North Carolina's Crab Cuisine by Ruth Paget

North Carolina’s Crab Cuisine by Ruth Paget 

I felt part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks beach culture every time my family went to oceanfront restaurants about one mile from the North Carolina border in Virginia Beach (Virginia) for boiled crab and buttery, seared scallops and shrimp. 

Some of these restaurants even had boat drive-up windows for take-out orders. 

Laurent and Florence always ordered buckets of boiled crab while I would get seafood platters of buttery, seared scallops and shrimp. Laurent and I always drank a California chardonnay with our meal like reliably good Kendall-Jackson. 

My mom job was to crack crab claws for Florence, so she could dunk them still warm in melted butter. She would say her crab were getting cold when I took breaks to eat my scallops and shrimp. 

We chair danced to the tunes of Jimmy Buffet and Hootie and the Blowfish and ate key lime pie for dessert for me, ice cream for Florence, and coffee for trim sailor Laurent. 

Seafood and crab, in particular, define the cuisine of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. You could buy freshly cooked lump crabmeat in supermarkets in Virginia Beach to use in omelets and appetizers as well as ready-made deli dishes using seafood at Harris-Teeter and Hanaford supermarkets. 

I made many dishes at home to save money. It was easy to do, because I had access to relatively inexpensive ingredients and recipes in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Many of the recipes I used are similar to the ones in Outer Banks Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from North Carolina’s Barrier Islands by Elizabeth Wiegand. Some of my favorite recipes in this cookbook include: 

-spicy toasted pecans – Pecans grow in North Carolina’s sandy soil. They are a favorite with libations like Hurricane cocktails and margaritas. 

-Figs with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts – Figs also grow in North Carolina. You place a walnut in the center of a fig half in this recipe and top it with Gorgonzola cheese before running it under it under the broiler for a few minutes.

-figs with country ham and green salad 

-artichoke and crab dip 

-crabmeat pâté 

-shrimp bisque 

-crabmeat omelet 

-seared scallops 

-scallops and scallions on polenta medallions 

-shrimp boiled in beer 

-warm shrimp pasta salad with goat cheese 

-chilled pickled shrimp 

-creamy she crab soup – there are canned versions of this soup that are also very good like Chincoteague She Crab Soup

-French Market Flounder (Marseilles-style) – dredge flounder in seasoned flour and then egg. Brown the fish. Add white wine to the pan and top fish with a tomato slice and cheese and run the pan under the broiler for several minutes. Serve with white rice that you mix with pan juices. Super easy and delicious recipe. 

Seafood lovers will find many reasons to love Outer Banks Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from North Carolina’s Barrier Islands by Elizabeth Wiegand. 

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

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French Wine Place Name Game - Reds by Ruth Paget

French Wine Place Name Game – Reds by Ruth Paget 

French wines are known by their place names, which give no information about the varietals (grapes) used to make it. A distinguished wine drinker in France in supposed to know from the place name what larger region the wine comes from and the varietals used to make the grapes. 

In this game for French red wines, you will make index cards with the following information for each wine below and quiz yourself to do the following: 

-Learn to pronounce the wine in French. 

 -Learn to spell the wine name 

-Learn the larger region where the wine is produced

-Learn the varietals used to make the wine 

Use The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson to look up information.  

--Bordeaux 

-Graves 

-Saint-Julien 

-Saint-Estèphe 

-Pauillac 

-Moulis 

-Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux 

-Saint-Emilion 

-Pomerol 

-Fronsac  

--Burgundy-La Côte de Nuits 

-Gevery-Chambertin 

-Morey-Saint Denis 

-Chambolle-Musigny 

-Vougeot 

-Flagey-Echézeaux 

-Vosne-Romanée 

-Nuits-Saint Georges 

--Burgundy – Côte de Beaune 

-Aloxe-Corton 

-Beaune 

-Pommard 

-Volnay 

-Givry 

-Mercurey 

 --Burgundy – Beaujolais 

-Saint-Amour 

-Juliénas 

-Fleurie 

-Chiroubles 

-Morgan 

-Moulin-à-Vent 

-Côte de Brouilly 

 --Côtes du Rhône 

-Châteauneuf-du-pape 

-L’Hermitage 

-Côtes-Rôties 

 --Jura 

-Arbois 

 --Southwest 

-Bergerac 

Making your own index cards and doing your own research will make the information in this game stick. 

This is just the game to play before a visit to the Total Wine store in Seaside, California.

Happy Gaming! 

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

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French Wine Place Name Game - Whites and Rosés by Ruth Paget

French Wine Place Name Game – Whites and Rosés by Ruth Paget 

With the exception of Alsace, French wines are known by their place names, which give no information about the varietals (grapes) used to make it. A distinguished wine drinker in France in supposed to know from the place name what larger region the wine comes from and the varietals used to make the grapes. 

In this game for French white wines, you will make index cards with the following information for each wine below and quiz yourself to do the following: 

-Learn to pronounce the wine in French. 

-Learn to spell the wine name

-Learn the larger region where the wine is produced 

-Learn the varietals used to make the wine 

-Learn if the wine is a white or a rosé 

Use The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson to look up information.  For Alsatian wine, Alsace can be both the place name and larger region.

--Alsace 

-Sylvaner 

-Riesling 

-Muscat 

-Traminer 

-Gewurztraminer 

-Pinot Gris 

 -Tokay 

 --Bordeaux 

-Sauternes 

-Barsac 

-Cérons 

-Graves 

-Sainte-Croix-de-Mont 

-Loupiac 

-Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 

-Entre-Deux-Mers 

--Burgundy 

-Chablis 

-Meursault 

-Puligny-Montrachet 

-Chassagne-Montrachet 

-Rully 

-Mantagny 

-Pouilly-Fuissé 

 --Côtes du Rhône 

-Château-Grillet 

-Condrieu 

-Saint-Péray 

-Tavel 

 -Lirac 

 --Jura 

-Château-Chalon 

-L’Etoile 

-Arbois 

-Poligny 

 --Languedoc-Roussillon 

-Banyuls 

-Côte d’Agly 

-Maury 

-Rivesaltes 

-Frontignon 

 --Southwest 

-Montbazillac 

-Montravel 

-Bergerac 

-Jurançon 

-Gaillac 

-Banquette de Limoux  

--Loire 

-Saumur 

-Coteaux du Layon 

-Coteaux de l’Aubance

 -Bourgeuil 

-Chinon 

-Vouvray 

-Montlouis 

-Muscadet 

-Sancerre 

-Pouilly-Fumé 

-Cabernet 

The vast majority of these wines are white, but researching them for information to make your index cards for quizzing helps make the information stick. 

This is just the game to play before a visit to the Total Wine store is Seaside, California.

Happy Gaming! 

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

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Parisian Sandwiches in Monterey (CA) by Ruth Paget

Parisian Sandwiches in Monterey (CA) by Ruth Paget 

My family usually goes to Crêpes of Brittany in Monterey (California) to eat crêpes made the traditional way with the addition of melted butter to the batter, making for a hearty meal despite the thinness of the crêpe. 

However, Crêpes of Brittany also offers five Parisian sandwiches for a cosmopolitan snack akin to Germany’s butterbrot sandwiches. 

The five baguette sandwich selections come with a choice of potato, pasta, or green salad. The sandwiches include: 

-French ham and butter 

-French ham or turkey with mayonnaise, gruyère cheese, lettuce, tomato, and boiled egg 

-French ham and Brie cheese with butter, lettuce, and tomato 

-Brie cheese with caramelized onion and apple 

-Tuna 

The French usually leave the Brie cheese rind on for flavor and texture on sandwiches. If you prefer not to eat the rind, let the waiter know when ordering. 

Crêpes of Brittany serves 11 kinds of coffee and spiced chai as well as alcoholic French apple cider from Brittany and Normandy. 

The crêperie is a perfect place to rejuvenate while visiting the historic and cultural sites in downtown Monterey. 

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

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Glimpses of Austrian Culture by Ruth Paget

Glimpses of Austrian Culture by Ruth Paget 

When I was the vice president of the Young Executive Program of the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris (France), I organized monthly networking cocktail parties for members as one of my duties. 

At one of these networking cocktails, I met Ms. S. who did public relations work for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. I immediately told her that I watched the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s Christmas concert with my French in-laws. 

“That’s a good tradition and an Austrian contribution to building European culture,” Ms. S. answered. 

That comment led to a discussion about all the Habsburg queens of France who had Austrian heritage such as: 

-Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII and mother of Louis XIV 

-Maria-Theresa of Spain, who was a Habsburg and wife of Louis XIV 

-The famous Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI 

“The Austrian daughters-in-law were not always popular,” Ms. S. noted. 

“The French like Austrian desserts, though,” I said. 

I took this opportunity to note that I had just gotten my first food article published in newspapers in Rhode Island and New Zealand about Catalan food for the upcoming Olympics in Barcelona. I asked Ms. S if there were Austrian food traditions I could write about. 

Ms. S. said that her favorite holiday was the Catholic celebration of Advent, the 24 days before Christmas, which is a time for reflection and simple, but good eating. 

During Advent, Austrians do “jause,” coffee breaks with pastries. The Austrians like “Kaffe mit schlag” – coffee with whipped cream on top and a slice of Linzertorte. Linz is a city in western Austria. A linzertorte is a wedge of jam pastry with a lattice-work pie crust topping. 

On Sundays during Advent, Austrians eat wiener schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet served with lemon. It is accompanies by sliced cucumber salad, potato salad, and French fries. 

I thanked Ms. S. for the information and introduced her to several Young Executive Program members who worked in media. I noted down what she said and added the notes to my “to-do” list at home. The to-do notes have survived several international moves. 

Finally, about 40 years later after this meeting, I am getting the notes written up in the versatile blog format. The food information is still relevant. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is still magnificent and easy to attend now thanks to online ticket ordering. 

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

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Anaphora Poem for Dad by Ruth Paget

Anaphora Poem for Dad by Ruth Paget For Laurent 

Father’s Day 

June 19, 2005 

You are the Star  

You are the Star 

  of restaurant reviews 

  of books about Virginia, France, and Wisconsin 

You are the Star 

  of baguette buying 

  of Costco capering 

  of Asilomar hiking 

You are the Star 

  of Big Sur Drives 

  of dim sum lunches in San Francisco 

  of French teaching 

You are the Star 

  of our hearts 

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

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Acme Coffee Roasting Company by Ruth Paget

Acme Coffee Roasting Company by Ruth Paget 

I buy my locally roasted Acme Coffee at Star Market in Salinas (California) after doing recycling of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles with the parking lot recycling center. 

My husband Laurent and I use our recycling earnings to buy some specialty grocery items such as the following:

-Road Dog Acme Coffee by Acme Coffee Roasting Company – a local roaster located in Seaside, California owned and operated by veteran Chuck Thurman

-French cheese like pont l’évêque 

-Californian cheese like Point Reyes Farmstead Blue 

-Italian 00 semolina flour -Ancient grain flours like quinoa, amaranth, and einkorn 

-German chocolate like Ritter-Sport from Stuttgart, Germany 

-Progresso French onion soup 

-Large, juicy white grapes that taste good with espresso strong Road Dog Coffee from Acme Roasting Company 

Acme Coffee headquarters, located across town from Salinas in Seaside, sells coffee, coffee beans, and cool merchandise to nearby auto mall employees (sellers of and mechanics for Chevrolets, Jaguars, Land Rovers, Porsches, Teslas, and BMWs) and denizens of Obama Way with its renovated Louisiana look. 

The Acme Coffee website lists several kinds of beans for sale that can be ground while you sip a coffee: 

-the espresso strong Road Dog beans I love 

-Valve Job 

-Ninety Weight 

-Motor City Espresso 

-Power Glide 

-Acme Decaf 

-Roaster’s Choice 

-Uganda Sipi Falls 

Acme Coffee Merchandise includes:  

-Acme logo T-shirts 

-Cold Brew Tees 

-Acme logo zipper hoodies 

-Acme coffee tees 

Neighborhood locals mingle with tourists and California State University Monterey Bay students for news and coffee in Acmes convenient location off Highway 1 near Embassy Suites Hotel and Googie’s Restaurant. 

I like to think of Acme Roasting Company as Seaside’s Café du Monde and feel part of the community even if I am drinking Acme’s Road Dog Coffee at home. 

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

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