A Box of Fake Bird's Nest That's Never for Sale

There is a box of bird's nest at the Fosetter counter that is never for sale. "This is fake bird's nest," Carmen says, holding it up. "I got it from somewhere else. It's not for sale here. I keep it just to show customers what's good and what's fake."

What gives away a fake

She turns the piece in the light. "You can see these catch the light," she says, pointing at a glassy shine on the surface. Real bird's nest does not reflect light that way. The fake also has a tell in how it cooks: "After you clean it, don't steam it too long. If you steam it too long, it turns to water." And the texture is wrong. "It's a bit like a potato chip. There's no density to it."

What real bird's nest looks like

Carmen's own stock is shaped like small triangles. "Bird's nest is triangular, and the strands run fairly tall," she says. "If it's plastic, it reflects light. Ours doesn't. It keeps its natural colour." Held up to the light, a genuine piece shows a clear, fibrous texture. "You can see the texture," she says, turning it over. For soaking, she keeps it simple: two to four hours is enough.

A harder case: real nest, padded out

Not everything fake is obviously fake. Carmen also shows a second kind of problem, one that is trickier to catch. "Is this bird's nest, or something else?" she asks, picking up another piece. "It is bird's nest. But it's missing the binding. The texture lines aren't very clear." Turn it over and the strands look stuck together rather than separated. "There's a lot of nest fragments added in here," she explains, "because fragments are worth less, and they're quite broken up, probably from being short on binding." It is still real bird's nest, just lower quality, with a base that has been packed with loose fragments to add weight.

Side by side

She lines the two up on the counter. "Look, put two bird's nests together and you can compare them," she says. "You can see, the texture is clear here, and the base doesn't have any binding stuck to it." A customer once pointed out that somewhere else was cheaper. Her answer: "I'm not selling you cheap. I'm selling you quality."

You can see both the real and the comparison pieces at the counter, 78 Rue De La Gauchetière Ouest, Montreal Chinatown.