The 26th Asian Cultural Experience is happening in April 26, 2025 in Salinas. This event is organized by the Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese communities in Salinas.
For more information click on the press release link below:
Asian Cultural Experience information
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
The Poppy War Reviewed by Ruth Paget R.F. Kuang’s
The Poppy War is a fantasy-historical fiction novel that is loosely based on the period of Chinese (Nikara in the novel) history called The Rape of Nanjing or the Nanjing Massacre by Japan (The Federation of Mugen in the novel) during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937 – 1945).
Rin, the book’s main character, a dark-skinned peasant girl from the South, tests in the military academy at Sinegard, which rigorously prepares its students for a war that has not happened yet, but that will according to daily reminders from professors.
The entire school becomes mired in war much sooner than the characters think. The horrific atrocities induce many of the soldiers and leaders to use opium to continue fighting, particularly as food supplies dwindle and to invoke warrior deities.
In the two Opium Wars prior to the Sino-Japanese Wars, the Chinese fought to keep opium out of the country. However, by the time of The Poppy War that Kuang writes about, the Chinese population had begun to widely use opium (derived from poppies like heroin) despite its being illegal. As you read through The Poppy War, you can see its varying effects on soldiers, especially leaders.
One of the great lessons of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang is that despite efforts to prepare for defensive war, a country can still suffer greatly and be invaded by other countries seeking land and/or wealth.
The Poppy War illustrates in devastating detail the atrocities of war in Nikara. This makes for difficult yet important reading for readers who are interested in real-life careers as:
-diplomats -war crimes assessors
-translators
-military personnel
-psychologist, especially for therapists dealing with victims of gang rape by enemy troops
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang uses the fantasy format to relate a historical incident like The Rape of Nanjing to make it supportable for readers who probably would have trouble reading about it in history books.
In the end, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang acts as an excellent introduction to 20th century Chinese history.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Hibachi Salmon and Mango Cheesecake at Roy’s in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget
Roy’s in Pebble Beach, California is like a little piece of Maui in Monterey County.
It is a Hawaiian themed restaurant that serves several fish selections worthy of a Japanese steak house. (Descendants of Japanese farm workers make up one of Hawaii’s large ethnic groups.)
I ordered the hibachi salmon at Roy’s, which is made with wild caught salmon (expect market pricing).
Hibachi refers to a flat-topped grill used to make this dish and the name for the sauce used to flavor the salmon. The citrusy sauce is made with soy sauce, honey, fresh squeezed lemon juice, sesame oil, minced garlic, ginger, and a little white pepper. (Recipe source: weekdaypescatarian.com). These ingredients are delicious alone and even better when mixed together.
The salmon is grilled first before adding the sauce. At Roy’s, the skin on the salmon is papery thin and crunchy. I ate it at Roy’s, but usually leave it at other restaurants.
Roy’s adds some theatrical flourishes to the hibachi salmon. They top it with silky, sweet pieces of preserved ginger. On top of the ginger, they place a swirling mound of shaved strands of daikon radish.
The hibachi salmon is served over rice with tender, steamed broccolini on the side. All the flavors blend together just like they are supposed to for an optimal dining experience.
The dessert was tops, too: a mango cheesecake with pink guava sauce and lemon icing made from tart, freshly squeezed lemons.
We sat at a window seat with a view on the ocean. I thought the terraced desk outside would be a great place to watch the sunset or listen to the bagpiper at 6 pm with an exotic dessert from Roy’s ($18 each) and a coffee.
Roy’s is a splurge restaurant, but it is much less expensive than eating a comparable meal in Maui.
If you want to eat a Hawaiian meal stateside, Roy’s restaurant in Pebble Beach, California is a great choice for you.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Phô at Saigon Noodle in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
I have always liked the savory taste of Vietnamese chicken noodle phô soup. The last time I ordered it from Saigon Noodle in Salinas (California), I looked more closely at how it is made.
Author Linda Nguyen writes in the Phô Cookbook: Simple, Delicious, and Authentic Vietnamese Phô Recipes for your Family (on Amazon Kindle) that the following ingredients go into this yummy, comfort food:
-fresh ginger
-a quartered chicken with bones
-jalapeño pepper
-basil leaves
-yellow onion
-sugar (1 teaspoon)
-salt
-Asian fish sauce
-rice noodles
-chicken bones or chicken wings
-bean sprouts -lime wedges
-sriracha or other chili sauce
For the recipe, you roast the onion and ginger till brown, which gives the final broth its beautiful, golden brown color full of nutrients.
Then, you place water in a stockpot and add the chicken bones, chicken, onion, ginger, salt, and sugar. The chicken bones will add gelatin to the final broth, which adds extra protein to the soup.
You simmer the soup till the chicken is tender. You remove the chicken at this point and separate the meat from the bones and skin. The meat goes in the refrigerator. The skin and bones from the chicken go in the stockpot with the broth to be simmered for another hour. The broth is drained with solids removed at the end of the hour.
The drained broth goes back in the stockpot and is reduced to 6 cups. You add fish sauce and the chicken meat and boil till thoroughly heated.
While the broth is reheating, you make the rice noodles. The broth is served over drained rice noodles with vegetables added on the side including the following:
-bean sprouts
-jalapeños
-chili garlic sauce
-lime wedges
Saigon Noodle places its delivery soup in a large bowl with rice noodles on the bottom, a generous helping of chicken on top, and a handful of chopped green onions on top of the chicken.
There is about 1½ pints of scrumptious broth that comes with the soup.
The Vitamins A, C, and E are in the phô along with protein and fiber from the bean sprouts. The chicken noodle phô soup at Saigon Noodle in Salinas, California tastes good and is very good for you, too.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Jack’s for Latte and Pastry in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
Jack’s in Salinas, California is located on a small business island in the parking lot of Nob Hill Foods by Weinerschnitzel.
Jack's is a drive-thru, locals place for strong espresso-like lattes like the ones I drank in Germany with cinnamon rolls and other pastries for sale. It is a little less expensive than other local coffee chains and has many of the same kinds of products.
When I go to Jack’s, I like to think that I am doing a Swedish fika or coffee break. The cinnamon rolls at Jack’s are flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and sugar like the ones in:
Fika: The Art of Swedish Coffee Break with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall (Available on Kindle)
The only thing you have to know about Jack’s Drive-Thru is that you order, pay, and get your coffee at the same window. The first time I went to Jack’s, I ordered and pulled around to the other window. I got my coffee, but not without a little giggling.
Once you have your coffee, you can drive down Blanco Road to get your oil changed at Valvoline (you can sit in your car while they do this and sip your coffee) or go to the self car wash next to Valvoline and reward yourself with sips of coffee.
If you do an oil change or car wash and still have energy, you can return down Blanco Road back towards Main Street to do recycling of plastic, aluminum, and glass beverage containers in the Star Market parking lot or drop things off at Goodwill behind Ace Hardware, also in the Star Market Plaza.
Jack’s is open till 2 pm in case you need to get another coffee after doing errands in town.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Surviving Babel – a review by Ruth Paget
Babel by R.F. Kuang is a highly readable story about how racism in 19th century Great Britain affected its foreign policy.
Kuang’s anti-hero is Robin Swift, an Anglo-Chinese student at the Royal Institute of Translation, called Babel, at Oxford University. Kuang’s novel is set in 1830s England where silver makes the British Empire run. Babel’s translations create magical silver that fund the student stipends and contribute to the British Empire’s wealth.
The British Empire’s problem in Babel is that the silver is running out due to buying luxury goods from India and China. These two countries want nothing that England produces making the Indians and Chinese accumulate vast reserves of silvers as the British silver funds are being depleted.
This situation creates the need for certain languages to be taught at Babel and the economic argument to promote the Opium Drug Wars between England and China.
Robin Swift and his classmates learned languages to fill needs of the British Empire with no other perceived alternatives offered for employment. This negative learning environment brings in Babel’s crime element, which is threaded throughout Robin Swift’s student years and “career.”
Learning about the traditions and lifestyle at Babel and Oxford University keeps Kuang’s novel from being a pessimistic reading experience. I liked learning about the insider names of the various academic quarters at Oxford and about the third and fourth year qualifying exams, the internships, the immersive language experiences, and profitable languages for translation.
That students could work during the social upheaval of 19th century Great Britain illustrates the strength of Oxford University as an institution that it still benefits from today as the training ground for the United Kingdom’s leaders.
Readers who might enjoy Babel by R.F. Kuang include:
-diplomats
-translators
-military intelligence officers
-economists
-students applying for fellowships to study at Oxford
-travelers
I enjoyed Babel by R.F. Kuang because I was an undergraduate student in East Asian Studies. This novel is definitely a book I would have discussed with my classmates over coffee and pastries at the University of Chicago in the Regenstein Library’s coffee shop.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
