Saint John's Night Bonfire by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Saint John’s Night Bonfire by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

On the last day of school at my daughter Florence’s Waldorf School in Pacific Grove (California) before summer vacation, parents were invited to an optional Saint John’s Night Bonfire at Carmel River State Beach on June 23^rd.

The Carmel River drains into the Pacific Ocean at this spot.  Bonfire nights like the one for Guy Fawkes Night in England (November 5^th) and those for Saint John the Baptist (June 23^rd) are held in areas with Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran populations in Europe and in Monterey County in Carmel, California by streams and rivers.

There is no mysterious reason for this location for bonfires.  Dead wood, leaves, reeds, and branches accumulate at river and stream mouths and can be used as kindling, which clears these areas of debris in the process.

Participants at a Saint John’s bonfire hold hands and dance around the bonfire in a circle.  Brave participants are expected to leap over the bonfire to show their fearlessness.

After working up an appetite dancing and fire jumping, participants eat taffy apples and drink mulled wine as they watch fireworks.

I did not want to jump over a bonfire, but thought I could handle making taffy apples.

I told Florence about Saint John’s Night as we headed to Safeway Supermarket in Del Rey Oaks to buy taffy apple items; This Safeway has everything and more to choose from down its many aisles.

Florence said, “Jumping over a fire is dangerous.”

“Especially in shorts,” I added

Safeway sold square sheets of caramel that you wrapped around apples and microwaved before sticking them with a wooden stick for eating.

At home, we made taffy apples and did a Saint John’s Night craft project.

I took out a paper plate and had Florence color it black for soil.

Then, I drew branches on brown construction paper, and had Florence cut those out.  She pasted these on the paper plate.

Next, I gave Florence a piece of flat crêpe paper to squeeze together and make into a flame, which she pasted to the branches on the paper plate.

Now that we had a bonfire, I told Florence the story of John the Baptist, who fell in love with Salome, the dancing girl, who cut off his head and put it on a serving platter.

Florence wondered why he got to have a holiday.

I agreed and changed the subject.

“Does jumping over a flame remind you any Mother Goose rhymes?” I asked.

Florence thought a moment and said:

Jack be nimble,

Jack be quick,

Jack jumped over

the candlestick.

I wondered if that rhyme had been invented as part of a child’s celebration of Guy Fawkes Night.

I was glad some teaching moment in the past on Mother Goose had stuck in Florence’s mind like I hoped this one on Saint John’s Night would as we ate our taffy apples.

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

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Note:

Teaching moments were a method used by Francis Fenelon, tutor of Louis XIV’s grandson, who also advised on the education of girls of noble birth.

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Souvenir Ideas for Monterey County (California) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Souvenir Ideas for Monterey County (California) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

In France, souvenir boutiques and gas stations sell items like those listed below, so tourists will have memories to look back on about their experience in a visited region.  

Most are lifestyle items and many are perishable food items.  Some souvenir items like cassoulet can even be consumed in gas station restaurants.  (California cassoulet could be chile verde - pork and green pepper stew - or a spicy vegetarian curry.)

The following items may interest people all around the county and visitors, if they could buy them easily around the county in supermarkets or the various tourism sites listed below.

Maybe a website for tourists could be set up with merchandise that would allow them to pay online and have delivery or shipping options.  I think the web hosting service www.godaddy.com is set up for e-commerce as is www.wix.com:

-Stollen egg bread with raisins and nuts and Nuremberg Gingerbread for the holidays - Mecca Delicatessen

-Canvas Star Market Bag from Salinas, California -

Star Market has Mary Anne ice cream, English sweets, every flour imaginable, a small but great cheese selection along with crackers to go with the cheese, goat milk, teff flour, Choice Moroccan mint tea, La Florentine Italian turrone candy, Ritter Sport Chocolates from Stuttgart (Germany), and a newsstand with the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle in addition to local papers.  You can also buy the New York Times inside.  They also have Casa Giulia jams with varied flavors - Sicilian Orange, Pear Williams, and Fig in addition to traditional flavors.  Lemon curd is on sale for a tangy toast spread.

-Blue Paris Bakery Bag from Seaside and Monterey, California

Perfect for carrying baguettes, croissants, danishes, and nine-grain sliced loaves of bread.

-Chilled rose, fresh chèvre, flat bread sticks made with olive oil and sea salt, triangular cheese spreader - All of these items together make a nice souvenir or in-the-room snack in hot weather after a day of whale watching and sea otter watching trips

-Canned Pork Chile Verde - Mexican pork stew - Juanita's brand - available at Lucky Supermarkets and Safeway Supermarkets.

-Cantucci d'Abruzzo - biscotti with almonds - from Cost Plus World Market.  

Italians dunk biscotti in sweet Vino Santo.  In the US, we could probably use a sweet California gewürztraminer.  Cost Plus World Market sells many wines of varying sweetness that would go with the Cantucci d'Abruzzo.  Americans would view this as a snack, but you might be able to use it as an appetizer for a shrimp-pasta meal following it.

-German mustards, coffees, and herbal teas from Mecca Delicatessen in Marina, California

-The Pepper Plant: Original California Style Hot Pepper Sauce - this could be made in Monterey County, too.

-La Chinita Smoked Paprika - Santa Fe in Seaside, Mi Tierra in Seaside, and El Rancho in Marina probably all have this

-Elkhorn Slough Cap

-Chalone Cap

-Acme Coffee locally brewed in Seaside, California - Road Dog French Roast in bean or ground versions is my favorite.  

-Royal flan with carmel sauce for stovetop cooking.  (Caramel sauce is pre-made and the flan requires milk plus boiling.  8 small cup portion.  Found for $1.59)

-Cholula Hot Sauce

-Cans of Clam Chowder: Available at Old Fisherman's Grotto, Fish Hopper, and Scales 

-Cans of Artichoke Soup if it exists
  
I ate this at the Old Fisherman's Grotto in Monterey and loved it.  Perhaps Rappazzini Artichoke Farms in Castroville might be able to help with this question.  Castroville is the artichoke capital of the US like Salinas is the lettuce capital and Watsonville/Pajaro are the strawberry capitals.

-Can openers to go with clam chowder and artichoke soup for people who will eat it here

-Monterey Jack cheese originally made by the Franciscan Missions of Monterey County

-Hawaiian Host Aloha Gems - Madademia Nut and Chocolate Candy - Costco - Sand City

-Chocolate Crepes by La Boulangere - Costco - Sand City

-Mexican hot cocoa pods - either the Ibarra or Abuelita brands

-Chocolate Bars from around the World - Cost Plus World Market - Sand City, California

-Sriracha hot sauce to jazz up Egg Flower Soup - this product is of Thai origin, but is produced in California

-Alvarado Street Brewery Cans of California Craft Beer - Sold by Six or Alvarado Street Brewery T-Shirts and Caps - Sold in Monterey and Salinas

-Talbott Silk Ties (related to the Talbott wine family group)

-Book:  Salvador Dali: Conquest of the Irrational to better appreciate the 600+ art works at the Dali Exposition on the Wharf.  (300 are original and reflect his years in Monterey)

-Nutcracker ballet tickets if we can get local performances at the Sunset Center in Carmel and Spector Dance in Marina.

-Elkhorn Slough Yearly Memberships

-Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Yearly Memberships

-Monterey Bay Aquarium Yearly Memberships for frequent tourists

-Steinbeck Center Yearly Memberships (Salinas)

-Steinbeck Books - Short Novels - maybe an idea for Comic-Con at the Steinbeck Center:

-The Pearl
-The Sea of Cortez
-Russian Journal
-The Red Pony
-The Moon is Down

Maybe these books could be turned into comics or graphic novels (comics in book form with a hard spine).

-Bach Festival –Season Tickets for the Sunset Center in Carmel, California

-Western Stage Season Tickets – Salinas, California

-Chalone marble wine coasters

-John Steinbeck Novels - available at Steinbeck Center

-Robinson Jeffers poetry books

-Canon 13 Chardonnay from Soledad, California - a Monterey County Chardonnay - Monterey County is the largest producer of Chardonnay in the State of California

-Oaxaca Coffee mugs

-La Dolce Vita Almond - Anise Biscotti - Costco - Sand City

-Monterey Coffee mugs

-Cowboy Hats

-Cowboy Boots

-Monterey Photo Calendar

-Monterey Postcards - 50 cents each?

-Jane Smiley Books - local Pulitzer Prize winner

-Belle Yang Books - Forget Sorrow Manhua artist/author

-Beverly Cleary Books for children

-Paul Fleischman books for children - winner of the Newbery Award

-Donna Jo Napoli books for young teens

-Poet Patrice Vecchione books

Veccione does poetry workshops including workshops for young teens.

-Suzanne von Drachenfels - The Art of the Table:  A Complete Guide to Table Setting, Table Manners, and Tableware - Former White House Etiquette Advisor

-Pirate's Booty  - Puffed corn with Parmesan cheese.  Available at Grocery Outlet in Salinas.

-Western Apparel including cowboy boots - El Dorado store at Northridge Mall in Salinas, California

-Ghirardelli Chocolate - Corporate Gifts are suitable for birthdays and holidays, too - Cannery Row - Monterey, California

-See's Candy - in Del Monte Center Mall in Monterey and Northridge Mall in Salinas, California

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

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

Click for Laurent Paget's Book

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Easter at Home - Part 2 - by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Easter at Home – Part 2 – by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

In Western France, I learned that the French do not color eggs for Easter and that bells bring chocolate eggs for children not the Easter bunny.  Little Florence did hunt for eggs in her grandparents’ garden to fill her Easter basket.

Even the French eat some of their Easter chocolate before Easter lunch, but they do save room for a great afternoon meal.

First, you drink flutes of champagne in the living room before going to the dining room.

Then, you go to the dining room for a starter of white asparagus with homemade mayonnaise followed by seafood.  My mother in-law served broiled scallops on their shells with butter and Parmesan cheese.  (I made this dish with cream and grated gruyère cheese when I lived in Germany for holidays.)

The main dish would always be a five-pound leg of lamb with green lentils from Puy.

After the roast leg of lamb seasoned with garlic and rosemary would come a cheese platter including camembert, brie de Meaux, and gouda.  The cheese course is a pretext for opening another bottle of wine usually.

Chocolate mousse would be the dessert.

I never got tired of that meal, but when we came back to the United States in the mid 1990s, I was in charge of the meal in Wisconsin, which lacked many of the foods I ate in France at the time. 

So, I made an American meal with Italian and French additions to it.  That is very American in our multicultural society.

I began preparing my celebration of Easter in Madison with a purchase of egg dying kits for little Florence.  I put down newspapers in the kitchen, and let her dunk away in purple and green dye with her hands.  I even let her color her toes.

Laurent brought home Cornish game hens for Easter lunch.  I looked up how to cook those in Joy of Cooking – you need to bard them in bacon with onions and herbes de Provence inside to keep the meat moist.  A light Beaujolais would go well with this dish I thought.

I made Mexican seviche as our starter.  I marinated small pieces of orange roughy fish in lemon juice overnight to “cook” it.  To the fish, I added tomatoes, onions, mildly hot yellow peppers, olive oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, and black olives.  This brightly colored dish was a feast for the eyes and tasted good, too.

I used Marcella Hazan’s The Classic Italian Cookbook for a tasty side dish of mashed potatoes: add grated Parmesan cheese and butter to the mashed potatoes and top with chopped, flat leaf Italian parsley.

For our cheese course I served muenster, gruyère, and brie cheese.

Finally, we did have an Easter lamb on the table.  I asked our local bakery to make a chocolate lamb cake with butter cream frosting for us.

My mother and I cleared the dishes while Laurent and Florence napped.

I smiled and thought of the quote from the German writer Goethe that was in my edition of Joy of Cooking:

That which the fathers

Have bequeathed thee,

Earn it anew,

If thou wouldst possess it.

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

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Easter at Home - Part 1 - by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Easter at Home – Part 1 - by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Snow usually covered the ground at Easter in Detroit (Michigan) when I was a child, which meant I wore a new turtleneck sweater and pants instead of a dress to Easter lunch.

My family always spent Easter with my mother’s best friend’s Polish family.

Our hostess and her family members put together a meal that featured baked spiral cut ham with a huge bowl of hand-mashed potatoes with little pools of butter and paprika.  Hand-mashing the potatoes makes them creamy without any lumps.  I loved those and had several helpings.

Other Polish dishes would sometimes appear, too, like kielbasa pork sausage seasoned with garlic and salt.  To go with the kielbasa, there would be fresh, sharp horseradish flavored with beets along with rye and pumpernickel bread.

My mother and I liked to contribute to the food offerings and would a buy a loaf or two of sweet, Polish Easter bread (egg bread made with raisins and currants) in Hamtramack (called Poletown for the large number of Polish immigrants who settled there to work in the auto factories).

Every so often, a lamb made of butter with a red ribbon around its neck would decorate the Easter table.

I always admired the other table decorations: the Polish Easter eggs.  I liked the glistening dark brownish red eggs that obtained their color from being boiled with onion skins.

“Rubbing the eggs with vegetable oil gives them their sheen,” my mother’s friend told me.

One year eggs with a black base color and yellow, red, and green flower designs appeared on the buffet table.  These pysanky eggs came from eastern Poland near the Ukraine, which is famous for its egg decoration.  The Polish traditionally took their decorated eggs to church to be blessed.

My celebration of Polish Easter ended and my celebration of Greek Orthodox Easter began when I went to the University of Chicago and shared a dorm room with my Greek-American roommate.

On Greek Easter weekends, I went to my Greek roommate’s home in an outlying Chicago suburb.  No matter what the weather, a whole lamb is roasted on a spit in the backyard for Greek Easter lunch.  I especially liked the fresh salads with crumbled pieces of feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, and healthy dose of rigani (oregano relative) in oil and vinegar dressing. 

We did not eat one of the most attractive Easter specialties: large, lifesaver shaped loaves of bread with bright red colored eggs baked into them.  All the women relatives compared their golden, brown Easter loaves to see who had made the most elaborate latticework to encase red eggs baked in the circular loaf.

I no longer celebrated Greek Orthodox Easter when I married my French husband and moved to France.

End of Part 1

To be continued.

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

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

Click for Laurent Paget's Book

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