The BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis) announced that the US GDP for 2025 was 2.1% in the following press release. Scroll down for the cumulative 2025 figures:
https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/gdp-second-estimate-4th-quarter-and-year-2025
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and developer of the Bento War Game
The Circus Osorio is coming to Salinas, California from April 17 to 27, 2026 at the Salinas Rodeo.
Information about Circus Osorio and tickets follow:
https://www.americancrowncircus.com/
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The University of Chicago is offering 50% off select Earth Day books until April 24, 2026 - a one-week only sale.
Book topics include:
-frogs
-mushrooms
-birds
-trees
-snakes
-shells
-flowers
Details about the books on sale and purchase information ($9) follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d9b6d7e11fc7cf
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Sea Otter Classic has exploded in 2026 at Laguna Seca midway between Salinas and Monterey (California).
There are 1,000 brand at this year’s event according to the Monterey County Weekly and events for people of all ages.
Hotels are super full for this 4-day biking event, but may have wait lists.
This is a great venue for tracking walking time, especially if you have wearable tech med to track your miles and/or steps.
Details about this event follow:
https://www.seaotterclassic.com/
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
While driving through downtown Salinas (California), I saw a banner for First Friday Salinas and did some further research on it.
This monthly event features art and music produced by Salinas area artists as part of the Salinas Valley Arts Incubator Ecosystem matching up artists with the community and potential buyers. First Friday keeps the community “strong, creative, and connected” for all ages.
First Friday also showcases regional cuisine from organic producers.
First Friday helps make the arts part of engaged community life in Salinas. All of downtown becomes an art fair with live music, artwork, outstanding food for purchase, late hour store shopping, and a relaxed atmosphere for learning about the art produced in Salinas Valley.
Strolling during this event also provides some light, pleasurable exercise that you can measure with wearable techmed.
Information about First Friday participants follows:
https://salinascitycenter.com/whats-going-on/first-friday/
Note: There is garage parking available downtown by the Steinbeck Center.
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Land of Plenty Cookbook Review by Ruth Paget
Fuchsia Dunlop’s cookbook Land of Plenty about the food of Sichuan, a southern interior province of China, introduced this region’s spicy and healthy food to diners more familiar with the food of Hong Kong and its surrounding Guangdong province in the early 2000s.
Notably, Dunlop introduces readers to the dry-roasting cooking technique of using very little oil in a wok to almost sear foods and concentrate their flavor that is used in Sichuan, especially to cook green beans and pork.
Dunlop also introduces readers to the seasonings often used in Sichuanese dishes – garlic, ginger, scallions, red Sichuan peppercorns, and sometimes sesame oil to finish a dish. Dunlop describes Sichuan red peppercorns as numbing, but notes the chile peppers are judiciously used for an overall pleasing effect by Sichuanese cooks. I certainly like these flavors and will sometimes use all of them when I stir-fry cabbage.
What I really like in Dunlop’s cookbook are the easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes. If you cook enough of these recipes, you will eventually learn to set up a Chinese mise en place, so you can finish cooking most dishes in 15 minutes or less.
The energy savings from using a wok in cooking times should encourage many American cooks to adopt a Wok Wednesday Chinese dish to try cooking at home.
Home cooks might adopt a weekly dinner schedule like the following to include a wok dish:
Monday – pasta dinner
Tuesday – tacos
Wednesday – wok dinner
Thursday – pizza or delivery
Friday – fish
Young couples or young families might want to try the following two recipes for health, flavor, and money savings (use sweet red bell peppers if you think the Sichuan peppers might be too hot):
*Chicken with Chiles
The chicken in this dish is marinated in rice wine, light and dark soy sauce, and salt. The marinated chicken is then stir-fried and set aside. Next, dried red chile peppers are stir-fried with garlic and Sichuan peppers.
The chicken goes back in the pot with chopped scallions. The dish is finished with sesame oil and served.
*Dry-fried Green Beans
The cooking technique here uses very little oil so the green beans’ flavor concentrates and the skin almost blisters. The green beans are cooked and set aside.
Then, oil is added to the wok along with ginger, garlic, and scallions. The green beans are added back in and stirred till coasted with the seasonings and blazing hot.
If you add rice, these two dishes make a nice meal that is a fun multicultural activity for the family.
Wok Wednesday can feature dishes from many countries around Asia, but Fuchsia Dunlop’s Food of Plenty seems to have the easiest directions to follow so you can make a delicious dish on your first try.
Happy Cooking!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
4 University of Chicago Professors Win Guggenheim Fellowships reposted by Ruth Paget
Subjects supported by these fellowships include:
-urban sociology - analyzing how needs like energy, food, and waste management in cities are impacting the environment
-art of Mesoamerica (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras)
-19th and 20th century politics and culture in Russia and Europe
-deep sea oceanography and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Details about the awards follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games