环球英语 — 229：Bird’s Nest Soup

Voice 1

Thank you for joining us for Spotlight 1. I’m David Bast.

Voice 2

And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

The little bird flies through the air to its home, its nest. It makes this nest in a dark wet place on the side of a mountain – a cave. It has been making this nest for almost a month. The bird is preparing the nest for its eggs. It is almost finished. The next night, the bird returns to its nest. But the nest is gone! What has happened to it?

Voice 2

It has probably been taken, sold, prepared and then eaten! People make these bird nests into a kind of food. They soak 2 the nest in hot water. They serve it as a soup. It tastes very good! Some people even say this bird’s nest soup has medicinal qualities. Today’s Spotlight is on this special bird nest soup.

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Bird’s nest soup is an ancient food. People in China have been eating this soup for over four hundred [400] years! The Chinese call it “yan wo.” “Yan” is the kind of bird that makes the nest. And “wo” means 3 “nest.”

Voice 2

But people cannot make bird’s nest soup out of just any bird’s nest. Nests for bird’s nest soup come from a bird called the swiftlet. These dark coloured birds live in parts of Southern Asia. Generally, swiftlets are very small. They usually weigh less than sixteen [16] grams 4. And they are about ten centimeters long.

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There are many different kinds of swiftlet birds. But only a few kinds make the special nests. Usually, the white–nest swiftlet and the black–nest swiftlet make the highest quality nests for people to eat.

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So what does a swiftlet’s nest look like? Many other birds make their nests out of waste they find. This waste may include very small pieces of wood, feathers, straw 5, or other small, hard pieces of waste. But white–nest and black–nest swiftlets do not use these things. Instead, swiftlets make the materials for their nests themselves.

Voice 1

The male swiftlet builds the nest with his saliva 6. This is the wet substance 7 in his mouth. The saliva is wet, but it stays together easily. It is a similar substance to chewing 8 gum 9. The bird can bend this substance into the correct nest shape. The saliva becomes hard when it dries. The finished nest is usually the size of a hand. It looks like a very small bowl.

Voice 2

Swiftlets usually build their nests during the night time. During the day they look for food. They build their nests a little bit at a time. In all, it takes about thirty–five [35] days for the male swiftlet to complete a nest. Then the female 10 swiftlet can lay her eggs in it.

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Swiftlets build their nests in caves or on the edge 11 of a large cliff 12 or mountainside. For hundreds of years, people have harvested and eaten these bird’s nests. But harvesting the nest is not a quick or easy job. The nests are very far off the ground. It can be very dangerous to climb a mountainside or inside a dark wet cave.

Voice 2

Harvesting the nests begins during the swiftlet mating season. This is in March. Around this time, swiftlets begin to build their nests. Some people watch the process very closely 13. These harvesters must collect the finished nest before the female swiftlet lays her eggs. But the harvester must also avoid collecting the nest too early. Collecting a nest too early will affect the quality of the nest. This nest is called the first nest. After the first nest is finished, a person can harvest it.

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When the swiftlet sees his first nest is gone, he will begin to make a new nest. The harvester must wait another thirty [30] days until this second nest is finished. Then he can harvest the second nest.

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When the second nest is gone, the bird will again begin to make another nest. But, after the third nest is finished, the harvester must let the swiftlet lay her eggs. If the birds do not lay eggs and have babies, the swiftlet population will decrease too much. The baby birds will live and grow in the third nest. After the baby swiftlets become adults, then the harvester may harvest the third nest.

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The first nest is the highest quality nest. It is the most pure. The second and third nests need more cleaning before people can eat them. The third nest is the lowest quality nest. It is dirtier and may have more extra matter in it.

Voice 2

But how does a person prepare and eat a swiftlet nest? As we said before, many people eat this nest in the form of a soup. They add water to the nest. They let it sit and soak in water for a long time. After it soaks 14, a person can easily remove any extra matter from the nest, like feathers, straw, or sticks. After the nest is clean, a person boils it in water.

Voice 1

Sometimes a person may add things to the water, like sugar or chicken. This will change the taste of the bird’s nest. The finished soup will have a gelatinous feel – firm but wet.

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As we said before, many people say bird’s nest soup has medicinal qualities. Many people believe it helps skin stay healthy and balances a person’s life energy. They believe it strengthens 15 the lungs and prevents coughing. They believe the soup can also improve a person’s general health and help to make a person live longer. Some researchers also say that bird’s nest soup can help a body fight infection 16.

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Health experts have found many good substances 17 in swiftlet bird’s nests. The nests contain protein, carbohydrates 18, fiber 19, and iron 20. All these substances are necessary for good health.

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But not everyone can get bird’s nest soup. Swiftlet nests cost a lot of money. In ancient times, people called them ‘the food of the rich.’ Part of the reason is because they are so dangerous to harvest. But some people are changing that. Swiftlet farming 21 has become a very popular job in many parts of Malaysia, Thailand, and other Asian countries. Swiftlet farmers raise swiftlets to sell their nests.

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Sometimes people will tear down parts of their houses. Then, they will re–design or re–build parts of their houses. The new designs will encourage swiftlets to build their nests in the house. Then, swiftlet farmers do not have to harvest the nests in such dangerous conditions.

Voice 2

In any case, many people believe in the healing 22 power of this special bird’s nest. And people have been eating this food for hundreds of years! So, when someone offers you a bird’s nest to eat, will you eat it? It may be good for your health!