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Showing posts with label Monterey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monterey. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried vegetarian paneer tikka masala from Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California for lunch. I liked it and think the Indians also consider food as medicine like the Chinese do. 

I used the recipe from www.indianhealthyrecipes.com to find basic information about paneer tikka masala. Paneer is Indian cheese. Tikka means “grilled.” In this recipe, marinated and cubed Indian cheese is grilled before bein added to the masala gravy. Paneer Tikka Masala is a Northern Indian dish that was originally made with chicken. 

Restaurants grill the paneer cheese after marinating it. The marinade is made with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chile powder, garam masala (curry powder), turmeric oil, salt, and lemon juice. Avatar Indian Grill may not use this exact recipe, but it is probably a close approximation when you taste Avatar’s paneer. 

The masala gravy is made by sautéing onions, tomatoes, and cashews with turmeric, garam masala (curry powder), and red chile pepper flakes. This cooked mixture is added to a blender and mixed till smooth. This mixture is cooked again with the addition of onions, green pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, garlic ginger paste, and water. The masala is allowed to cook until thickened. 

While the masala gravy cooks, you grill the marinated paneer cheese. You add the grilled tikka cheese to the masala gravy along with cream before serving it with basmati rice and naan flatbread seasoned with black nigella seeds. 

The spices in paneer tikka masala are especially good for you along with the vegetables and the cheese (with the exception of people with allergies). I used information from Johns Hopkins Medical School, Rochester University, and BBC Good Food websites to put together the nutrition information for ingredients as they appear above: 

-ginger – eases morning sickness, cuts down on constipation and bloating, and contains antioxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer 

-garlic – reduces heart attack risk -red chile flakes – contain Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that removes free radicals from the body that can cause cancer  

-turmeric – is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory that also helps prevent degenerative eye diseases  

-lemon juice – is a an antioxidant 

-onions – contain vitamin C, antioxidants and B vitamins for the metabolism

-tomatoes – contain vitamin C, an antioxidant 

-cashews – contain protein and antioxidants 

-bell peppers – contain vitamin C, vitamin B6 which forms red blood cells, and promotes bone health  

-cardamom – aids digestion, balances blood sugar levels, and lowers blood pressure 

-cinnamon – is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory 

-cloves – contain antioxidants 

-paneer cheese – contains protein and calcium 

The delicious vegetarian paneer tikka masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California is a community asset for flavor as well as health. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Monday, February 19, 2024

Target's Santa Fe Salad as a Combo Meal by Ruth Paget

Target’s Santa Fe Salad as a Combo Meal by Ruth Paget 

All by itself Target’s Santa Fe salad has 260 calories in its single-size serving bowl. 

The Santa Fe salad comes with iceberg lettuce, sweet corn, lime marinated chicken breast, carrots and red cabbage, mixed corn tortilla strips, and corn tortilla strips with a chile pepper flavored salad dressing. 

I make this salad part of a combination meal that I do at home. I add slices of roasted red pepper preserved in oil to the salad. I also eat one or two slices of sourdough toast and a homemade probiotic yogurt with the salad. 

I like this little Californian combination meal. It is light and might appeal to people looking for a fast and healthy lunch, so they can do errands. 

You can also buy all the food to make this combo meal at Target.

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Sunday, February 18, 2024

Hi-Tech Pizza at Domino's by Ruth Paget

Hi-Tech Pizza at Domino’s by Ruth Paget 

I have always like Domino’s for innovating to provide expanded and better service. 

When I lived in downtown Detroit in the 1980s, I loved Domino’s for delivery, which no one else did there except for expensive caterers. 

These days I have the Domino’s app and like getting deal offers by text message. You can sometimes save $5 to $10 per offer, so the deals are worth checking out, especially if you are on a tight budget. 

The online ordering has a feature that allows you to easily split the pizza order in half, which I do. I like pepperoni and cheese on one side of the pizza and mushrooms and cheese on the other side. The app has a handy feature for adding extra mushrooms and red pepper flakes to go on the pizza. (Red pepper flakes contain Vitamin C, an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer.) 

Once your order is placed, you can watch it progress along a status bar from prepping, baking, quality control to delivery. 

Once in delivery status, you can watch your driver’s progress to your home on a map on your phone. The driver can also text you along the way, if any issues come up. Most drivers use the text messaging to let you know when they have arrived. 

The app allows you to opt for contactless delivery or traditional delivery where the driver will hand the pizza to you. 

All of this technology has allowed Domino’s to provide a very accurate delivery window of about 10 minutes, which is important for both catering and individual homes. 

Using the app has reduced stress for me in ordering Domino’s pizza and getting delivery. 

Domino’s technology might be useful for other food outlets as well. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Friday, February 16, 2024

Vegetable Coconut Curry at Avatar Grill in Salinas, California

Vegetable Coconut Curry at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California near Natividad Hospital serves vegetarian and meat-based dishes to the entire Salinas community thanks to delivery. 

I recently tried vegetable coconut curry made by sautéing onions and bell pepper with garlic, ginger, garam masala (curry powder), turmeric, and coriander. Once this mixture has simmered a few minutes, 

Avatar Undian Grill adds sliced cauliflower, broccoli, squash, peas, carrots, mushrooms, coconut milk, and maybe chicken broth to the pan and simmers everything for about half an hour. 

The delivery food arrives hot just as if it had just left the pan. 

I ate this savory curry over saffron rice with warm naan flatbread studded with cardamom bread. 

For something quick, healthy, delicious, and reasonably priced, Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas has some for almost everyone it seems on their exhaustive online menu. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Winchell's for Donuts and Sandwiches by Ruth Paget

Winchell’s for Donuts and Sandwiches by Ruth Paget 

Winchell’s Donut House has three locations in Salinas, California. It is part of a chain with 170 stores plus locations in Guam and Saipan, the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific, a U.S. Commonwealth in the Western Pacific according to its website. 

Loyal customers in Salinas know that the stores are open 24 hours a day and serve bagel sandwiches in addition to large, puffy donuts. 

I have a recommendation for a combination meal at Winchell’s: 

-1 plain donut topped with dark chocolate frosting 

-a toasted bagel turkey sandwich (see review below) 

-an iced bitter coffee with cream 

Winchell’s does delivery in addition to being open 24 hours per day, making it a convenient option for lunches at work. 

I tried one of their toasted bagel sandwiches recently and thought it would be a good Friday treat lunch. The sandwich comes with about ¾-inch of turkey slices, 2 crispy bacon strips, pepperjack cheese, avocado slices, and a mustard-mayonnaise. 

I think avocados make everything taste better and liked this sandwich. I also like crispy, salty bacon, which made this sandwich double delicious. 

A bitter and creamy iced coffee is just the thing to enjoy after a hearty sandwich like this. 

Winchell’s donuts are always good with coffee, too, especially when you buy them by the dozen. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Thursday, February 15, 2024

Vegetarian Fast Food at Sonic in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Vegetarian Fast Food at Sonic by Ruth Paget 

Soccer moms in Salinas, California value Sonic Drive-In for its extensive and reasonably priced menu of bacon cheeseburgers, chili hot dogs, and a myriad of shake flavors. 

Buried within the Sonic menu are also two vegetarian combo meals that you have to order separately, but they are lurking there to serve as a vegetarian meal even for the Mediterranean Diet with a once-a-month dessert of a vanilla shake with real whipped cream. 

These are the two menus I proposed for vegetarians at Sonic Drive-In: 

Vegetarian Menu 1 –  

-Grilled cheese sandwich with added mustard 

-fried onion rings 

-Diet Limeade 

-vanilla shake 


Vegetarian Menu 2 – 

-Large Pretzel 

-Fried Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara dipping sauce 

-Fried onion rings or French fries 

-Diet Limeade 

-Vanilla Shake 

Both of these menus are reasonably priced and delicious. If you want to avoid the expense of burgers for a crew, these vegetarian meals might be for you at Sonic Drive-In in Salinas, California. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Citrus Chicken at El Pollo Loco by Ruth Paget

Citrus Chicken at El Pollo Loco by Ruth Paget  

El Pollo Loco, the chicken meal chain, is not a spicy, deep-fried version of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The chicken at El Pollo Loco is citrus-marinated and fire-grilled. The side dishes differ from Kentucky Fried Chicken for the most part, too. 

My family recently tried El Pollo Loco at one of their Salinas locations in Westridge Mall and ordered a 12-piece family meal. We had a choice of sides and ordered stewed pinto beans, Mexican rice made with chicken broth and tomato juice, and macaroni and cheese. Broccoli was an option, which we will order as an additional side next time for its high amount of vitamin C. 

I used the USDA.go, WebMD.com, and National Institutes of Health websites to find nutrition information for our El Pollo Loco meal that we ordered: 

Chicken 

-potassium 

-iron 

-vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

-protein 

Pinto Beans 

 -fiber 

-potassium 

-iron 

-vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

Mexican Rice 

-protein 

-vitamin C 

-vitamin A 

Macaroni and Cheese 

-fiber 

-calcium 

-magnesium 

-iron 

The nutrition information for broccoli shows why we should add it to our order next time: 

Broccoli 

-potassium 

-fiber 

-vitamin C 

-iron 

-vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

-calcium 

-protein 

I used the USDA.gov, medlineplus.gov, and National institutes of Health websites to identify what the nutrients in our El Pollo Loco meal do for the body in the order that they appear above: 

-potassium helps your nerves function and muscles contract -iron is used in the body for growth and development.

-Iron is used by the body to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all parts of the body 

-vitamin B6 is important for normal brain development and for keeping the nervous system and immune system healthy 

-magnesium is important for protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation 

-protein is used to repair and cells and make new cells in the body 

-fiber moves waste through the digestive tract 

-vitamin C protects cells against free radicals that cause cancer 

-vitamin A boosts helps fight against night blindness 

-calcium helps build strong bone 

In addition to all this good nutrition, El Pollo Loco offers an online loyalty program to its customers as well as catering based on its regular menu. 

El Pollo Loco is a nice option to have for weekend meals that taste like a parent grilled it in the backyard. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Vegetable Omelets at Denny's by Ruth Paget

Vegetable Omelets at Denny’s by Ruth Paget 

The vegetable omelets at Denny’s rate as spa food in large portions with healthy side dishes at a reasonable price. 

On a recent visit to Denny’s I ordered the 3-egg vegetable omelet, which is filled with fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms, fire-roasted red bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese. Instead of the hash browns that usually come with this dish, I ordered a fresh fruit cup. The large fruit cup had quartered strawberries, red grapes, and sliced bananas. I chose two slices of whole wheat toast as my bread option. Of course, I had coffee and cream to go with this yummy meal. 

I used information from USDA.gov. the National Institutes of Health, and WebMD.com to identify nutrients in this vegetable omelet and the role these nutrients play in bodily functions: 

Spinach 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

Mushrooms 

-selenium 

Bell Peppers 

-fiber 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

Onions 

-fiber 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

Tomatoes 

-lycopene antioxidant 

-Vitamin A 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin K 

Swiss Cheese 

-protein 

-calcium 

Strawberries 

-antioxidants 

-magnesium 

-phosphorous 

Red Grapes 

-phosphorous 

-potassium 

Bananas 

-potassium 

-fiber 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

-Magnesium 

Whole Wheat Toast 

-fiber 

-iron 

-magnesium 

-protein 

Coffee 

-potassium 

-magnesium 

I used WebMd.com, the National Institutes of Health, and the Mayo Clinic websites to describe the functions of the vitamins and minerals found in the meal I ate above (listed in order of appearance in the meal above): 

Vitamin C helps form blood vessels, cartilage, muscle, and collagen in bones. It is also vital healing and is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer from the body. 

Vitamin B6 helps with normal brain development and helps keep the nervous system and immune system healthy. 

Magnesium helps with protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. 

Selenium is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer due to environmental conditions like pollution. 

Fiber helps move waste through the intestinal tract. 

Lycopene found in tomatoes is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer in the body. 

Vitamin A boosts the immune system, helps prevent night blindness, and keeps the skin healthy. 

Vitamin K is used for blood coagulation that helps blood to stop flowing when injured. 

Protein serves as a building block of body tissues. 

Calcium helps build strong bones. 

Phosphorous is a component of bones and teeth. 

Potassium helps maintain normal levels of fluid inside our cells. 

Iron is a mineral needed for growth and development. 

Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady. 

All these points about the health benefits of a vegetable omelet at Denny’s with a fresh fruit cup, whole wheat toast, and coffee with cream are sales copy to try and add a delicious vegetarian meal to everyone’s diet (with the exception of people of people who are allergic to these foods). The price may vary by location, but I thought the price of this meal at the Marina, California location was reasonable. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Monday, February 12, 2024

Beet Salad at Woody's in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Beet Salad at Woody’s in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

Woody’s Restaurant and Bar at the Monterey-Carmel (California) Airport serves a delicious beet salad using a local Swank Farm recipe and organic produce that will bring a glow to your cheeks even before you head to the spa and/or golf courses. 

Swank Farms best known for its country store, photogenic pumpkin patch, and totally scary Halloween corn maze might become equally famous for its beet salad thanks to Woody’s. The beet salad comes with chunks of red and golden beets, sliced raw fennel, torn maroon radicchio leaves, torn Bibb lettuce, and thick slices of shaved Parmesan cheese with a rather sweet yogurt dressing served on the side. 

I used USDA.gov and WebMd.com to obtain nutrition information about nutrients in the Swank Farms beet salad and what those nutrients do for the body. Important amounts of the following vitamins and minerals are found in the Swank Farm beet salad: 

red and golden beets 

-potassium 

-Vitamin C 

-fiber – not a vitamin or mineral, but important for intestinal transit 

-iron 

fennel slices 

-potassium 

-Vitamin C 

-fiber 

-calcium 

dark red radicchio leaves 

-iron 

-Vitamin K 

-Vitamin C 

-potassium 

Bibb lettuce leaves 

-iron 

-potassium shaved Parmesan cheese 

-calcium 

-protein 

The following vitamins and minerals are in the Swank Farms beet salad and carry out vital functions in the body according to WebMD.com: 

Potassium helps the heart and kidneys function normally. 

Vitamin C repairs tissue, helps form collagen (the protein for connective tissue), helps with neurotransmitters in the brain, boosts the immune system, and is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can create cancer. 

Fiber helps the digestive system remove waste from the body. Notably, it contains water and eases defecation. 

Iron is a mineral needed for growth and development. It is used to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. Notably, it is important for healthy muscles, bone marrow, and organ function. 

Calcium is a mineral associated with healthy bones and teeth. 

Vitamin K is required for blood coagulation, the process that stops blood flow when you are cut. 

Protein is a building block of body tissue. 

I have brought in a lot of science to prove how good the Swank Farms beet salad at Woody’s at the Monterey Airport is for you, but it also tastes great and is reasonably priced. It comes with warm garlic bread. 

The beet salad at Woody's at the Monterey-Carmel Airport (California) is a nice lunch item for all the health conscious executives along Highway 68 in addition to golfers and spa beauties. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Saturday, February 3, 2024

Barely Bolzano (Italy) by Ruth Paget

Barely Bolzano (Italy) by Ruth Paget 

On the way to Vicenza (Italy) from Stuttgart (Germany) with my husband Laurent, we drove through Austria and made a sharp right turn at Innsbruck, site of the 1976 Olympic Games where Franz Klammar zoomed downhill in what seemed like 20 seconds to clinch the gold medal. 

The roads from Innsbruck into Italy were all hairpin 180 degree turns around and down through the Alps, which look like pyramids in the sky. 

The scenery is German in northeastern Italy and is still called the Sud Tyrol by Austria, which once occupied the area. Snow White architecture abounded.

I wanted to stop and get a good photo of myself to post with a coffee, gipfel (croissant), Alpine goat milk yogurt, and Alpine flower honey. I asked to stop for a snack. 

“It looks too expensive,” Laurent said. 

 “Where are we?” I asked. 

A German-language town sign came into view with a diagonal bar through it signaling exiting from town. The sign said Bozen. 

 “Do you know the Italian name of Bozen?” I asked Laurent. 

He told me to look up the translation at the hotel. Reception for the Internet was not great in the Alps, so I had to wait till we checked in at Vicenza. 

I saw that Bozen is Bolzano in Italian. 

At the time, Bolzano billed itself as “The real billionaires’ vacation land.” 

I wanted to check out Bolzano. 

“You have to make a billion dollars first and pay for the gipfels,” Laurent told me. 

I was Bolzano denied for the moment. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Trying Palak Paneer in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Trying Palak Paneer in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

On a recent visit to Ambrosia Bistro in downtown Monterey, California during the Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach, I tried the palak paneer, a spinach-tomato-onion curry that was mildly flavored for the first time. 

According to www.epicurious.com, palak paneer is an Indian dish made with cubes of fresh cheese and stewed spinach and vegetables and spices that becomes a mild curry. Spinach is full of iron, which is good for blood health and helps give you rosy cheeks. The calcium in the cheese is good for bone strength. The protein in cheese helps with muscle development. 

The epicurious.com recipe for palak paneer calls for turmeric (claimed to be a cancer fighter), garlic cloves, ginger, ghee (Indian clarified butter), pearl onions, coriander seeds, red chile powder, asafoetida powder (an Indian spice that tastes like mild onions), and chopped tomatoes (Vitamin C rich tomatoes are also anti-oxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer in the body.)

Those ingredients with chopped, stewed spinach, tomatoes, and onions create a mild curry that has further protein added to it when tomatoes combine with a grain product like bread or rice. 

I dunked vegetable fritters called pakora in the palak paneer curry, tofu masala curry, and butter chicken curry that I chose from the lunch buffet. I used naan flat bread for the remaining curry. 

As a final note, epicurious.com notes that if you cannot find paneer cheese, you can make this dish with firm tofu. The result would be vegan not vegetarian. 

Ambrosia has a spacious downtown location with an outdoor garden in downtown Monterey by the Casa Munras Hotel and one on historic Cannery Row. Both offer a bit of peace during hectic planned schedules.  

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Apple Lifestyle by Ruth Paget

Apple Lifestyle by Ruth Paget 


A Short Apple Lifestyle Memoir: 


I drank 

Freshly pressed apple cider 

With warm, plain donuts 

As a child on field trips 

In Detroit, Michigan. 


I ate 

Apple omelets 

As a teenager on field trips 

In Windsor, Canada 


I ate 

Apple slices 

For dessert 

As an exchange student 

In Osaka, Japan 


I drank 

Wassail 

Spiced with cloves and cinnamon 

As a college student 

At the University of Chicago 


I ate 

Tarte Tatin 

An upside-down apple tart with dollops of whipped cream 

As a DINK In Tours and Paris, France 


I drank 

Brut apple cider 

With galettes filled with ham, sunny side up eggs, and cheese 

As a BCBG 

In Nantes, France 


I ate 

Apple-chopped walnut coffee cake 

For kaffeklatsches 

As a young mom 

In Madison, Wisconsin 


I ate 

Sautéd apple slices With fried pork chops 

As a Navy mom 

In Norfolk, Virginia 


I ate 

Apfel strudel 

With raisins and chopped hazelnuts 

As an expatriate 

In Stuttgart, Germany 


I eat 

Organic applesauce 

As a writer 

In Monterey, California 


For all my apple reference needs 

I consult 

The Apple Cookbook: 

125 Freshly Picked Recipes 

By Olwen Woodier 

For savory and sweet dishes. 


By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click for Ruth Paget's Books




Sunday, January 28, 2024

Chicken and Vegetable Recipes for Novice Chefs by Ruth Paget

First Try Pretty Good Recipes by Ruth Paget 

French chef Jacques Pépin’s cookbook Poulets et Légumes: My Favorite Chicken and Vegetable Recipes contains many recipes that novice cooks can get right on their first or second attempt at making them. 

Six recipes that stand out in this cookbook include: 

For chicken: 

-Roast split chicken with Dijon mustard crust – 

The hardest part of this recipe is removing the chicken backbone. You can see how this is done on youtube by typing “how to remove a chicken backbone” in the search bar. You will hundreds of choices to watch. Pépin serves this dish with mashed potatoes. 

-Chicken-African-style with couscous 

This dish is based on one from Sénégal. The chicken is marinated in an onion marinade that becomes part of the chicken stew. Couscous is served in a mound with chicken surrounding it. 

-Chicken and Rice with cumin and cilantro – 

This is arroz con pollo that is chicken wings stewed with diced tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and onions served on Carolina long-grain rice. 

For Vegetables: 

-Steamed asparagus in Dijon mustard sauce 

-Fricassé of Brussels Sprouts and chopped bacon - 

This is sautéed slices of Brussels Sprouts with chopped bacon. 

-Potato Gratin – 

The easiest things are often the best. Sliced potatoes baked in heavy cream with Parmesan topping. 

Novice chefs will appreciate Jacques Pépin for providing authentic recipes that work well the first time in Poulets et Légumes: My Favorite Chicken and Vegetable Recipes. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France 


Click for Ruth Paget's Books






Thursday, January 25, 2024

Poetry Workshop for Teens by Ruth Paget

Poetry Workshop for Teens by Ruth Paget 

I write nonfiction and read poetry to make my nonfiction stronger. When I was a youth services librarian I sometimes put together workshops to introduce young poets in Monterey County to library resources for their writing and to do some writing with them to do show not tell writing. 

Some of my notes for young poets follow: 

Use Your Five Senses 

-All good poetry and fiction writing uses the five senses to create feeling and mood that allows readers to see images in their minds.

-Using your senses allows you to show not tell your story or poem. 

-We’ll look at a few examples, so you can see what this means. 

Sense of Sound 

-The loud music was great. 

Versus 

-The rhythm throbbed

until my heartbeat pounded 

along with the drums 

making my house keys jingle.

-Which description makes you remember a concert better? 

Sense of Touch 

-I’m freezing. 

Versus 

-Ice needles sting my eyes 

water in my eyes freeze

burning my pupils. 

Wind cuts through my coat 

On my Chicago walk To School. 

-Which description makes you feel cold or imagine better what walking down a Chicago street would feel like? 

Sense of Taste 

-It tasted horrible. 

Versus 

My lips and jaw pinched together 

my throat closed 

my tongue arched 

against sugar on steak.

-Which description gives you a better idea that you do not like what you are eating? 

Sense of Sight 

-It was a beautiful sunset. 

Versus 

-Rays of pink 

shoot across the sky 

dividing the gray ocean 

from white clouds. 

The orange disc sank 

Through clouds and water  

-Which description gives you a better picture of what the sunset looked like? 

Sense of Smell 

-The dirt smelled. 

Versus 

 -Wet, dirty socks and 

cotton corn 

tickled my nostrils 

as I lay in the field by the house. 

-Which description makes you sense odor? 

Your Turn to Write 

-Think about the walk we did today. (I ran workshops after a walk outside.) 

-Write down 1 or 2 sensations you have about the walk for the following senses. You will use this data bank to write poetry from various cultures: 

-Sound: 

-Touch: 

-Taste: 

-Sight: 

-Smell: 

What is haiku? 

-A seasonal poem with the first two lines setting up a scene and a third one that relates something unexpected. 

-Traditional form: 

-First Line = 5 syllables 

-Second Line = 7 syllables 

-Third Line = 5 syllables 

 -Written in the present or now tense. Haiku 

Example 

-From Haiku Handbook by William J. Higginson 

-A haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644 – 1694) 

-English translation: 

The stillness 

Soaking into the stones, 

Cicadas cry. 

Write a Haiku or Two 

-Think back to your nature walk 

-Write a haiku in the “now” about something you experienced during the walk.  

What is a renga? 

-A Japanese renga is a party poem where one poet provides a lead line and the other poets provide lines until you run out of ideas. 

-Rengas can be serious, but they often become silly. 

Let’s Write a Renga

-Lead idea: Metamorphosis or change from one state to another. 

-How did you know you had morphed into a teen? 

-When I got keys to the car. 

-When I had to buy groceries for mom after school. 

-When dad made me clean toilets. 

-You get the idea from this. 

What is a ghazal? 

-Pronounced “guzzle.” 

-Ghazals are the poetic form used by the Persian poets Hafiz and Sadi and the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. 

-The book Poetry for Dummies provides the following guidelines for writing ghazals: 

 -Every line must have the same number of syllables. 

-The ghazal is a series of 5 couplets (10 lines). 

-The first couplet rhymes.

-The poet’s signature (first name, last name, or both appears somewhere in the last couplet). 

-See the book for more details. 

Let’s Write a Ghazal -We’ll work on just one. They are hard. 

Try to put down 5 couplets, but break it down 

-5 couplets = 5 x 2 = 10 lines of verse 

-First couplets rhymes (10 lines – 2 lines = 8 lines to write) 

-Last couplet has your signature (8 lines – 2 lines = 6 lines to write) 

Just this brings you down to 6 lines in the body of your poem to work on. 

Write your first couplet and last couplet first and then fill in the rest. 

Parting Words 

-Poets often use metaphors such as “Love is a soaring plane.” 

Or 

-Similes such as “Love is like a soaring plane.” 

Metaphor = image picture 

Simile = an image picture using “like” 

Happy writing American bards!! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Tips for Running a Bilingual Storytime by Ruth Paget

Tips for Running a Bilingual Story Time by Ruth Paget 

When I began to work as the Youth Services Librarian for the Monterey County Free Libraries (California), I looked up the census figures for Monterey County and saw that Hispanics represented 51% of the County and that this population was growing. I could also see that many children came from families where English was not spoken at home from the census.

I wanted to run bilingual story times, which would encourage Spanish-speakers to learn English and encourage English speakers and other children to learn Spanish as a job skill later in life. In business terms, those two goals were my Mission Statement. My Vision Statement was to get story times done in French, an Asian language, Italian, and German and other languages depending on demand. 

Songs teach rhythm, which is very important for oral understanding of any language, including English, and for making yourself understood when you speak a foreign language. You especially learn what is acceptable pitch in a foreign language. People usually do not want to buy things from salespeople, who sound like they are screaming. 

Songs with little exercise games help children learn to distinguish between right and left. Math and driving both need you to know the difference between right and left. These song-games build coordination as well. You are supposed to have finger plays with songs in story hours that go with a saying to help coordinate small-motor muscle movement in the hands. I prefer using art activities to develop small-motor muscle development, because most finger-play games use made-up vocabulary or are religious. 

Many people who do story time use puppets. The County did not have good puppets when I joined the county libraries and no stage, so I hired professional, puppet troupes to do puppet shows for the summer reading program. Professional puppeteers also know that children suspend belief when watching puppet shows; They are like television shows. 

Traditionally, puppet shows whether they be held in Java or Sicily, for example, had shows for the aristocracy where the children could learn etiquette and watch puppet shows about Roland the knight. The peasants got to watch Pinocchio by Collodi. 

When I ran the bilingual story time, I would give the song sheet lyrics on pieces of copy paper in English and Spanish. I let the moms who were there take the song sheets home, so they could sing these songs to their children at home and also learn English or Spanish. 

After songs, you read a story book or two, do some more songs with movement exercises, and an art project related to the books, so the children can remember the theme of the book and learn how to use items such as scissors, tape, paste, paints, and pencils. The best art projects also teach design and color coordination in addition to the use of basic office products. 

Children who go to story times and who are read to at home on a daily basis have an enormous advantage in number of vocabulary words they know when they go to kindergarten. They also know how to behave, so they can learn higher-level skills while other children are just learning the alphabet. (Spanish-speaking parents can use English-language audio books with their children and have them follow along with the text to learn English.) 

I went to story times at the public library in Highland Park, Michigan and at Bible School at my church on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings in addition to having my family read to me on a daily basis. I had a major problem when I went to kindergarten, because I could already read. My Chinese kindergarten teacher made me learn numbers and counting very well to stop disturbing class. 

Story times and summer reading entertainment programs are offered at 11:30 am usually, because that is the optimal time for children to absorb knowledge according to my former supervisor. I volunteered to do evening and weekend story times for working parents, but according to upper managers, the public was not interested, because families did sports and shopping on the weekends.  They were right.  I insisted on trying and no one came.

A good story time requires just as much planning as a lesson plan for children to learn anything in them. I have never believed in story time as “entertainment” or as a competitor for television, movies, and video games. And, certainly not a time to promote book tie-in merchandise displayed around the library, tie-in contests, and tie-in book bag choices in the library. 

If you want story time to be just fun, you can go to Chucky Cheese Pizza and play games to win stuffed toys. (Young children and teens should be viewed as minds to develop and not as a marketing group, who makes guilty parents buy them books to make up for not spending quality time with them.) 

The Monterey County Libraries had and probably still has one of the best collections in the country for doing bilingual story times. The books are located throughout its seventeen branches. Borrowers can request books from all branches online.

I used books similar to the ones below to do bilingual story times. You can use the Amazon “Look Inside” feature to help you judge, if you would like to buy these books, if they are not available at your library: 

Bilingual Song Books 

-The Bilingual Book of Rhymes, Songs, Stories, and Finger Plays by Pam Schiller, Rafael Lara-Alecio, and Beverly J. Irby 

-Pio Peep! Traditonal Spanish Nursery Rhymes selected by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Compoy 

-De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children selected, arranged, and translated by Jose-Luis Orozco 

Pre-School Games and Exercises 

-Unique Games and Sports Around the World: A Reference Guide edited by Doris Corbett, John Cheffers, and Eileen Crowley Sullivan 

-303 Preschooler – Approved Exercises and Active Games by Kimberly Wechsler 

Puppet Theatre 

-The Italian Puppet Theatre: A History by John McCormick 

-A Show of Hands: Using Puppets with Young Children by Ingrid M. Crepeau and M. Ann Richards 

Art Education for Preschoolers 

-Creative Art for the Developing Child: A Guide for Early Childhood Education by Clare Cherry 

-The Child Care Centers Management Guide by Clare Cherry 

A note on summer reading:

Some families do fun birthday parties for their children with pony rides, clowns, puppets, magicians, ventriloquists, musicians, artists who teach portrait drawing and cartoon drawing, juggling, English parlor games, etiquette lessons from around the world as host and guests eat lovely ethnic meals, self-defense sports demonstrations in sports such as karate and capoeira angola, and ballroom dancing lessons. Some families even teach old-fashioned ballroom dancing at these affairs.  

I planned activities like these for summer reading at the Monterey County Free Libraries to make summer reading a free summer camp for children and teens here.  Several of the programs featured bilingual entertainers.  It is fun and nerve-wracking to plan 130 shows like these in a six-week period, but I am glad I did it.

Finally, Two Theory Books about why Story Time and Summer Reading are Great Enrichment Programs for Youth:

-Play, Dreams, and Imitation in Childhood by Jean Piaget 

-The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray 

-Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Freyre

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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Tortilla Making Failure by Ruth Paget

Tortilla Making Failure by Ruth Paget 

I could honestly say I had no culture shock when adjusting to life in Stuttgart (Germany) when I lived there except for on major drawback – no Mexican food. 

For a Californian, this is severe homeopathic withdrawal. I rely on Vitamin-C rich chile peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice and sulfa-compounds in onions found in pico de gallo salsa to boost my immune system.  

Germany’s polar vortex winters convinced me to try making my own Mexican food. German bookstores do not carry English-language cookbooks. (They do have some tech ones I noticed on C+++ for designing apps.) 

I had a kindle and purchased Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless to try and make an authentic Mexican meal at in Germany. German stores and the commissary on base did not sell tortillas. I turned to Amazon to order masa harina and a manual tortilla press.

I waited for these items to be delivered and reread the tortilla recipe many times. Finally, Laurent brought them home and said the mailroom people said, “You cannot live without those items in Germany.”

Masa harina is a corn meal that has been nixtamalized, soaked with calcium hydroxide and water and then rinsed. Nixtamalized corn becomes sticky so a corn tortilla can hold together with the addition of water before cooking without the addition of lard. (Flour tortillas use lard to hold together.) 

Using the directions Everyday Mexican, I patted out little balls of masa harina to press. I put plastic wrap on the bottom of the press and placed the dough on top. I put another piece of plastic wrap on top of that and pressed down. The ball went squish and stuck to the plastic wrap on both sides. I had obviously put too much water in the masa harina. On the next press, I dusted the bottom plastic wrap with masa harina and the top of the dough ball. That worked better. 

The tortillas were about ¼-inch thick, but I griddled them anyways. That is thick by tortilla standards, but I thought they looked sweet. I put them in a tortilla warmer that I had brought from California and prepared the taco toppings. 

I made my own seasoning for the meat with cayenne pepper and dry garlic from Gilroy, California. I grated allgäu emmentaler cheese (a local adaptation), shredded cabbage (a local adaptation with Vitamin C I found out), chopped tomatoes, chopped a mild green pepper, and put a spoon in the mild salsa I found in the snacks aisle at the commissary.  

The first thing Laurent said about the tortillas was, “These are thick. Are they cooked through?” I said I had tasted them and that they were good. 

Thanks to Rick Bayless, I knew that tortillas were versatile and had different names depending on shape and function, which I explained to Laurent as follows: 

“So, this chubby tortilla made into a taco is a gordita. If you keep the tortilla flat and put items on top of it, you have a tostada. If the tortilla is made into a boat shape with raised edges, it becomes a sope. If the tortilla is stuffed with beans and griddled, it becomes a panucho.” 

I would like to be a purist who always wants authentic food, but I learned to like the German tacos I made. The commissary finally sold Old El Paso hard corn tortillas, which I used, but I am glad I tried to make corn tortillas at home with Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Nopalito for Mexican Food by Ruth Paget

Nopalito for Mexican Food by Ruth Paget 

In 2024, I am sure many people in San Francisco have eaten at Nopalito Mexican restaurants, have read reviews of Nopalito restaurants in the newspaper and magazines, and have discussed its online reviews as if they were Parisians. 

I live in a small city about two hours south of San Francisco where not all the dishes described in the cookbook Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen by Gonzalo Guzman and Stacy Adimando are available.  I would try all of Nopalito’s dishes that I suspect are popular in Veracruz Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico where Guzman grew up. 

Three dishes that I think look delicious and doable at home include: 

*Ensalada de Frutas (Fruit Salad with Chile Pepper and Lime) made with lime juice, orange juice, watermelon cubes, bite-sized melons, queso fresco (a Mexican cheese like mozzarella), spices and sauces made with sweet and mildly spicy red guajillo chile peppers and spicy, red arból peppers. 

*Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Leaf Salad) made with dethorned, Nopale cactuas leaf paddles, salt, red onion, lime juice, tomatoes, avocado, cotija cheese (Mexican cheese like ricotta), and chopped fresh cilantro. 

*Panuchos de Pollo (Black-bean stuffed tortillas with shredded chicken) made with tortillas that are stuffed then fried or grilled. The panucho is topped with shredded chicken, citrus, achiote (a Mexican herb), pickled red onions, and spicy habanero chile salsa. Two or three panuchos can be eaten as a meal. 

For the moment, these items do not appear on menus in Monterey County, but this could change overnight as regional Mexican food is becoming popular. I filled three lined sheets of paper with names of Mexican taquerías in the city of Salinas alone. The Noplalito dishes might be here. I just need to visit all the taquerías to find this information out. 

Thankfully, if I decide to cook Mexican food at home, the Nopalito cookbook by Gonzalo Guzman is a good guide, because it shows how to make basic ingredients like corn and flour tortillas, Mexican cheese, and sauces. It is a great reference cookbook for this reason. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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Sunday, January 21, 2024

Whole Grains Revisited by Ruth Paget

Whole Grains Revisited by Ruth Paget 

The words “whole grain” on a package always prompt me to look twice at it to see if the product is really a whole grain product. I learned about whole grains in health and nutrition classes in junior high and high school classes in Michigan. 

My teachers emphasized that whole grains were good for maintaining weight and good health thanks to the fiber and nutrients in them. 

 As an older woman, I decided to review the health benefits of whole grains and looked at three websites that had information on them: Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins Medical School, and the Mayo Clinic. 

These sites identify a whole grain as being made up of three parts: 

-bran – the fiber-rich outer layer of a grain 

-germ – the cored of a seed where growth occurs 

-endosperm – the interior layer that holds the seed together 

Each of these three separate parts of grain contains nutrients that the Harvard site writes about in detail: 

*Bran Nutrients include: 

-fiber 

-B-vitamins 

-iron 

-copper 

-zinc 

-magnesium 

-antioxidants 

-phytochemicals  

*Germ Nutrients Include: 

 -healthy fats 

-Vitamin E 

-B-vitamins 

-phytochemicals 

-antioxidants 

*Endosperm Nutrients include: 

-carbohydrates 

-protein 

-small amounts of vitamins and minerals 

The sites all note that fiber helps lower cholesterol in addition to moving waste through the digestive tract.  

Whole grains do not have to be soupy porridges. It is possible to obtain whole grain benefits in delicious recipes like those in Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains cookbook, which has 150 recipes (available on Amazon Kindle). 

Three recipes that I thought looked delicious and easy to prepare include: 

-Summer Quinoa – Tomato Salad made with tomatoes, quinoa, red onion, garlic, basil leaves, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and Parmesan 

-Tabbouleh with Garbanzo Beans made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, green onions, bell peppers, cucumber, and parsley 

-Wild Rice with Cranberries made with wild rice, butter, salt and pepper, chicken or vegetable broth, mushrooms, almonds, and cranberries. 

Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains Cookbook contains a long list of whole grains for reference including several less common ones like amaranth and teff. Cooks interested in expanding their knowledge of whole grains would probably enjoy trying the recipes in Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains Cookbook. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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Saturday, January 20, 2024

Oaxacan Recipe for Success by Ruth Paget

Oaxacan Recipe for Success by Ruth Paget 

In Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Bricia Lopez, the family who created the Guelaguetza Restaurant in Los Angeles to serve the Oaxacan community there share some of their business secrets and many great recipes. (Pronounced “wa-ha-ca”)

Oaxaca is one Mexican state away from Central America on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The Mexican state of Chiapas lies to the south of Oaxaca and next to Central America. The Mexican state of Guerrero lies to the north of Oaxaca and is home to the resort city of Acapulco. Oaxaca is famous for its Mesoamerican archaeological site of Monte Alban, mole sauces, and chocolate. 

The Oaxacan word guelaguetza that the restaurant is named for refers to the Oaxacan custom of sharing what you have with others no matter how much or how little you have according to Lopez. (Lopez notes that families keep track of the sharing through centuries in books.) 

Lopez writes that the restaurant’s owner found community through food and mezcal. His accountant told him that if he sold $300 a day, he would be profitable at year’s end. Lopez notes they made $300 the first day, $600 the next day, and $900 the day after that. 

The opening day menu had four items only: 

-mole negro – chile and bitter chocolate mole 

-mole estofado – chile and almond mole 

-tlayudas – very large Oaxacan tortillas 

-tamales de mole negro – wrapped and steamed corn masa that can have shredded chicken, pork, or beef with a mole sauce 

When the restaurant was reviewed by Jonathan Gold of the LA Times, business exploded. Eventually, Guelaguetza expanded to five restaurants, a money wiring service, and a newspaper. 

Moles have extensive ingredient lists. I let restaurants make them. When I order them, I make sure to also order frijollas de olla as a dip to go that I eat with tortillas or with salsa at home. Sometimes I warm a large tortilla, spread the tortilla with beans, place fried eggs on top, and spoon salsa on top of that with grated Swiss cheese to make my version of huevos rancheros. 

In any case, frijoles de olla are usually a good deal for your money. I order a large size and make it an appetizer for two meals. They are made with black beans, garlic, white onion, epazote (a Mexican herb), and sea salt. 

Another dish I have made that resembles a recipe in Oaxaca is huevos con nopalitos (eggs with cactus). I found the cactus in Wisconsin at a Hispanic market. I used the end of a vegetable peeler to dethorn the cactues, sliced it up, and sautéed it. Then, I scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions and added the cactus to them. The cactus tastes like a tangy calamari steak. 

Tamales de mole negro are worth trying, if you can find them on restaurant menus or in Hispanic markets. Basically, these are steamed rectangles of corn masa with shredded chicken and mole negro spooned over the chicken with more masa placed on top of the chicken and mole. This rectangle of food is wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks for steaming and usually made 100 at a time. 

One of my high school friend’s mom made homemade tamales and told me they freeze well and heat up nicely in the microwave. Hispanic markets like Santa Fe can probably cater these for you for a first taste. I have even seen tamales for sale at Costco. 

The cookbook Oaxaca by Bricia Lopez has many great recipes and is also a good read for someone contemplating opening a Mexican restaurant or taquería. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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Thursday, January 18, 2024

Woody's at the Monterey (CA) Airport by Ruth Paget

Woody’s at the Monterey (CA) Airport by Ruth Paget 

On a recent visit to the Monterey-Carmel Airport (California) to pick up my daughter Florence Paget from a winter vacation in snow-bound Wisconsin, we decided to go to Woody’s, the upstairs bar-restaurant at the airport with an observation deck and indoor/outdoor seating. 

The suitcases came with us, and there was plenty of room to store them. Woody’s is set up to accommodate golf club suitcases for tournaments at Pebble Beach and other courses on the Monterey Peninsula. The region promotes golf tourism for all budgets. 

Florence was welcomed back to Monterey with a heaping dish of calamari as an appetizer. The calamari came with creamy tartar sauce and pungent cocktail sauce made with freshly grated horseradish. (I consider horseradish an elixir of good health.) 

We next ordered dishes featuring beef from the Harris Ranch northeast of Monterey by Highway 5. 

I had a cheeseburger that came with tangy cheddar cheese, 3 slices of thick-cut bacon, the Harris Ranch beef patty, lettuce and tomato, slices of red onion, pickled red onion, sweet pickles, and a brioche bun. I had pub fries and pepperoncino peppers on the side. The pub fries can be made into truffled fries for an extra charge. 

Florence ordered the patty melt, which came with the same vegetable additions for the burger with cheese on grilled and buttered rye bread. 

Sometimes you just want a cheeseburger, and Woody’s amply delivers on that. 

Woody’s will also validate parking tickets for up to two hours, so you can literally park across the street from the airport entrance and take the elevator or stairs up to the restaurant. 

Woody’s at the airport is a gem bar-restaurant that merits a detour on the way home from work for local commuters on Highway 68 for dining or take-out. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


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