To host an international exchange student or have a student study abroad as an exchange student, check out Youth for Understanding for options including scholarships:
I went to Japan as an exchange student with Youth for Understanding in 1980.
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Gams
Places to Find Potted Cooking Herbs in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
While making a trip to Nob Hill for bread and drinkable yogurt, I saw that Nob Hill was selling potted herbs and vegetables in the entrance. Snipping fresh herbs into a dish always makes me think of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows.
Salinas cooks interested in perking up dishes like eggs, rice with butter, pasta with tomato sauce, mashed potatoes with butter and/or sour cream, and salads might enjoy checking out what the following stores have to offer as potted herbs and/or vegetables:
*Nob Hill
Salinas, California
*Lowe’s
Salinas, California
*CVS
Salinas, California - check online first for availability
*Costco
Salinas and Sand City, California
*Trader Joe’s
Marina, California
Happy Cooking!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
While picking up an apple crisp pie (around $33) at the Farm outside Salinas (California), I saw a 6-foot purple plant growing the parking lot by the garden.
I used Google lens to identify the plant and saw that is is a Brazilian vervain verbena plant.
The Brazilian vervain verbena is very useful to the Salinas area for several reasons:
-their flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and other crop pollinators
-bees use honey they collect to make honey
-the plant is drought resistant
-the plant is heat tolerant
-the plant is deer resistant
Details on this plant from a nursery and purchase information follow:
Have fun garden strolling at the Farm outside Salinas, California where you can buy pie and heirloom tomatoes among other items!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
On today’s Costco run I saw people buying faux double ball boxwood trees (about 4 feet tall).
Topiary trees look good on either side of doorways.(Versailles and other French chateaux use this decorating feature.)
This faux tree lets you have this landscaped look inside your home with little maintenance (maybe dusting). People in colder climates can have year-round greenery with this topiary tree.
The following link to a faux double ball topiary sold by qvc follows:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
United announces seasonal non-stop flights between Monterey, California and Chicago, Illinois for a 4 1/2 hour flight.
Art and architecture lovers have a choice of world famous museums to visit here and architecture tours by boat and bus.
Information about this new flight service by United follows:
Note: I lived in the corn cob Marina City Tower close to the boat in the photo after graduating from the University of Chicago.
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Using electricity during off-peak hours for laundry machines and dishwashers for example can save on electricity bills with PG&E Time of Use Plans.
I have reposted information on PG&E’s time and use plans below:
https://www.pge.com/en/account/rate-plans/time-of-use-rate-plans.html
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’s. Chicago Minds Fundraising Achievements to date in 2026 follow along with guiding principles for university fundraising efforts follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Monterey County Weekly online calendar lists an upcoming concert at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley (California) featuring the Cleveland Orchestra’s Mark Kasower (Principal Cello) and Robert Walters (Solo English Horn) on May 27, 2026.
Event information and ticket purchase details follow on the link to the Monterey County Weekly online community calendar:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Gaming the Gods course at the University of Chicago Divinity School challenges students to identify religious and belief systems present in games like Halo and India.
The class learns about insider/outsider analysis skills as one of the class outcomes.
Students are invited to bring in content from their studies outside the class such as in economics and art history to enrich the class experience for all students as they analyze the games.
Many students are learning about foreign cultures and religions through gaming imagery in the 21st century making game analysis a necessary skill like media literacy.
The University of Chicago article on the Gaming the Gods course follows:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Sweet Pea Shrub Sightings at the Market at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
While drinking my Peerless organic coffee at The Market at Pebble Beach (California), I used the Google lens app to identify a sweet pea shrub grown by the side of The Market.
The sweet pea shrub is originally from South Africa and grows well in coastal conditions like those at Pebble Beach.
It requires frequent watering when first becoming established, but once it is established it can withstand drought conditions. The sweet pea can be trimmed to a hedge with purple-magenta flowers poking out of the hedge like those at the Market at Pebble Beach.
More information about the sweet pea shrub follows:
https://www.thespruce.com/sweet-pea-shrub-profile-5074216
Happy Garden Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The overarching ambiguity of Painting in the 1980s characterizes outwardly diverse styles such as Neo-Geo and Italian Transvanguardia in this book by Rosemary Vohane Erpf sold by the University of Chicago Press during its book sale which runs until June 15, 2026.
Details about the book and purchase information follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19e455f9e35b502a
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The following article in UChicago News discusses UChicgoNode which makes 200 University of Chicago Special Library Collections available to researchers in digital format.
These collection reflect the diversity of the University from archaeological digs in Turkey to 1960s news television.
UChicagoNote comments on collected data (metadata) and is designed for the easy addition of future materials.
The article follows:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The following article on ways to make AI training faster and cheaper so businesses can use their own data to develop AI human language models for business needs according to Kawin Ethayarajh from Chicago Booth (one of the article’s authors) details one of the reasons AI is expensive to implement and how to potentially lower implementation costs:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I have used Great Courses videos to study photography, nutrition, tai chi and qigong, microeconomics, and English literature.
I have been very happy with these courses and think their travel videos might be great preparation for trips to the following countries:
-Germany
-Vietnam
-Great Britain
-Japan
-Norway
-France (Paris - Belle Epoque)
-Italy (Ancient Rome)
Information about these travel videos follows:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19e3adbeca47fea8
Happy Trails!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Upcoming Food Festivals on California’s Central Coast by Ruth Paget
Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival
May 23 - 24, 2026
Morgan Hill, California (30 miles north of Salinas)
Event information follows:
https://morganhillmushroomfestival.org/
Taco Festival 2026
May 30 - 31, 2026
Salinas, California
Event information follows:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/taco-fest-2026-tickets-1980288197306?aff=ebdiglgoogleliveevents
Pinot & Paella
June 7, 2026
Templeton, California
Event information follows:
https://www.slocal.com/event/pinot-%26-paella-festival/16386/
Gilroy Garlic Festival
July 24 - 26, 2026
Gilroy, California
Event information follows:
https://gilroygarlicfestival.com/
Japanese Bon Odori Events in California (typically in August)
https://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/p/obon-popular.php
Strawberry Festival
August 1 - 3, 2026
Watsonville, California
Event information follows:
https://www.watsonville.gov/1117/Watsonville-Strawberry-Festival
Turkish Arts and Culture Festival
August 22, 2026
Monterey, California
Event information follows:
https://whatsupmonterey.com/events/food-wine-events/california-turkish-arts-culture-festival/504
Artichoke Festival
September 5, 2026
Castroville, California
Castroville claims to be the world capital of artichoke production.
Event information follows:
Festa Italia
September 11 - 13, 2026
Monterey, California
Event information follows:
https://festaitaliamonterey.org/
SLO Oktoberfest
October 3, 2026
San Luis Obispo, California
Event information follows:
https://www.slocal.com/event/slo-oktoberfest/16581/
Food festivals which I always associate with Italy, Spain, and France are very much part of Central California’s culture as well. ((See Carol Field’s book Celebrating Italy and Discovering Spain by Penelope Casas on this topic. For France, the fete de Cochon or late fall hog killing festivals in Auvergne are examples.)
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Mystical Arts of Tibet Culture Showcase will take place on May 22, 2026 at the Sunset Center in Carmel, California.
More information about the Mystical Arts of Tibet Showcase and ticket purchase details follow:
https://www.sunsetcenter.org/event/the-mystical-arts-of-tibet-sacred-music-sacred-chants/
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Antique Yellow Lady Banks Rose Sighting at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
Antique roses seem to have many petals and a noticeable fragrance. The yellow lady banks rose by the post office behind The Market at Pebble Beach, California certainly seems to fit this description.
Yellow lady banks roses can grow up to 20 feet. The one by the post office at Pebble Beach stands at about 9 feet and still growing.
This rose bush blooms in spring but is most abundant in summer. It is valued in California, because it is drought resistant.
I admired it with a Peerless organic coffee from The Market at Pebble Beach. Sipping coffee and identifying plants, flowers, and trees is a nice way to slow down and relax on the weekend for me.
I used the Google lens app to identify the yellow lady banks rose. I then checked several other website to make sure I had a correct identification.
More general information about the yellow lady banks rose follows:
Nursery information and purchase details follow:
Happy Garden Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I love Japanese gyoza pork and cabbage dumplings. You can make them in a variety of ways, but I have the best results when I sauté them stovetop.
As a condiment for dipping, you can dunk them in soy sauce or ponzu sauce which is made with soy sauce, mirin wine and citrus. They are very good with snipped green onions and rice on the side. Pickles go well with this too for crunch and a fermented, probiotic side.
A link for them at Nob Hill follows:
H Mart sells these and you could probably find them at Asia Pacific Market in Marina, California as well.
Happy Cooking!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Salinas Valley Now, the online sister publication of Monterey County Now, has a great story about this weekend’s fair.
Lots of activities for kids and wine tastings for adults.
A link to the Salinas Valley Now story follows:
Have fun strolling in the sun!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
People who loved the film Oppenheimer and want to know more about the experiments carried out in Los Alamos might enjoy the book Trinity: An Illustrated History of the World’s First Atomic Test by Emily Seyl named for the work done in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Trinity is published by the University of Chicago Press.
General Information and purchase information follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19e2ba1413cd6830
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Oleaster (Silverberry) And Other Sightings at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
On my latest outing to Pebble Beach (California) for organic Peerless coffee at The Market, I used the Google lens app to identify a dense, leaf-packed shrub called an oleaster or silverberry.
The oleaster can be trimmed to make a hedge for privacy. It blossoms in summer and can grow into a mid-size tree (about 5 to 8 feet).
The oleaster is popular in coastal areas due to its ability to withstand salt and wind.
More general information about the oleaster follows:
https://mygardenlife.com/plant-library/russian-olive-oleaster-elaeagnus-angustifolia
Nursery information and purchase information about the oleaster follow:
Thanks to the Google lens app, I was able to easily identify the oleaster. I checked other websites to make sure I had the right plant.
The Google lens app has allowed me to add nature photography, nature writing, and gardens walks to my hobby list. I have used field guides in the past to do this, but Google lens speeds up the process considerably.
I will use Google lens to identify flowers, plants, trees, and animals throughout Pebble Beach now. I already like to visit this spot for bird watching. Pebble Beach has brown pelicans, cormorants, and seagulls in abundance with Great Egrets starting to make appearances on a regular basis.
Deer and seals also make Pebble Beach home. I enjoy looking at them at a distance and use my phone camera close up zoom app to take photos of them.
Taking time to learn about the oleaster plant I saw at The Market made me appreciate the organic coffee and all the wildlife at Pebble Beach, California even more than usual.
Other visitors might enjoy adding plant identification to their Pebble Beach, California outings as well.
Happy Strolling on the Coast!
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 free tuition to students with families whose families have $250,000 or less in yearly income.
Details about this program follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The book Chaos, Creativity, Completion by Martinez and sold by the University of Chicago Press just looks so interesting for all kinds of creators during a time of technological change and economic challenge.
Purchase details follow:
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 Press Free E-Book for May 2026 is Big Bosses: A Working Girl’s Memoir of Jazz Age America.
Information about the book and download details follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/search/Uchicago/19e031b7867f335d
Happy Reading!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Karura, Japanese poetry card gaming, will take place at the University of Chicago on May 22, 2026 as part of the Year of Games at the University of Chicago.
The media release below relates that Karuta was introduced to Japan in the 16th century by Portuguese traders.
Details about this fast-paced Karuta card gaming event follow:
https://events.uchicago.edu/event/264199-karuta-japanese-poetry-card-game-demo-talk
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
2026 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Literature Yiyun Li gave three lectures at the University of Chicago right before winning the Pulitzer Prize.
These three lecture, part of the Berlin Family Lecture Series, are available at the University of Chicago link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/19e26ae89a15e189
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Ohana Toy-Anime-Comic Con King City will be held on August 23, 2026 at the Fairgrounds from 1 pm to 4 pm.
Details about Ohana Comic Cons follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Salinas Valley Fair will be held between May 14 to May 17, 2026 in King City, California.
My daughter Florence Paget sang in the talent show here one year as part of our day in the country.
Details about the Dalinas Valley Fair follow:
https://www.salinasvalleyfair.com/
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Two University of Chicago alumni have won 2026 Pulitzer Prizes.
Details about their award-winning work from the University of Chicago website follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Marina Dunes Promenade in Marina, California will be hosting a Barter Fair on Sunday, May 16, 2026.
Trading services and/or products of equivalent value is an economics lesson.
The cost is free with more information on the Monterey County Weekly’s online community calendar below:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
In a recent University of Chicago Booth School of Business article, the authors write about a small Honduran pig farm that used MIA, an AI mentor, to formalize accounting processes, taxation reporting, and marketing campaigns.
These formalized structures helped the small business obtain loans to expand the business.
This lengthy and informative article then expands upon how AI has been used throughout the world to help small businesses grow.
The Booth Review article follows:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Monterey County Weekly online community calendar has listed an important fundraiser for June 7, 2026: Feathers in Flight - Fundraiser for Condors.
The Ventana Wildlife Society is organizing the fundraiser ($150 per ticket).
Information about this event and ticket purchase information follows from The Weekly website:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Movies + 3-Course Dinner While Watching the Film now being done in San Jose, California -
I just saw this streaming on TikTok. The video did not say where, but it filled the front section of the theatre where the film was being shown.
Dinner theatre becoming dinner movies is a great way to increase profits even in theatres that are less full for theatre owners.
Been scrolling -
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Monterey County Weekly has listed the Spanish Coversation Club for Intermediate and Advanced Speakers on their online community calendar for several weeks.
The Spanish. conversation club takes place on Sundays in Pacific Grove.
More details about this free event and contact information follow from the Monterey County Website:
https://www.montereycountynow.com/events/#/details/spanish-conversation/18161469/2026-05-17T15
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Tasmanian Flax Lily Sightings in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
While drinking my weekly Peerless organic latte from the Market at Pebble Beach (California), I admired the large, puff-ball shaped Tasmanian flax lilies from southeastern Australia and the island of Tasmania originally.
Up close, you can see that Tasmanian flax lilies have spiky pointed leaves with green and white stripes running along the leaves. The leaves bounce in wind and have a white stripes running down the center of the thin leaves.
Tasmanian flax lilies are drought and deer resistant – both very important traits in coastal, wooded areas of California.
You can find Tasmanian flax lilies by the Market at Pebble Beach.
More information about these hardy yet frail looking plants follows:
https://txmg.org/hendersonmg/files/2020/06/FLAX-LILY-VARIEGATED.pdf
Nursery information and purchasing details follow:
https://www.budgetplants.com/variegated-flax-lily
Take a mini trip to Tasmania and Southeastern Australia as you stroll around the Market and Lodge and Pebble Beach, California!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Two German Sandwiches for Tourists in Germany by Ruth Paget
My go-to German “fast food” sandwiches when I lived in Stuttgart (Germany) for five years were schinken-käse-brot (ham and cheese sandwiches on dinner rolls) and butter-brot (open-faced sandwiches like they make in Denmark).
Both sandwiches are ideal for tourists especially tourists who visit German cities and towns on foot.
The place I would order schinken-kâse-brot was Sehne Ihre Bâckerei. Sehne (pronounced ‘zay-nay’) is a national bakery chain like McDonalds that sells bread (supposedly 365 kinds in German) and provides seating for kaffee klatsches (coffee breaks).
They have white bread baguettes, which I always picked up for toast. As a little treat, I would get two schinken-kâse sandwiches. I liked ordering these in German, “Zwei schinken-kâse, bitte – two ham and cheese sandwiches, please.” I drank Gerolsteiner fizzy water with these sandwichs and contemplated braving the 30 below, windy weather outside to go home.
The other sandwich I sometimes ate at home was a butter-brot or open-faced sandwich. I bought the ingredients for these at the Total Gas Station down from our apartment or Ikea’s grocery department downtown.
I toasted rye or pumpernickel bread and spread it with brown, large grain German mustard. On top of this, I would place tinned, smoked trout or smoked salmon and sliced red onion.
I thought this sandwich was very northern German and would drink a Beck’s lager with my Baltic sandwich. Our local Edeka supermarket had many choices of beer in 4-packs so you could sample beers from all around Germany. I was able to get Beck’s from Bremen in northern Germany this way in southern Stuttgart.
These sandwiches are available year-round usually at a pretty reasonable price. Tourists and locals alike can enjoy these while visiting or doing errands in cities and towns in Germany.
Note: Brot bread can be made with spent grain from beer making.
Polar Vortex Memories!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes Reviewed by Ruth Paget
Monica Bhide’s The Everything India Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes helped me solidify the knowledge I have gained about Indian from eating in Indian restaurants and preparing several dishes at home over a few decades.
Bhide writes that Indian cooking has six tastes that cooks try to achieve when putting together a meal. These six tastes follow:
-sweet
-sour
-salty
-spicy
-bitter
-astringent
These flavors are often brought into a meal with a variety of condiments.
Bhide further writes that spices distinguish Indian cuisine from others. Indians have a specific spicing order when cooking that promotes flavor and gut health, which follows:
-whole spices
-herbs
-powdered spices
Spice powders are made from dry roasted whole spices that are ground and kept in air-tight jars in dark places.
Thickening agents for cooking include:
-yogurt
-chickpea flour
-onions
-nut pastes
Bhide cites Indian Ayurvedic traditional medicine when she writes that ancient texts promote the use of spices for the following reasons:
-medicinal properties
-ability to act as food preservers
-healing
The 300 recipes in The Everyday Indian Cookbook are well written and invite Indian food lovers to try cooking some of their favorite restaurant foods.
Some of the recipes that I think are particularly good for cooking after a farmers’ market visit include:
-Indian paneer – cheese made with milk, lemon juice, and cheese cloth from draining
-spinach soup
-Indian-style coleslaw
-potato and yogurt salad
-Maharastrian cabbage salad
-shredded carrot salad
The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes by Monica Bhide is enjoyable to read and cook from.
Novice cooks and Indian restaurant habitu̩s can all find tasty recipes to try in The Everything Indian Cookbook Рan absolute great reference cookbook for the kitchen bookshelf or Kindle library.
Note: In Salinas (California) you can eat Indian food at Avatar Indian Grill, In Monterey, (California) Ambrosia has two locations. Ambrosia also has a location in Los Gatos outside San Jose, California.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I have been watching video restaurant reviews on TikTok (mostly Asian - I love all Asian food) and find that reviews in the following format give me the best idea of what a restaurant is like:
-panoramic shot outside the restaurant
-panoramic shot inside
-menu shot - I like photo menus and ordering list
-if restaurants have a delivery robot, it is cute to see food delivered by them
-close-up shots of food ordered, names, and ingredients
-descriptions of dishes with individual portion shots coming up to the camera
-opinions of why you like a dish and who else might like a dish
-to finish, if they have merchandise for sale like a sauce, calendar, language-learning CDs, children’s educational books from Daiso or Scholastic, pencils, pens, logo stationery, or chopsticks, that is a cute good-bye
Thanks filmmakers for the fun videos and restaurant ideas.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Ulysses S. Grant wrote his autobiography to support his family after his death according to the book’s description below:
https://www.amazon.com/American-Ulysses-Life-S-Grant/dp/1400069025
For people interested in the Civil War and its aftermath, this looks like a fascinating read.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I am an older mom now, so my daughter ordered me a Taco Bell dinner:
-crunch wrap
-hard shell taco
-low-sugar strawberry agua fresca
I thought it was great, because I did not have to cook it.
Cheerios!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
TikTok Video Travel Itinerary Outline (Suggested) for California’s Central Coast by Ruth Paget
I have been watching TikTok travel videos for my region and like TikTok’s that have an itinerary like the following for Central Coast California tourism:
Recharge Overnight Stay in Monterey or Carmel for example:
-hotel description
-dinner out
-breakfast out
-coffee for walk through town or coastal drive with hike with some wildflower and tree identification and description
-lunch
-outing with 1 or more of the following
-art or craft making activity (new form of tourism here)
-writing workshop shots
-farmers’ market
- museum visit - history museums have an anthropological bent often with exhibits about Native Americans and settlers from other places
-agritourism such as visiting artichoke farms, orchards, oyster farms, organic farming operations, and so on
-cooking class (done in Europe but US could do this too) - chicken noodle soup, dinner rolls for homemade sliders, pork chops with homemade applesauce, sheet pan baked vegetables, scalloped potatoes and mashed potatoes, and roast beef with vegetables are some good American dishes to start with.
-wine tasting
-art gallery visit
-shopping for books, kitchen items, regional food souvenirs
-decaffeinated coffee or agua fresca for drive home with sunset
I like videos like these for giving me travel ideas.
Thanks TikTok filmmakers!
Note: This is a nice outline for print travel stories too.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Great Egrets Wading by the Coast in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
On the last three outings I have made to Pebble Beach, California during April and May 2026, my husband Laurent and I have seen Great Egrets wading in tide pools by the coast and flying low and strong around the golf courses at Pebble Beach.
Great Egrets are part of the heron family. They have orange, long, dagger-like beaks for spearing fish, frogs, rabbits, and other small shoreline animals for food.
Their economic value comes from eating rodents like rats and mice in oceanfront, high-property value areas and from their eco-tourism sightseeing interest. Bird watchers are tourists who might come to Pebble Beach just to see them.
Great Egrets have long necks that they crunch up into S-curves. The neck and body of a Great Egret is white while their long legs are black.
Great Egrets can be seen in larger numbers a little farther north of Pebble Beach in Moss Landing by Elkhorn Slough. They can also be seen wading in the Salinas River along Highway 68 when the Salinas River is low.
Great Egrets are found on all continents except Antarctica. They were an endangered species at one time, but conservation efforts early in the 20th century restored populations.
More information about Great Egrets, photos, and bird calls follows:
https://www.sacramentoaudubon.org/kids-corner/meet-the-great-egret
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Mediterranean Pork Chops Recipe by Ruth Paget
I just made Omaha Steak pork chops for lunch winging it in the kitchen, but I am pretty sure the following measures would work:
Ingredients:
-2 Omaha Steak pork chops, thawed in the refrigerator
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-5 sprigs rosemary, snipped
-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-1/4 cup water
-Kirkland salt and pepper, to taste
Steps:
1-Heat olive oil in frying pan and add pork chops. Cook on high heat 5 minutes per side.
2-After ten minutes, add balsamic vinegar to color pork chops.
3-Add water and snipped rosemary to the pan and turn pork chops to darken the pork chops. Use a wooden scraper to deglaze the pan. Let pork chops cook another 5 minutes.
4-Run the pork chops through the microwave to thoroughly cook and to help carsmelize the balsamic sauce on the pork chops.
Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Bon Appetite!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I made Costco’s Quiche Lorraine for lunch today and really liked it -
The quiche was about 3 inches thick and almost reminded me of deep-dish pizza.
There was enough quiche for 8 portions. Leftovers went into Pyrex containers to be eaten for lunch tomorrow.
Some of my favorite ingredients are in quiche - eggs, cheese, cream, and savory ham.
We drank a De Tierra Coco red wine from Salinas’s local winery tucked away in Corral de Tierra made famous by John Steinbeck’s novel The Pastures of Heaven.
If you like quiche, Costco’s deli quiche is a pretty good deal especially on busy event weekends.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I saw that H Mart’s Chinese Hot Pot Kit has people lining up at stores almost like a video games or manga release.
My blog about Jeff Mao’s Hot Pot Cookbook might provide some interesting recipes for first-time purchasers:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2023/04/chinese-hot-pot-meals-by-ruth-paget.html?m=1
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Kalanchoe Flowering Plants from Madagascar at Lowe’s Nurserty in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
On a trip out to Lowe’s Nursery in Salinas, California by Northridge Mall, I saw that Lowe’s was selling the perkiest, blooming plant called a kalanchoe whose origins are in the island of Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa.
The flowering blooms in this plant at Lowe’s were a tight cluster of pink in a naturally forming bouquet surrounded by a ring of green leaves at the bottom of the plant.
The kalanchoa would look great by a specials board in a coffee shop, diner, or bistro. Hotels might like to place this plant on a counter with brochures about area shops (shopper guides noting store specialties), restaurants, spa services, and tourism sites.
The kalanchoa plants require little water and are pretty safe to place next to promotional materials. More information about the kalanchoa plant follows below:
As of today, kalanchoa flowering plants sell for $12.99. Information about this plant and others for sale at Lowe’s Nursery follows:
Lowe’s by Northridge Mall in Salinas, California has a large nursery next to its hardware store with competitive prices and a large parking lot. It is located off Highway 101 by North Main Street.
For San Jose and Bay Area visitors, a plant, herb, or even a tree or two make great souvenirs of a trip to Salinas and Monterey County.
A place like Lowe’s Nursery is important if you want your town to be like a French “ville fleurie” – a town decorated with flowers. Information about France’s Villes Fleuries program follows:
https://www.travelfranceonline.com/villes-et-villages-fleuris-basic-facts/
Happy Nursery Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
For more information about the Spring Carnival in Salinas, California today through May 10, 2026, check out my blog below:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/04/spring-carnival-may-1-to-may-10-2026-at.html?m=1
A carnival in town always reminds me of California writer Ray Bradbury’s dark fantasy novel entitled Something Evil This Way Comes.
Maybe there is a movie idea here too.
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Sky Pencil Japanese Holly Trees at Carmel Valley Park, Carmel by Ruth Paget
Out for a walk at the Carmel Valley Park outside Carmel, California, I used the Google lens app to identify flowers, shrubs, and trees around the park.
One of the most interesting trees I saw was a Sky Pencil Japanese Holly that had been trimmed to look like tapering columns on either side of the entrance to the Carmel Valley History Museum (open on weekends and just in time for the 2026 Carmel Valley Garden Show).
According to the Monrovia Nursery Site, these trees are rabbit resistant and can tolerate pollution. They are ornamental trees that can grow in tight spaces and tolerate pollution, making them good decorative plants for cities.
A photo and information about Sky Pencil Japanese Holly Trees follow:
https://www.monrovia.com/sky-pencil-japanese-holly.html
Happy Garden Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The writing resource book entitled Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman and published by the University of Chicago Press might interest writers in Monterey County California.
Details about this book and purchase information follow:
Keep Writing!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
New Zealand Christmas Trees in Costco Parking Lot in Sand City, California by Ruth Paget
City planners in Sand City, California (part of Monterey County) planted New Zealand trees in the parking lot of Costco at Sand City be Seaside to help beautify grocery shopping trips.
This hardwood tree native to New Zealand and called Pohutukawa by the indigenous Maori people there has begun to grow red-orange flowers in May. The trees are being pruned to provide a tree canopy along sidewalks to the Costco store entrance.
These trees are relatively drought resistant once growing is established with flowers that seem to attract bees, migrating monarch butterflies, and hummingbirds.
On the Central Coast, Santa Barbara began planting these trees in the 1800s according to the Santa Barbara Beautiful website which follows:
https://sbbeautiful.org/new-zealand-christmas/
The nursery photo in the website below shows New Zealand Christmas Trees in bloom:
To add a nature walk dimension to your Costco outings, look up on the way to the store to check out the beginnings of a shaded stately tree canopy to the store.
Happy Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Viking Tours for Kids in Solvang, California
Seriously cute, fine, and educational scavenger hunt and meal for kids in Danish settlement Solvang, California.
Solvang’s architecture is Danish so this kids’ tour has an almost fantasy element to it except that the town was really built by Danish settlers.
Information about the kids’ tour and ticket purchase follow:
https://secretsolvang.com/kids-viking-tour/
Looks like fun!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Artist Eric Ravilious illustrated Twelfth Night on sale today for $19.99 by University of Chicago Press
Artist Eric Ravilious illustrated Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in 1932. The book’s artwork summons up the Elizabethan Era through its wood engravings and typography.
Ravilious’s work was almost not published due to the Great Depression.
Information about this facsimile edition and purchase details follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19dd93c790f157d3
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Everything Chinese Cookbook at $3.99 on Kindle for Beginning Cooks by Ruth Paget
The Everything Chinese Cookbook selling for $3.99 on Kindle is a stellar resource for cooks who are just beginning to try cooking Chinese food for health and money savings.
This Kindle e-book is 712 pages long and contains 300 recipes drawing from all food groups. My favorite recipes for health and money saving come from the chicken, vegetable, and rice and noodle sections.
I have cooked from several Chinese cookbooks notably those by Fuchsia Dunlop and Ken Hom, but I like The Everything Chinese Cookbook for several reasons:
-it promotes lower-calorie stir-fries that omit the addition of slurry finishes at the end of cooking. Slurry is a corn starch and water mixture that thickens sauces and adds a glossy sheen to a dish.
-greatly reduced use of sugar in cooking
-greatly reduced usage of sweet Chinese cooking wine which adds flavors and calories
-a huge variety of recipes to make use of seasonal produce at the market
The Everything Chinese Cookbook by Rhoda Lauret Parkinson is a great resource for people wanting to make their first forays into Chinese cooking.
The Kindle price of $3.99 today for 300 recipes in a 712-page book is also great for budget minded Kindle users.
Note: There is an organic market in Marina, California on Sundays that sells many Asian produce items. Marina has several Chinese restaurants and markets as well close to the farmers’ market.
Happy Cooking!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
No Fuss Swiss Cheese Mushroom Burgers at Chili’s in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
Sometimes a no fuss, no surprises, and delicious dinner is just what you want for delivery and that is what Chili’s delivers in sturdy packaging.
For dinner, I recently order a Swiss Cheese – Mushroom Burger from Chili’s in Salinas, California – a national chain restaurant. This burger came with tangy melted Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, sautéed mushroom slices, tomato slices, crunchy iceberg lettuce leaves, and mayonnaise.
The side I chose to go with this juicy burger was thin, sautéed asparagus. After living in Germany (the original home of the hamburger is Hamburg, German) for five years, I am pretty sure Germans, Swiss, and Austrians would gladly eat the Swiss cheese burger at Chili’s like I did on a busy night especially for delivery, which was just coming in there in the early 2010s in Stuttgart.
Monterey County California produces onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, and asparagus (a true spring vegetable in both California and Germany). All five vegetables were fresh and tasted like summer was definitely coming.
I drank an Alvarado Street Brewery Lager from our local California Brew Pub in Salinas and would absolutely recommend this meal to travelers and locals alike.
Note: Chili’s has two locations in Monterey County – one in Salinas off Highway 101 and one in Seaside off Highway 1 by Embassy Suites.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
May is the time for purple ice plant flowers to carpet the coastline in Pacific Grove, California. Purple ice plant flowers are native to South Africa and are drought resistant.
Visitors seeing this purple carpet for the first time write the most enthusiastic blog posts like the following one:
https://mustloveroses.com/monterey-magic-purple-carpet/
Happy Coastal Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Carmel Valley Garden Show will be held May 2 to May 3, 2026 in Carmel Valley.
Details about this event organized by the Carmel Valley Garden Club follow:
https://cvgc.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=324042&module_id=330643
For other family activities in Carmel Valley, see my blog about the Carmel Valley History Museum and Carmel Valley Park:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2025/09/dinosaur-bones-ohlone-reed-boats-wagon.html?m=1
Happy Garden Strolling!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I see from watching TikTok that most bakery bags on the Too Good to Go app arrive with lots of leftover bread with a few days to go.
Strata breakfast casserole uses day-old bread, custard, cheese and/or sausage as its ingredients.
A recipe for this pretty simple to make casserole follows:
https://www.iheartnaptime.net/strata/
Strata might make the two loaves of bread bags more appealing.
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Asian American - Pacific Islander Festival is being held on May 20, 2026 at Northridge Mall in Salinas, California.
Details about this event follow on Northridge Mall’s online event calendar below:
https://www.shop-northridge-mall.com/events
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Salinas Spring Carnival will take place at Northridge Mall in Salinas, California from May 1 to May 10, 2026.
There will be rides, food, and good shopping of course!
Details about this event, ticket pricing, and parking follow on Northridge Mall’s online event calendar:
https://www.shop-northridge-mall.com/events
Happy Spring!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Bagel Bakery in Sand City, California now offers iced Vietnamese coffee and Thai iced tea to go with bagels.
I ordered a Vietnamese coffee to go with a toasted jalapeño-cheddar bagel with cream cheese this morning for breakfast.
The strong espresso in the coffee is tempered by condensed milk and Hal-and-half which tastes great iced.
I sipped the coffee on a rainy outing to Pebble Beach that made the forest and ocean look like a Japanese painting.
The Vietnamese coffee is a good addition to the menu that can make rain in Monterey not seem so bad.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Luxurious Pride of Madeira Flowering Plants Dot Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
A flowering plant that I have come to equate with comfortable living is the drought-resistant Pride of Madeira flowering plant whose home region is the Portuguese island of Madeira. You can see photogenic Pride of Madeira plants all around Pebble Beach, California, especially along 17 Mile Drive.
The purple cone shaped flowers on this plant are about 6 to 8 inches long. The plant itself can grow upward and outward 6 to 8 feet in each direction.
Pride of Madeira flowering plants have an important economic value in Monterey County California as plants liked by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. All three of these species pollinate agricultural crops and vineyards in Salinas and Monterey County.
Bees create honey, which has anti-oxidants that rid the body of free radicals, which may cause cancer. Darker honey has more free radicals.
Pride of Madeira plants also help attract Monarch butterflies to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove next to Pebble Beach. Docents at this sanctuary explain the difference between male and female butterflies and the Monarch butterfly life cycle among other facts. The Monarch butters typically migrate between October to March.
There is a large and very photogenic Pride of Madeira plant by the post office in Pebble Beach (by the exit onto 17 Mile Drive exactly) for souvenir photos.
To identify the Pride of Madeira flowering plant, I used the Google lens app. You photograph an object in this app and then ask what it is to bring up a list of characteristics.
I have included a photo from plantmaster.com for sightseeing reference below:
https://plantmaster.com/plants/eplant.php?plantnum=24372
Happy Garden Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Barnes & Noble has online materials to download for its 2026 summer reading program.
Details with printable materials follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
This super good recipe below for broccoli cheese soup works for cabbage and cauliflower too.
I saw Too to Go from Whole Foods included some broccoli on TikTok videos recently.
You can freeze unused soup if you make a lot of it.
I like this soup with toasted bread or croutons.
The recipe from budget bytes follows:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Shock of the Classics by Mary Beard is on sale for 30% off until June 15, 2026 while supplies last by the University of Chicago Press.
Skill up on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome with Britain’s best classicist.
Details about the book and purchasing information follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19dbfeb94b089866
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and Developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
I noticed while ordering Taco Bell from Door Dash that they have many more chicken, vegetarian, and vegan options now.
I looked at their website and several online articles and found that they have 12 menu options they consider healthy.
A menu analysis follows:
The low-fat sour cream and optional cabbage and/or jalapeños to go in black beans have arrived just in time for the Big Sur Marathon this weekend.
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Venezia 500: The Gentle Revolution of Venetian Painting by Andreas Schumacher is on sale by the University of Chicago Press today for $19.99 instead of $55.
This book details the Venetian Renaissance expertise in handling color and light as the author analyzes character-revealing portraits, landscapes incorporating the canals and sea, and historical paintings,
Details about the book and purchase information follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19db52db56b43f3b
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Rosemary Plants in Monterey County California Herald Spring by Ruth Paget
Spring is here at the Trader Joe’s in Marina, California. I love going to this Trader Joe’s for its display of potted flowers and cooking herbs outside the store for sale.
Amidst the basil plants, tulips, leftover Easter lilies, fuchsia plants, and cactus plants on sale, I saw an organic potted rosemary plant and immediately wanted to purchase it for its $2.49 sale price. The potted rosemary plant for $2.49 had about 12 sturdy branches with full foliage on it.
The $2.49 price seemed a lot less expensive than buying 3 or 4 branches in a plastic container inside the store.
The rosemary plant was purchased for its great price value and kitchen décor value for spring. Rosemary is a strong-flavored herb so the plant with 12 branches can provide enough flavor for at least 12 meals, if you keep the plant watered.
I use a branch of rosemary in dishes like the following:
-ratatouille vegetable stew from southern France (along with thyme)
-roast chicken (placed in the chicken cavity along with onion quarters, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and lemon rinds. If I cannot get organic lemons, I omit the lemon rinds.)
-boiled rice (I add rosemary to the rice cooker along with olive oil, lemon juice and sometimes garlic)
I love rosemary’s citrusy and peppery flavor, but its nutrient profile is important too as it contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Antioxidants remove free radicals, which may cause cancer from the body. Anti-inflammatories fight diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive decline according to Harvard Health Publishing – a link to their website on this topic follows:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging-and-longevity/foods-that-fight-inflammation
For people with a sunny space to grow plants, growing and selling rosemary might be a way to make some extra income. Monterey County has sites to sell cooking herbs from hardware stores to farmers’ markets to Trader Joe’s. If you would like to find out about growing rosemary for profit, ask a store manager about who to contact for organic certification and/or distribution.
I have linked to Getty Images below for photos of rosemary in its branch and plant forms:
https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?phrase=rosemary
A rosemary plant brings good value for $2.49. Even if the plant dies, you still spend about .21 cents per branch used on a 12-branch plant. The citrus and pepper flavor perks up even bland rice and has several health benefits.
Young families can certainly benefit from the cost savings of buying a potted rosemary plant. The plants are also cute and watering them is a daily biology lesson for young children.
Happy Gardening!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Emeritus Samuel Peltzman will receive the Norman MacLean Faculty AWard for his contributions to teaching and student life at the University.
Details about the Norman MacLean Faculty Award follow:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
This Food Diplomacy article in The Parliament online magazine is interesting. There are many online entries devoted to food diplomacy:
https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/food-diplomacy-gastrodiplomacy-europe
Some more information on culinary diplomacy in diplo online educational site:
https://www.diplomacy.edu/topics/culinary-diplomacy/
Saveurcmagazine still does the best food diplomacy. It is the fashion industry applied to food for me like Gourmet magazine as well:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Hydrangeas’ Economic and Ecological Value by Ruth Paget
On our weekend marketing day where my family usually goes to Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Nob Hill for American and French food items, I saw huge pom-pom flowers for sale at Costco.
I used Google lens to identify the blue and pink pom-pom plants and saw that these were hydrangeas. I have given these plants to people as gifts, but forgot the name of the plants.
Now that I had the plant name, I looked up the plant characteristics on several sites and read that hydrangea flowers turn blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil.
Hydrangeas came become very tall (up 8 feet) and grow in moist, well-drained soil and partial shade according to Google AI and Master Gardener Catherine Boeckmann at Almanac.com, who has written extensively on their care and topics like coloring flowers and growing them from cuttings. Her excellent article follows:
Knowing how to grow hydrangeas from cuttings can be a part-time or gig business, if you have a space to grow the flowers and a customer base. Nurseries like Grigg’s, Bokay, or Earthbound, hardware stores like Lowe’s, Costco, CVS, or other places where you see flowers sold could probably tell you how to grow sellable plants and where to get them distributed.
Hydrangeas have an economic value beyond plant sales. The three varieties described in hydrangea.com below attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, which are important for honey production and agricultural plant fertilization for crops, orchards, and vineyards:
Hydrangeas provide food for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, which are all present in Monterey County California where I saw these beautiful pom-pom hydrangea plants. Hydrangeas help keep places like the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California thriving (open October to March during butterfly migration to Latin America.)
Raising flowers like hydrangeas helps create a gardening community that supports nursery sales like potting soil, fertilizer, containers, and tools as well which is good for the economy, especially in California where we have year-round sunshine making it easy to grow plants. These items might be suitable for delivery work as well.
For young couples or young families, taking care of a beautiful hydrangea can be part of a daily connection to nature that supports bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and the local economy through eco-tourism, agriculture, and vineyards.
Hydrangeas have a tangible health benefit in proving antioxidants which remove free radicals from the body that may cause cancer. Honey is sweet, so you do have to limit intake to not gain weight.
The photo below from Getty Images shows a hydrangea in all its pom-pom glory:
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/hydrangea
Happy Gardening!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The following article by McKinsey about placing health checkpoints with nurses in grocery stores and pharmacies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an interesting public health initiative that helps everyone get their blood pressure and blood sugar checked as part of preventative health where and when it is convenient:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Gam s
Porchetta in the Park: A Florentine Food Truck Memory by Ruth Paget
After eating a memorable meal at the Fattoria di Maiano up in the hills around Florence (Italy) in Fiesole, my husband Laurent and I spent the next part of our vacation in touristy Florence looking for authentic food in a speedy not slow food location.
What is truly wonderful about Italy, especially Florence, is that we found the authentic people’s food of Tuscany at the Mercato di Cascine (Cascine Market) on Tuesday morning.
This market that stretches a mile along the Arno River has hundreds of food trucks selling cuts of spit-roasted pork and porchetta (pronounced por-ketta) sandwiches among other food items, clothes, shoes, and household items.
Several trucks specialized in just porchetta sandwiches, which I later found out was roasted, rolled pork belly seasoned with herbs like rosemary and fennel. Porchetta is basted every ½ hour with its fatty cooking juices, which makes it taste especially good.
Laurent and I bought porchetta sandwiches, because they were easy to order for tourists with limited Italian skills.
The street vendor we purchased our porchetta sandwiches from grilled two ciabatta bread halves and placed them two medium slices of warm porchetta on the bottom bun. Next, the vendor placed a mound of peppery arugula on top of the porchetta with a splash of red wine vinegar.
The warm top bun went on top of the arugula. The skin on the porchetta was crisp along with the ciabatta bun for good texture to this calorie drenched sandwiched. I liked the punchy vinegar on the arugula too.
We bought San Pellegrino Limonata, lemon sodas, to go with our delectable sandwiches.
We strolled up and down the market for exercise and being part of the local culture and economy I was so happy to have found an authentic agritourism spot in Italy that also supported what was to become the globally respected Slow Food Movement.
The recipe below from Serious Eats calls for 4-hour roast on its belly roll porchetta that can be used in sandwiches.
https://www.seriouseats.com/all-belly-porchetta-recipe-italian-roast-pork
A food truck specializing in porchetta sandwiches might be able to turn a profit quickly by setting up reservation orders at a Farmers’ Market or by setting up neighborhood delivery runs like ice cream trucks or Omaha Steaks.
Having a porchetta truck run on a non-market day like Monday in Salinas, California could bring food into local neighborhoods and distribute it quickly.
Also, Salinas has easy access to all the Porchetta sandwich ingredients - organic pork from San Benito county, organic arugula from Monterey County, and lots of homemade wine vinegar options in California. The ciabatta bread can easily be made locally too, if we have a constant supply of sugar.
Food thoughts for the day!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Classic Greek salad, what we called Village Greek Salad in Detroit’s (Michigan) Greek Town, uses no lettuce, but is loaded with chopped vegetables and feta cheese with lemon juice and oil dressing with oregano.
The vegetables used in this salad include:
-cucumbers
-red onions
-cherry tomatoes
-Black Kalamata olives
Delish provides a great spring and summer recipe below:
Nob Hill Supermarket in Salinas, California sells feta cheeee in several sizes and formats.
Bon Appetit!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Big Sur Marathon will take place on April 26, 2026 from Big Sur to Monterey, California.
The Marathon’s route is certainly one of the most cliff-hanging events in the world.
Details about the Big Sur Marathon follow:
https://www.bigsurmarathon.org/
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The 2026 Asian Cultural Fair will be held on April 25, 2026 from 11 am to 4 pm in Salinas, California’s Chinatown Neighborhood.
Good food community event to be sure!
Details about the event follow:
https://www.salinasace.org/acf
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Steak Tourism at Pub’s (Growers’ Pub) in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
I try to make every steak meal at Pub’s (Growers’ Pub) in Salinas, California a surf and turf meal when I do what I consider “steak tourism” in a region with 40 pioneering ranch families, whose brands are emblazoned on two walls of the back dining room.
For starters, I ordered Monterey Bay Fried Calamari that have a delicate flour and corn meal crust. I love dunking these warm morsels in chipotle cream cocktail dipping sauce. This part of my surf and turf meal at Pub’s brings back many happy memories to me of my honeymoon in Barcelona, Spain, using up the last few days of a Eurail Pass vacation of Italy, Spain, and France.
I prefer seafood to steak, but when I eat steak I like to go to Pub’s for delicious meat at varying sizes and price levels so my husband Laurent can eat items like rack of lamb while I can happily eat the flat iron steak meal.
The Angus steaks at Pub’s seem to come from two local sources in Monterey County – Corral de Tierra off Highway 68 just outside Salinas and Parkfield located off Highway 101 inland from San Miguel Arcangel. (Parkfield is famous for its spa with horseback riding and café.)
I like my steak medium rare, which was perfectly cooked with sea salt added as the only needed extra flavoring. For the potato option in this meal, I ordered scalloped potatoes made with delicious aged cheddar cheese. (Scalloped potatoes are a favorite hot dish in Wisconsin where I lived for several years and took family vacations as a child.)
This steak meal came with a green leaf salad as an appetizer, which I ate with the house-made Thousand Island dressing. The buttered and seasonal vegetables with the steak – steamed broccoli, zucchini, and carrots – were excellent as you would expect from a growers’ pub.
We brought our own bottle of wine to dinner (purchased at COSTCO) and the reasonable corkage fee of $20 for our Château Carbonnieux Bordeaux.
This winery was established in the 13th century and has changed hands between a local Benedictine Monastery and bourgeois families of Bordeaux since that time. The Perrin family currently owns it and has instituted sustainable wine making practices, which you can read about on their website.
Château Carbonnieux is also the proud owner of a pecan tree planted by Thomas Jefferson on a 1786 visit to the Châteaux.
This Bordeaux wine comes from the Graves sub-region of Bordeaux and lies along the Garonne River that flows into the Gironde Estuary that opens out into the Atlantic Ocean.
I felt like I was drinking history in a glass as I sipped this wine with my steak meal.
Other diners who want to combine an excellent wine with their steak tourism meal at Pub’s can check out the following stores in town in case you want to bring a wine bottle to go with dinner:
-COSTCO
-Star Market
-BevMo
For relaxed and delicious steak tourism in Salinas (California), Pub’s (Growers’ Pub) should be a destination on your visit to Salinas and Monterey County.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
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
The following chart summarizes world economies by GDP in 2025 and gives a historic listing for 1980:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-worlds-top-economies-in-1980-vs-2025/
The chart below of the world’s largest economies was produced by the International Monetary Fund:
https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and developer of the Novgorod and 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/
If you add some jewelry at all price levels, you provide the community with art to wear as well.
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