >> Plus they crap in the nests so you are eating bird feces too.
> >> --
> >> Peace, Om
> >
> > Don't be rediculous! The dried nests are cleaned thoroughly before
> > cooking!
>
> Yes, the nests are cleaned before being prepared (rinse, drain,
> repeat... hey, kind of like beans! haha... pick out any feathers or
> crud, etc.), but the nests *themselves* are made of hardened swiftlet
> saliva, with bits of straw and/or seaweed or whatever. So while there
> probably won't be any (much) bird poop residue, you are still
> essentially munching on some rubbery, gummy bird spit.
> I'd probably try it if I were somewhere where it was offered... here in
> Ohio, I doubt I'm going to run across it anytime soon, though.

Yes of course. The Chinese restaurants in Cleveland used to offer it as
something that had to be ordered ahead of time, but I never tried it.
Never tried shark fin soup either!

In article >,
Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

> blake murphy > wrote:
> >
> >you say cloaca and i say tomahto.
>
> And I say "check, please!"
>
> --Blair
> "Will wash dishes for bromo."

<lol>

Ditto!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article > ,
Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

> Victor Sack > wrote:
> >There are accepted Western equivalents of such foods, too, namely
> >potatoes, pasta and rice, which are not very flavourful in themselves
> >and are rarely served on their own, with no adornments.
>
> You kidding?
>
> Those three things have amazing flavors.
>
> People who are raised on gravy-covered butter probably
> never tasted them, though.
>
> Fat hides flavor.
>
> --Blair

Unfortunately, I have to agree. ;-)

But then, I don't eat white rice any more.

My favorite is red rice.

Even white rice has a slight nutty flavor tho' as I remember.
It's been a few years.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:19:32 GMT, Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>
> > And their close cousin, shrimp paste, which smells like
> > sewage until you dare to put it in your food and heat it.
>
> It doesn't really smell *until* you heat it. I use shrimp paste
> (and of course fish sauce) in many of my SE Asian dishes.
>
> -sw

Do you get it at MT?

I've never tried Shrimp paste.
That sounds good!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet > wrote:
>In article >,
> Steve Wertz > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:19:32 GMT, Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>>
>> > And their close cousin, shrimp paste, which smells like
>> > sewage until you dare to put it in your food and heat it.
>>
>> It doesn't really smell *until* you heat it. I use shrimp paste
>> (and of course fish sauce) in many of my SE Asian dishes.

I don't know what shrimp paste you're getting, but
I'm talking about the stuff that looks like putty
in a jar.

In the jar, it literally smells like shit.

But, like fish sauce, once it's in the pan it smells like
its ingredients again, instead of rot.

>I've never tried Shrimp paste.
>That sounds good!

Just use it sparingly and bring a lot of courage, because
you're going to swear you're just poisoning your food the
first time.

--Blair

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> -sw (off to make some 99.5% fat-free sausage)

You will regret that...

Trust me.

Especially if you plan to smoke it.

I'm speaking from experience!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson