The Street Food That Takes Tourists by Surprise

this video was sponsored by Squarespace in 2011 humanity consumed the equivalent of 55 million chickens a day the majority of people in North America though just stick to breasts thighs and wings but did you know that people have been eating their feet to stay young further there are whole markets out there dedicated to eating half grown duck embryos and did you know that people in Hong Kong eat 100 tons of birds nests per year [Music] international cuisines can be strange or even scary at times we just need to keep in mind that no food is normal people eat what is available to them and if it seems strange it's just because we're not used to it and with that out of the way let's get into it eating chicken feet for our North American audience might seem a tad odd but they are a side dish and an ingredient in soups and stir fries across the world anywhere from China Russia Mexico and South Africa to name a few those who swear by the health benefits of chicken feet do so primarily because they are rich in collagen one of the most common proteins in the human body which helps with the development of bones skin muscles ligaments and tendons it also provides structure to tissues and can be found in cartilage which cushions our joints our bodies can produce collagen by combining amino acids glycine and prolene along with a third modified amino acid that is produced with the help of vitamin C you can get these amino acids from foods like eggs dairy meat products and the skin of chicken and pork but the question still lingers does eating chicken feet provide a more efficient source of collagen than eating a varied diet and letting our bodies do the rest unfortunately when you consume fully formed collagen your body breaks it down into its composite parts glycine and prolene then reassembles those amino acids back into collagen or whatever else the body might need think of your gut like a recycling center it takes fully manufactured things and breaks them down so we can allocate resources where we need them that doesn't mean however that consuming collagen is useless it just means that there are some resources that get used elsewhere in the process collagen gives structure to skin and cartilage among other things but our bodies become less and less efficient at making it as we age what about supplements then studies have found that they significantly improved skin hydration elasticity roughness and density here's the best part they also found that collagen supplementation is generally safe with no reported adverse events so go nuts kids so yes eating chicken feet which are high in collagen comes with all the benefits of a diet high in this protein but your body won't use it in its current form if you have a complex diet of many different nutrients you'll be able to make up for any deficiencies and if you're unable to do that supplements will do the trick - bacon and eggs are a classic breakfast tradition across North America I like to have mine with a big cup of black coffee but would you still eat your beanies if those eggs contain half grown baby birds well that's the point with Ballou eggs which are as the story goes an old chinese tradition although they can be found throughout Southeast Asia they are fertilized duck eggs aged between 12 to 20 days then boil it is thought that the more developed egg the more masculine you must be to eat it it is also consumed by pregnant women to encourage a healthy pregnancy but we're going to focus on value as a Oh an aphrodisiac cover your ears bean Balu is generally eaten by slurping out what is lovingly referred to as a broth from the eggs and then using a spoon scooping out the partially just dated duck and eating it bones and all but don't worry since they're not fully grown the bones aren't hard so you won't choke on them oh and if you're a fan of bagels you'll be happy to hear that the yolk has the mouthfeel of cream cheese you know that doesn't actually make me feel better for some reason bro Belu eggs are packed with protein beta carotene and vitamin C they contain a good amount of B vitamins and minerals as well setting aside the aphrodisiac qualities Belu eggs seem to be a healthy source of many different things our bodies need that being said the FDA in a 2009 report noted that the temperature and humidity inside Balu incubators are conducive to the potential growth of Salmonella organisms so there is some risk involved with the consumption of Balu and that should be considered before you dive in now concerning Bellew's aphrodisiac qualities first off an aphrodisiac is a a substance that is used to increase sexual desire and/or pleasure they work two different ways mentally and physiologically that is they either get you in the mood by getting you thinking about it or they chemically induce arousal in the brain common foods said to have this quality include oysters pomegranates chocolate strawberries and chili peppers among other things but there is no scientific evidence to suggest that any natural aphrodisiac has any impact on libido beyond a placebo effect that isn't to say that many products branded as aphrodisiacs don't have other non natural ingredients that can get you in the mood at least when it comes to foods your mind is likely tricking you into getting you in the mood for some do you hate this because I hate this let's move on I thought that the wildest bird related food would have been half just ated eggs but turns out that we're not only eating partially grown bird embryos or eating the nest they come from - what you're telling me people I eat sticks and leaves people aren't eating that don't worry no the structure is made by the white nest swiftlet a small sparrow like bird that lives in caves and on the roofs of codes throughout Southeast Asia they're edible nests are constructed on walls and ceilings of caves using their sticky adhesive saliva which hardens into a sort of cement-like substance it's called an edible bird nest and it's a huge industry in East Asia apparently it's delicious and soup selling from anywhere around sixty six hundred dollars per kilo it's not hard to see the lucrative nosov the market harvesting the bird's nest is a long and tedious process most harvesters climb up bamboo scaffolds at sunrise and only return to the ground at dusk many days they're suspended upwards of a terrifying 50 metres in the air their only light a torch between their teeth because their hands are preoccupied prying the white gold from the walls a single harvester may collect from 50 to 60 nests a day this dangerous job results in a number of deaths from ropes breaking bamboo scaffolds rotting away and simple mistakes but if we remember the sixty six hundred dollars per kilogram price tag it's hard not to see the incentive behind this line of work swiftlets are able to build three nests in a season constructing each nest takes a a month from the first application of nest cement to what it's able to hold eggs if a harvester removes the nest then they will immediately begin rebuilding in the same spot most sustainable harvesters only remove the same swiftlets nest twice in order to let them lay eggs at the end of the season but not everyone is as patient or considerate of the birds homes and we knew I was gonna ask what could be so great about some nests made from bird spit many claim that these nests can aid immune function the theory is that these nests are high in glycoproteins and since those are building blocks for much of your immune system by eating a lot of it we can shore up our body's defenses against illness it's true that glycoproteins are a key molecule and many cells across the human body they are involved in transport cells structure cells hormones and what do you know immunoglobulins or as they're also referred antibodies antibodies are y-shaped proteins that use antigens to attach themselves to foreign invaders in the body chill there's nothing more body positive than a functioning immune system but the question is does eating glycoproteins in our food results in higher concentrations of them in our body like we saw it with chicken feet in collagen just because if food contains a molecule that it's beneficial to the human body doesn't necessarily mean that we can just pluck it out and put it to work wherever we need it funny enough collagen itself is a glycoprotein our body's usually produce glycoproteins through a process called glycosylation it occurs within a person's cells specific to what's needed there are many other foods that will probably provide the same if not more nutrients that your body can likewise use to maintain a functioning immune system eat a balanced diet and unless you have a condition that impairs your immune function then you'll be a-ok and look those other foods probably don't cost upwards of a hundred dollars a bowl in the words of late travel and food writer Anthony Bourdain I think food culture people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable our histories are intertwined with the food that was available to our ancestors and what is available to us now just because a food seems strange to you does mean that it's wrong and at the end of the day whether it seems unnatural or strange is irrelevant Bourdain and his wisdom asked and do we want to eat without fear tearing into the local stew the humble to curious mystery meat the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head I know what I want I want it all I want to try why are you building a business site a hosting your own hobby blog Squarespace makes it easy to build your own website with all in one feature sweet wait what's going on bro I gotta say this food feature has lit some kind of fire in me oh no not that again I'll Google that kind of fire with the help of Squarespace I've put together a blog focus on my new passion unusual foods from around the world did you know in Sardinia they serve a cheese that's just filled with maggots while in Iceland they have a food that's just fermented shock oh yeah it's cold how come I know what you're thinking I don't know what think about web design don't worry about it Squarespace is drag-and-drop system and birth of terrific templates makes it easy for anyone to build a blog so thanks to Squarespace all you lovely people can learn about all the crazy cuisines out there some alcoholics sparkling milk the baptized pop turks have you seen those things they're just like candy covered cardboard that fruit haphazardly glanced at ring ring it's diabeetus we want our breakfast back Squarespace makes websites a breeze to build I don't even let me set up an email campaign to keep my fans updated with all the latest on fantastical face plus with integrated social media support you can share my thoughts with the world on platforms like Facebook reddit Pinterest and Twitter what about the really exciting parts of web development like analytics and data collection wonder no longer cuz Squarespace also offers integrated analytics so I can track which content has the best pause oh my look at all those sassy statistics you know Boyce Bates even lets you donate when you love my blog you could donate to me so I can make a trip to the world famous food museum in Malmo Sweden and experience these diverse flavors for myself Joe Squarespace when working on your own site whether it's a blog a portfolio start your own site with the free trial and get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain today at Squarespace dark I'm slash bro [Music]

Channel: Brew

Views: 464,176

Rating: 4.9273372 out of 5

Keywords: bird nest, chicken feet, bird nest soup, eating chicken feet, is chicken feet good for you, is balut healthy, is balut expensive, bird nest expensive, balut eating, balut egg, balut egg eating, bird saliva, bird nest saliva, bird spit, eating bird saliva, bird's nest soup, bird nest delicacy, food asia, asian food, unusual food, unusual foods, the most unusual foods, most unusual foods, only in asia, unusual foods in asia, unusual food in china

Id: XWmWV9m3HZo

Length: 11min 57sec (717 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 12 2020