Pronounced, in Tagalog dialect (with Midwest twang): el nido soup

The imagery is brilliant: picture a bowl of twigs, assorted flora, a few chick feathers and the necessary glue of feces and drool.

But alas!  This dish, a delicacy in regions with a prodigious Swiftlet population (including Malaysia) looks and tastes like chicken broth.

El Nido, Palawan, Philippines, is known for this speciality: literally, 'the nest' soup.

No bird droppings.  No bark slivers.  Is it inappropriate to tell your waiter that you’re disappointed in a meal that’s made from the boiled-down spit of the common Swallow?

Second question: Who saw the first muddy clump of nest and thought ‘Mm, if we just put that over a fire for a few hours….!’?

Try it for yourself….