UChicago Press -Creativity in.Chaos Books reposted by Ruth Paget

University of Chicago Press books about creativity in times of chaos and turmoil look interesting.

Francophiles might be especially interested in the notebooks of Albert Camus, winner of the 1967 Nobel Prize in Literature.  The notebooks have been translated into English.

Details on books and purchasing flow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d44887b6b026ba

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

Hunan Chicken at Golden Star Restaurant in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Hunan Chicken at Golden Star Restaurant in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Hunan chicken at Golden Star Restaurant in Salinas, California is not a secret menu item but almost. Basically, Hunan chicken is breaded and deep-fried chicken tenders. Then, the deep-fried tenders are coated in honey-soy sauce, which tastes like a barbecue sauce to me. 

The Hunan aspect of this dish comes in with the Sichuan hot peppercorn sauce. Chinese cookbook writer Fuchsia Dunlop describes Sichuan hot peppercorns as numbing. This affect is diminished somewhat by the sweet honey sauce the fat in the bread coating in the Hunan chicken at Golden Star. 

If you want the Vitamin C in the Sichuan hot peppercorns and the antioxidants without the chile pepper sting Hunan chicken might be for you. It has a pretty high calorie content, so dieters beware. For me, it is a once awhile treat. 

For super healthy Hunanese Chinese food, check out Fuchsia Dunlop’s cookbook Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province. (Hunan is considered revolutionary, because Chairman Mao was born there.) 

I have listed a link below to a recipe for Hunan chicken that is similar to what Golden Star offers by Nicki Borbishley: 

https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/chinese-crispy-chicken-honey-garlic-sauce/

Barbecue lovers who would like to try something similar in Chinese food might enjoy the Hunan chicken at Golden Star Restaurant in Salinas, California. 

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

China’s 8 Main Regional Cuisines reposted by Ruth Paget

The following website on fine dining does a great job describing ingredients,?seasonings, and techniques used in China’s main regional cuisines - it’s great a mini work of cultural anthropology:

https://www.finedininglovers.com/explore/articles/8-regional-chinese-cuisines-explained-depth#:~:text=The%20principles%20of%20Chinese%20cuisines,to%20distinguish%20regional%20Chinese%20cuisines.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Teen in China and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Farmers' Markets Agritourism in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Farmers’ Markets Agritourism in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Market town Salinas, California has 5 Farmers’ Markets where locals and regional visitors can do some agritourism centered on the purchase of organic produce and prepared regional food dishes from food trucks and market stalls. 

These markets include: 

*Northridge Mall Night Market at Northridge Mall 

-Wednesdays 

-4 pm to 9 pm 

Features local food vendors, taco trucks, live music, and family-friendly activities like pony rides and bounce houses. 

*Oldtown Salinas Farmers’ Market held one block from the Steinbeck Center on Main Street 

-Saturdays 

-9 am to 2 pm 

*Alisal Certified Farmers’ Market 

-Tuesdays 

-11 am to 4 pm 

Near WIC office. Accepts EBT/WIC 

*Natividad Certified Farmers’ Market on Constitution Boulevard at Natividad Medical Center

-Wednesdays 

- 10 am to 2:30 pm 

Accepts EBT/WIC 

*Salinas Valley Health Certified Farmers’ Market on Romie Lane 

-Fridays 

-11:30 am to 4 pm 

Accepts EBT/WIC 

These are market hours and dates as of March 30, 2026. Check websites to verify dates and times as we head into spring and summer. 

Salinas reminds me of the English town of Epping outside London that I visited on a trip to England. My blog about the town follows: 

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2018/08/touring-epping-london-suburb-uk-with.html?m=1

I am watching YouTube and TikTok videos by Luke Palladino and Giovanni Siracusa for ideas on how to use market purchases for Italian dishes.

Happy Marketing!

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

French Armchair Travel and Culture Games Created by Ruth Paget

A Sampling of French Armchair Travel and Culture Games Created by Ruth Paget

Saintoge: The La Rochelle France Touring Game

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2025/11/saintoge-la-rochelle-france-touring.html?m=1

Majorelle: The Lorraine France Touring Game

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2025/05/majorelle.html?m=1

Ausone: The Bordeaux Region Touring Game

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2018/07/ausone-bordeaux-region-touring-game.html?m=1

Guigone de Salins: The Burgundy Touring Game

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2018/10/guigone-de-salins-burgundy-touring-game.html?m=1

Jean Vrolicq: The French Basque Country Travel Gale

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2018/08/jean-vrolicq-french-basque-country.html?m=1

Dukes of Brittany (France) Touring Game

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2019/01/dukes-of-brittany-touring-game-created.html?m=1

Bocuse: The Lyon France Touring Game

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2018/08/paul-bocuse-lyon-france-touring-game.html?m=1

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

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