100,000 Visitors Expected for Car Week 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

I read that 100,000 visitors are expected for Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula in the Monterey County Weekly.

The Weekly noted that this is the 75th anniversary for the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach, California, which showcases investment cars.

More information about the upcoming Car Week can be found below:

https://whatsupmonterey.com/events/monterey-car-week

Have fun car shopping!

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

Great Deal Broccoli Beef Noodle Stir-Fry Kit from Costco in Sand City, California by Ruth Paget

Great Deal Beef Broccoli Noodle Kit from Costco in Sand City, California by Ruth Paget 

A terrific good deal on beef is the beef broccoli noodle stir-fry kit from Costco in Sand City, California. This kit costs $28.52. 

My family of 3 can eat a generous Chinese meal for about $9.51 per person at that price. 

The beef broccoli noodle stir-fry kit contains: 

-broccoli 

-pre-cooked and seasoned beef strips 

-wheat noodles 

-two packages sauce 

The instructions call for cooking the broccoli 2 minutes and adding chicken after that. The chicken and broccoli are supposed to cook for 2 minute together. Then, you add the sauce and noodles to this mixture and cook it for 2 minutes. All together, this mixture should be ready in 6 minutes. 

I added 2 minutes to each step to obtain sizzling hot food. The broccoli florets came out tender and the stems were crisp tender this way. All together I spent 12 minutes stir-frying this dish with a wok. 12 minutes is a very short cook time. 

I put a lid on the wok when I was done and placed it on the table. When my family was assembled for lunch, I took the lid off the wok and let the hearty aroma steam out of the pan. This lunch tasted as good as the beefy aroma. 

Broccoli is especially nutritious with its Vitamin C and Vitamin K along with fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. The noodles bring you carbohydrates for energy. Beef brings diners protein and iron among other ingredients. 

That is a lot of nutrition for $9.51 per person for this one-pot meal. (Learning how to cook with a wok has its advantages for nutrition and money savings thanks to quick cooking time.) 

Happy Cooking! 

By Ruth Paget 

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books 

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

Wine and Cheese Tasting on July 24, 2026 in Carmel, California reposted by Ruth Paget

The Salinas Valley Tribune’s Online Event Calendar lists a Wine and Cheese Tasting Event at the Cheese Shop in Carmel, California on July 24, 2026.

Event details and ticket purchase information from the Salinas Valley Event Calendar follow:

https://salinasvalleytribune.com/events-calendar/#/details/wine-cheese-pairing-by-the-cheese-shops-kent-torrey/19304155/2026-07-24T17?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Culture%20Rustler%3A%20The%20Salinas%20Valley%20Events%20Calendar&utm_campaign=Culture%20Rustler%3A%20The%20Salinas%20Valley%20Events%20Calendar

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

AI Outperforming Wine Writers according to Chicago Booth Review reposted by Ruth Paget

The Chicago Booth Review analyzes the performance of AI against wine writers and finds AI to produce more profits in the wine industry.

The entire article follows:

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/ai-is-coming-marketing-department?source=ic-em-20260721&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGjJCqyagZk_Js0OpWYDZdBxgl3hKEK0cLMW_wt68Y4Yic6UZauBJ1xtjzVrYvfh8Jg53AAB7Ur6SWcL7eU-12qDWNE1hd9XPQ1I1ECy-dLU889r3w

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

Great Courses Travel Downloads Look Enticing! Reposted by Ruth Paget

The Great Courses are offering several travel courses to help prepare for trips or do armchair traveling.  

Three of the courses I Thought looked very good include:

-Rome in the Time of Caesars

-Exploring Southern Italy’s History, Art, and Archaeology

-Ancient Treasures of Turkey

Information about these courses follows:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19f845cec88a1a31

I have used Great Courses to study photography, macroeconomics, nutrition, and tai chi and qigong and have been happy with the course offerings.

It is fun to browse through their entire course catalog.

Reposted by Ruth Paget

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games and 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

Pretty Great Garlic Chicken at Golden Star Chinese Restaurant in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Pretty Great Garlic Chicken at Golden Star Chinese Restaurant in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

One of my favorite Chinese food-as-medicine dishes is garlic chicken. At Golden Star Restaurant in Salinas (California), garlic chicken is especially delicious with the addition of seasonal, organic vegetables. 

Golden Star’s garlic chicken is similar to the one by Teresa Shields makes on Allrecipes.com, which calls for: 

1-Heating peanut oil in a wok and stir-frying garlic, ginger, and green onions. These vegetables are called the aromatics for flavoring the peanut oil. 

2-Chicken pieces are added and stir-fried till opaque. More garlic is added and stir-fried. 

3-Sweet onions, bell peppers, and cabbage are next added in and stir-fried. The onions and bell peppers are called seasonings and flavor the chicken and other vegetables.

4-At Golden Star, the restaurant adds thinly sliced carrots and mushrooms to the mixture above and stir-fries them. 

5-A small amount of chicken broth is added next, and the wok is covered.

6-While the wok contents are steaming, the cook makes a sauce of chicken broth, soy sauce, a little sugar, and cornstarch. The cornstarch thickens the sauce. The sauce is added and stirred till steaming. The garlic chicken is served immediately with rice. 

The combination of garlic and vegetables in this dish is delicious, especially the mushrooms which bring out the umami flavor in the garlic chicken. 

Golden Star is an unpretentious neighborhood Chinese restaurant that makes use of the choice of 200+ vegetables grown in the Salinas Valley outside Salinas, California. 

I initially went to Golden Star Chinese Restaurant to support a local business and loved how good the food was. Their large menu can accommodate just about all diners. 

The food at Golden Star Chinese Restaurant is reasonably priced and merits a look on the online menu for interested potential customers. 

By Ruth Paget 

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books 

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games and 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games

Reliably Delicious Food at Woody's at the Monterey Airport (15 minutes from Salinas, California) by Ruth Paget

Reliably Delicious Food at Woody’s at the Monterey Airport (15 minutes away from Salinas, California) by Ruth Paget 

Thanks to visitors from around the US and overseas, the menu at Woody’s Bar and Grill at the Monterey Airport offers a variety of dishes including traditional American bar fare and items like potstickers, seared ahi salad, and sirloin bites for golfers, professors, comfortable retirees, and TV and movie stars. 

On a recent (July 2026) visit to Woody’s after several hot days, my family went to dinner at Woody’s. We arrived early to secure an upstairs booth in an air-conditioned room. (Reservations recommended) 

My daughter Florence Paget and my husband Laurent began their meal with cups of clam chowder. I ordered chicken potstickers, which were plump, meaty, juicy, and umami delicious. Nine came in what I thought was a generous portion for appetizers. 

I ordered what has become an American bar classic: fish and chips. At Woody’s, they serve three large pieces of Pacific Rock Cod that has a beer batter, deep-fried crust. I loved the creamy, tartar sauce with piquant pickles, and the spicy cocktail sauce with freshly grated horseradish. 

Laurent ordered a tomato – fennel cream pasta with a side of burrata cheese to go on grilled crostini. Florence ate a large sirloin steak with a baked potato with butter and cream cheese. People in town know that Woody’s has great steak, especially the prime rib special on Friday nights. 

For dessert, Laurent ate house made raspberry sorbet, and Florence drank an espresso martini. I love bar – restaurants that serve reliably delicious food like Woody’s at the Monterey Airport in California. 

Travelers and locals alike might be surprised by the variety of choices worthy of a steak and seafood restaurant on the shoreline. 

By Ruth Paget 

-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France + 6 Kindle books

-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games