Sucks Being Swift

Collocalia inexpectata. Edible-nest swiftlet. India to Indochina, Philippines, East Indies. 4 -4 1/2 in.

How sucky can it get?

"The Grey and Grey-rumped swiftlets of Malaya and Indochina make their nests entirely of saliva. These are the top nests of commerce. This centuries-old Oriental gastronomic treat is still a thriving business and nests worth forty thousand pounds or more are harvested each year. The best nests come from the large seaward-facing limestone caverns in coastal Indochina, where the tiny birds breed in tremendous numbers.. Native gatherers use bamboo ladders and long poles to knock the nests down from the cave wall and ceilings as the birds finish them. (What the...???!!!) The birds have enough saliva to build a second nest of pure hardened fluid, but their third one is apt to be mixed with impurities (Well, yeah, who can sustain the onslaught?!) and is of lower commercial value. The clean first nests are marketed as they are, and command highest prices. The others are processed to remove the impurities, and the protein-rich gelatin is rehardened into chips which Chinese merchants sell as "dragon's teeth." Birds of the World, Oliver Austin

When I was 19 years old, a Chinese gentleman who tried to court me wanted me to meet his mother. He invited me to go with him to Iloilo but first we had dinner at a fancy Chinese restaurant. Oh yes, we drove all the way from Antique where I was serving my mandatory rural health nursing internship and where he had his business entities. He brought a gun with him saying it was for protection in case we got stranded in the mountainous roads along the way. So I had this vision that bandits, rebels or terrorists will stop us along the way and then he will save the day by protecting me from all of them and then I will be grateful and we will live happily ever after...NOT! He eventually proposed to me even though we never even held hands. The closest I was with him was when we drove together. He was a gentleman, though, and he was the brother of a very good friend of mine. The trip to Iloilo was smooth and peaceful. Besides I always had this feeling of invincibility because I was a nurse and during the martial law years I thought rebels did not kill nurses...yes, I was idealistic, naive and may have also been stupid. But I digress.

So we went to the restaurant. I don't know if he was trying to impress me by ordering so much food!!! My goodness it was a feast for just the two of us, so much waste and at that time, I literally nibbled like a bird. For heaven's sake, I only weighed 90 pounds! But he was a big heavy man, quite unusual for a Chinese, especially a Chinese in the Philippines. Anyway, I remember being served bird's nest soup. It was delicious. I thought that it was called bird's nest because they added little hard boiled quail eggs in the broth! Now that I know, I feel like my stomach is full of spit and this happened ... many years ago!

It finally happened. This drawing took forever to finish because I am finally bored with squiggling, but it may change tomorrow, even later today.

Refrain

There is a moment
So gratifying
When everything in the world is just right
When peace reigns
And my heart is content.

(Repeat Refrain)

Ces Skye

Inday Leah, I love you.

I am praying...

Tsup!