European Beer and Lemonade Drinks Tradition by Ruth Paget

European Beer and Lemonade Drinks Tradition by Ruth Paget 

I first discovered European beer and lemonade drinks when I drank a French panaché at the St.-Nom-de-la-Bretèche Golf Club outside Paris, France. 

I had organized a golf outing for several of the Japanese clients of the firm where I worked. I do not play golf, but I have learned to keep score for many sports after being part of a junior bowling league in Royal Oak, Michigan at the Yorba Linda Lanes. 

This early bowling experience taught me how sports can promote food and beverage sales in local communities. I was very interested in the beer and lemonade combination and so were the Japanese, avid golf players. 

In the 1990s, panaché became available in canned versions in Paris and rivaled Orangina for television advertising ads. I might not have started the trend, but I was there and certainly drank my share of French beer and lemonade when I lived in Paris.

I discovered that Germany also has beer and lemonade drink called radler (or radlermass) when I lived in Stuttgart, Germany. Germans mostly make radler with lemonade, but will sometimes add grapefruit and/or oranges to the citrus mix. 

Back in California, I wondered if the English also have a beer and lemonade tradition. I looked through the internet responses and saw several websites describing a shandy, a beer and lemonade drink that can also be made with carbonated lemonade. 

Recipes for these drinks call for 50% beer (Pilsner or ale) to 50% lemonade. 

My preference among the three is German radler, because you can add many kinds of citrus to the citrus ade and avoid food waste. 

All three beer and lemonade drinks – panaché, radler, and shandy – are easy to prepare summer drinks perfect for a barbecue. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Pico de Gallo Salsa with Chips and Greek Chicken Salad at Woody's Bar and Restaurant at the Monterey Regional Airport (California) by Ruth Paget

Pico de Gallo Salsa and Chips and Greek Chicken Salad at Woody’s Bar and Restaurant at the Monterey Regional Airport in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

A recent heat wave with temperatures in the 90s encouraged my family to dine at Woody’s Bar and Restaurant and the Monterey Regional Airport in Monterey, California for their great food and equally great air conditioning. 

I wanted salty food and ordered pico de gallo salsa and chips as a starter. This dish at Woody’s is made with chopped tomatoes, chopped and mild green and reddening Serrano peppers (probably from nearby Prunedale), chopped onions, chopped cilantro, salt, and freshly squeezed lime juice. 

This salsa bursts with Vitamin C and helps rid the body of free radicals that may cause cancer. This chunky salsa tastes wonderful on house-baked tortilla chips that are lightly salted. This appetizer definitely “opens the appetite” as the French say. 

As my main dish, I ordered one of my favorite dishes from teen years in Detroit, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois – a Greek salad. The Salinas, California version of this dish comes with sautéed chicken breast seasoned with lemon-pepper salt and oregano, a heaping mound of bitter red and green frisée lettuce, and red wine and vinegar dressing as the basic ingredients. 

The red wine vinegar is sharp, probably house-made with apple cider vinegar and aged. It is mixed with the addition of oregano. This dressing makes the salad outstanding. The chicken, lettuce, and dressing alone are full of vitamins and antioxidants that taste wonderful for bitter and sour flavor combination lovers. 

Woody’s adds the following items to their Greek salad for flavor and spa dining: 

-sour feta goat cheese cubes for calcium and protein 

-pitted small Niçoise olives 

-minced red onions 

-heirloom cherry tomatoes cut in half 

-slice yellow banana peppers 

I never get tired of tonic Greek salads. I always feel healthy and chipper after eating one. 

I drank a bitter, unsweetened tea with a squeeze of lemon juice with the salad. I like bitter tea when it is hot out and it made the bitter lettuce taste even better with the red wine dressing. 

Locals and visitors alike can benefit from eating Monterey County’s organic produce at Woody’s at the Monterey Regional Airport in California along with organic chicken from neighboring San Benito County.  

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Chicago Architecture Center Tours of Chicago by Boat reposted by Ruth Paget

Chicago Architecture Tours by boat on the Chicago River are a pretty spectacular way to visit the city.

Details about the boat tours follow:

https://www.architecture.org/city-tours/river-cruise?utm_source=google_cpc&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_campaign=cbc_gsearch_cBC-RiverCruiseMXC&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22327194634&gbraid=0AAAAADlWBGHMPR1jd0Ibu78_epcd5ZvrA&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1ZjOBhCmARIsADDuFTCS3KItZRoxn1uy4j9vGUmfus0FcphFhu6byOLDsO1vijB4UbsvG28aAuXtEALw_wcB

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Bricks Tell Chicago’s History Reposted by Ruth Paget

The book Fire and Clay: How Bricks Reveal the Hidden History of Chicago by Will Quam recounts Chicago’s history through the development of brick.

Details about this book from the University of Chicago Press follow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d2f4755400207e

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Free, In-Person US-China Relations Lecture at UChicago on April 17, 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago will host a free, in-person talk on April 17, 2026 by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Secretary of Defense Chuck Havel on US - China Relations Amidst the War with Iran.

Reservations are required to attend this event.

Details about the speakers and reservations follow:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2026-hagel-lecture-americas-role-in-asia-in-context-of-war-with-iran-tickets-1984629245498?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Californian Building Use Idea: Bookstore or College Classrooms by Ruth Paget

Former Californian Newspaper Building Use Idea by Ruth Paget

Perhaps Hartnell College could use space in this building for a coffee shop, bookstore, classrooms, student lounges, study areas, or dining areas.

If Hartnell College became a four-year institution, this extra space would be especially useful.

Just a thought,

Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Milestone Gift to UChicsgo Endows Chair in Game Design and Media Innovation reposteD by Ruth Paget

Mouly-Carlson Family Establishes Endowed Chair to Advance Game Design and Media Innovation at the University of Chicago.

Details about this milestone gift to the University of Chicago follow:

https://humanities.uchicago.edu/articles/2026/03/mouly-carlson-family-establishes-endowed-chair-advance-game-design-and-media

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games