UChicago Booth Review on Honduran Pig Farms Adopting MIA AI Mentor Leading to Formalized Business Structures Including Loans and Implications for World reposted by Ruth Paget

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 how AI has been used throughout the world to help small businesses grow.  

The Booth Review article follows:

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/how-supercharge-tiny-businesses?source=ic-em-20260512&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGhu62FVTlXlN5UVlX3RxXHeq0YOelnsFSJLfJIspoFDdyWh5lkl0hsa3Z4-0gsrBXpjBMVPHTbwLfB3KBfEXrzPn6Nz3a81c9kXJUlhCm5-TCSomI

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

Feathers in Flight - Fundraiser for Condors reposted by Ruth Paget

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:

https://www.montereycountynow.com/events/#/details/feathers-in-flight-fundraiser-for-condors/18851230

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 in San Jose, California reposted by Ruth Paget

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

Spanish Conversation Club for Intermediate and Advanced Speakers reposted by Ruth Paget

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

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

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

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 habitués can all find tasty recipes to try in The Everything Indian Cookbook – an 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

TikTok Video Restaurant Reviews Suggested Format by Ruth Paget

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 Biography Info reposted by Ruth Paget

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

Monterey Cypress Trees at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Monterey Cypress Trees at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

The Lone Cypress Trees at Pebble Beach, California is the symbol of the Pebble Beach Company that runs the elite resort on property and world-famous golf tournaments.

This hardy, salt-resistant tree is native to the Monterey Peninsula and can grow up to 82 feet in height.  Its branches bend in the direction of the wind and eventually permanently contort to show wind direction.

The tree’s deep roots and its ability to grow in sandy soil make it an erosion fighter.  This trait is very important in coastal areas.

The Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach appears to grow from bare rock on the a ledge over the coast.  It’s improbable surroundings make it a sought after souvenir photo for tourists and a reminder for locals that their bent cypress trees hold expensive property in place.

More information about the Monterey Cypress follows:

https://calscape.org/Hesperocyparis-macrocarpa-(Monterey-Cypress)-2

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

Cinco de Mayo at Home for Mom by Ruth Paget

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 Travel Video Itinerary Outline by Ruth Paget

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

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

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

Costco’s Quiche Lorraine is a Deep-Dish Quiche! By Ruth Paget

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

Hot Pot Trending on Tik Tok and my Cookbook Recommendation by Ruth Paget

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 Nursery in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

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: 

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/kalanchoe/#:~:text=Factsheet%20%7C%20HGIC%201563%20%7C%20Published:,houseplant%20fertilizer%20once%20a%20month.

As of today, kalanchoa flowering plants sell for $12.99. Information about this plant and others for sale at Lowe’s Nursery follows:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Multicolor-Kalanchoe-in-1-4-Quart-Pot/3628346?store=3095&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-CRP_SHP_LIA_LWN_Online_Mid_Priority(E+Band)_Omni-_-3628346-_-local-_-22862735652-_-&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22862735652&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W8u5cdqRslx8uc91NE-qkPGX

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

May 1 in Salinas, California - Spring Carnival is Here posted by Ruth Paget

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, California by Ruth Paget

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

Business of Being a Writer book sold by UChicago Press reposted by Ruth Paget

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:

https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart2/ChicagoBook?ISBN=9780226838656&PRESS=CHICAGO&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BUY%20THIS%20BOOK&utm_campaign=Reader%27s%20Picks%20April%202026

Keep Writing!

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