Fine Beer Reference Books Recommended by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Fine Beer Reference Books Recommended by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

I own two “Go-to-Beer-Reference” books, because I have just started learning about beers around the world.  My interest in this subject was inspired by living in Stuttgart, Germany for five years.

When I saw a photo and 2-page spread devoted to Firestone Walker Brewing Company located in Cambria (Outside Paso Robles, California at the same exit for Hearst Castle), I immediately purchased a “fine beer book” that had information on California brew pubs that are patterned after German brew pubs:

The Complete Beer Course:  Book Camp for Beer Geeks:  From Novice to Expert in Twelve Tasting Classes by Joshua M. Berstein.

This book contains information that complements (rounds out) information in another reference book I own entitled:

Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion:  America’s Microbreweries and Classic Beers from Europe – the World’s Great Beer Styles, Gastronomy, and Traditions.

I think California pubs could earn extra money selling those two items for people who would like to do beer tourism and cook with beer at home.

Germans braise meat and put 1 pint of Amber (Dunkel) beer in with potatoes to bake for dinner.  I put carrots and celery root in my version of this dish.

Cheers!!!!

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

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Egg Foo Yuck by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Egg Foo Yuck by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

I began reviewing restaurants for the Monterey County (CA) Weekly (Circulation: 200,000) via a small column called “Side Dish.”  My second column was about how I came to like Chinese food.

The following article has been modified somewhat, but I still love Asian restaurants for being able to whip up Cantonese refried rice with cooked egg strips, chopped ham, and peas at almost any time of day:

Egg Foo Yuck

My sister worked as a waitress at the Ho-Ho Inn in Detroit’s (MI) Cass Corridor across from the Art Institute while in college.  She brought me to work one day and sat a plate of Egg Foo Yung in front of 5-year-old me.

I quickly renamed this dish, “Egg Foo Yuck.”  Tears ran down my cheeks as I thought about eating it.

The Chinese waiter named George in and looked at me.  He took the Egg Foo Yuck and threw it in the garbage.

He went to the freezer and brought me a coconut and mango ice cream cup.  My sister came in and glared at me.

George said, “She ate everything, so I gave her an ice cream.”

I smiled sweetly at George.  My love for the Chinese, if not their food, began at that instant.

I wanted to visit China one day after that despite the fact “China” was Communist and off-limits for travel during most of my childhood.

In 1978 when I was 14, I raised money with 21 other young people to visit the People’s Republic of China (Mainland China, which was going to be formally recognized as the official representative of the Chinese people on March 1, 1979 when we enter China from Hong Kong.)

I dreaded the culinary side of our visit, because I did not like pork, China’s staple meat at the time.  I was suspicious of all seafood.  My tour mates teased me about all food, saying the shrimp was really cat, rat, or dog or that the dog meat was on the next buffet table.

I subsisted on rice and soup broth for two weeks.  I cringe now when I think of wasting food in a country that still had a collective memory of famine due to The Great Leap Forward, which featured bad planning.  (5 million people died.)

At lunch on a commune outside Shanghai, I tried to play down the fact that Americans had been described in classrooms and in textbooks as foreign devils until just 2 weeks before when China and the US formally recognized each other diplomatically on March 1, 1979.

I was 15 and did not like pork, but I liked pork stir fried with firm, white bean curd and cabbage.  I could not get enough of that and thanked the commune workers at our after-lunch briefing for the meal and admitted that I did not like Chinese food until I visited China and tried that dish.

After graduation from the University of Chicago, I worked for a translation firm and boutique PR firm in Chicago.  We worked with both Asian and European firms.  We celebrated many Chinese banquets at House of Hunan and Szechuan House for clients from both continents at these places.

I learned to say “xie-xie” – thank you – many times.

When I was 31, I bought a wok and a Chinese cookbook. (Lo’s Encyclopedia of Chinese Cuisines.  He used MSG, but I left it out and kept this treasure chest of Chinese food.)

This cookbook listed different cooking techniques and said that this was “just an abbreviated list.”  I had to relearn how to chop vegetables.  I tried several dishes, but my family had its favorites:

-Cantonese rice

-Egg Drop Soup

-Stir-Fried Beef in Oyster Sauce

When my daughter Florence was small, I showed her China on the map and said:

“Rice grows in South China where it’s hot and rainy in the summer.”

I pointed to the North and said:

“The Chinese grow wheat for noodles and dumplings in the North,” I said.

I showed her how to stir-fry Chinese bok choy cabbage in the wok and hoped that she would visit China one day loving Chinese food before she went.

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

Note:  Today I use Ken Hom’s cookbooks and Fuscia Dunlop’s cookbooks to prepare Chinese food.

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Glad Tea Party by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Glad Tea Party:  Carmel’s Cypress Inn Continues an Elegant Tradition by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

I still smile when thinking about taking my elementary-age daughter Florence out for tea at the lovely Cypress Inn in Carmel, California.

I talked to the editor at the editor at The Monterey County (CA) Weekly (Circulation: 200,000) and asked for an assignment to encourage the afternoon tea tradition around Monterey County.  She agreed and sent me off to the Cypress Inn with my elementary-age daughter Florence.

Florence and I dressed in black-and-white dresses and shoes and away we went to the Cypress Inn in Carmel, California.

The following article has been modified, but the content is still the same:

I loved to play tea party with my daughter Florence when she was a toddler.  Now that she is a young teen, we can really dress up and visit one of Carmel’s coziest places for tea – the Cypress Inn.

Built in 1929, the Cypress Inn is built in a Mediterranean style with white-washed walls, orange roof tiles, and a glorious, sun-lit patio with tropical plants; the Cypress Inn is reminiscent of Andalusia.

On a recent visit, my daughter Florence and I had afternoon tea and sandwiches out on the small patio garden that holds just four tables.  Florence looked pretty in her black-and-white dress with her hair pulled back.  We just needed black hats to fit in perfectly with the Palladian windows I thought.

We chose teas from a tea box with compartments from the Mighty Tea Company.  Florence chose African rose nectar tea, and I tried rainforest mint.

While the hotel manager prepared our tea, we admired the red, pink, and purple flowers in the garden around us.  Lush, green foliage climbed the outdoor chimney and the posts upholding the porch eaves.

Hummingbirds flitted from blossom to blossom and blue jays hopped around looking for crumbs.  A red flowering potted plant decorated our table.

Flowers also decorated the Cuthbertson bone china that arrived on each of our individual tea trays that held a teapot, sugar cube holder, creamer, tray of whipped cream and jam, a tea-shaped strainer for tea leaves, and a plate of tea goodies (sandwiches and cookies).

Florence agreed that I had taken her out on a fancy outing for tea when she saw the tray of tea china and tea treats.

The teas all had a lovely, copper color and pronounced flavors.  Florence’s tea was made up of African rooibos leaves flavored with tropical fruit and blossoms.  The mint in my rainforest tea had a subtle flavor yet present flavor. 

We used the tea tongs to pick up rough-edged, brown sugar cubes and place it in our tea.  We used the flower-patterned creamer to pour in cream.  The result was a highly perfumed, sweet tea like chai.

Our diamond-shaped tea sandwiches made with spongy, white bread gave me ideas for picnics at the various “granges” – Rustic Community Centers - around Monterey County.  My favorite sandwich was made with ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and lemony mayonnaise.

The sandwiches came in star-, diamond-, circular-, and half-moon shapes.

We each ate a large scone that filled us up.  Tea scones are made with evaporated milk, sugar, butter, eggs, and flour; they are moist and taste wonderful with dollops of whipped cream and strawberry jam.  Florence suggested mixing jam and whipped cream as a scone topping.

I ate pecan rich Mexican wedding cake cookies.  They are also called Russian teacakes.  (Trotsky allusion?)

According to Andrea Israel’s Taking Tea, the American tea-drinking habit has its origins in the British tradition.

The afternoon tea tradition began in the 18^th century when Duchess Anna of Bedford presented tea and sandwiches to her guests while her husband was out hunting.  English colonists brought their tea ritual with them to the New World.

Article end

In addition to Andrea Israel’s Taking Tea, the following book about afternoon tea has many baking ideas and recipes:

The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book:  More than 160 Recipes… by Anthony Wild and Carol Pastor

You can buy small tea sandwich cutters in the form of stars, diamonds, circles, and half moons at Amazon.com or restaurant supply stores.

Pinkies up!!!!  (Not necessary, but teaches balance without spills)

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


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Baron Pierre de Coubertin: Founder of the Modern Olympics Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Baron Pierre de Coubertin Game:  Founder of the Modern Olympics Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Background:

Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863 – 1937), a French educator and historian, recreated the ancient Olympic Games of Greece in 1896 into what is now the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The original Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece in 800 BC.   The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece.

Game Objective:

In this game of Coubertin, French Club members will learn about the International Olympics Committee (IOC), which has French as one of its official languages.

There are 10 tasks to complete in this game to learn about sports marketing and sports management.

Tasks:

Task 1:

Look up information about the Junior Olympics to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2020.

If you are interested in competing in the Junior Olympics or volunteering as an adult, you might want to look up how to do this at www.olympic.org .

Task 2:

What do the colors on the Olympic flag stand for?

Task 3:

List the different sports played at both the summer and winter Olympics.

Task 4:

Find the website for all the international organizations of the Olympic sports played and read their history.

Task 5:

If you are interested in playing any of the Olympic sports, read the complete rules and then contact the international organization asking for rules to follow to compete at the Junior Olympics, if you are interested.

Task 6:

In the US, there are scholar-athlete scholarships available at many universities.

Athletes often receive training in ethics, public relations, and merchandising, so it is worthwhile to look into the possibilities of practicing various sports such as curling to popularize it.  If you can curl well, you get to be an Olympic athlete.

Task 7:

Play one sport each season beginning in junior high, so you can to learn game rules and build strength and endurance.  You do need a doctor’s permission to compete.  (Factcheck needed and the same goes for any diet, you wish to embark on.)

Task 8:

Read a sports marketing textbook such as the one by Fullerton Press that is simply entitled Sports Marketing or a similar one as an introduction to public relations and merchandising in sports.

Task 9:

Read Principles and Practice of Sport Management by Lisa P. Masteralexis, Carol A. Barr, and Mary Hums or a similar book as an introduction to owning a sports franchise.

Task 10:

Develop a business plan for yourself as an athlete to merchandize lifestyle items.

Game on!!!

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

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