Most of this video is good. I tried to get an overhead shot of a brown pelican and came up with blue sky.
Several other brown pelicans flew through the waves for me:
Video and text by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
One lone seagull at Pebble Beach, California this morning
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Photo by Laurent Paget |
This stately seagull almost looks like a swan. She is unfazed by the crashing, rough surf at Pebble Beach, California.
Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
$15 for a burger and beer at Monterey’s California Brew Pub - Alvarado Street Brewery on Mondays.
I have reposted details from the Monterey County Weekly online calendar below:
https://www.montereycountynow.com/events/#/details/burger-mondays/16866636/2025-10-20T17
So, Monterey County dwellers could do the following menu:
Burger Mondays or Empanada Mondays
Taco Tuesdays or Rib Tuesdays
Wing Wednesdays
Chicken Noodle Soup or Pasta from Costco
Fish or seafood delivery on Friday
Pizza on Saturday
Oysters on Sunday or roast chicken
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
I was a high school Youth for Understanding exchange student to Japan in 1980. Later my family also hosted Japanese exchange students.
YFU offers programs in 45 countries now. For information about hosting an exchange student, sending a student overseas, or becoming a YFU coordinator, click on the link below:
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Tuesdays are Diego’s Rib Night at Trailside Cafe and Beer Garden in Carmel Valley, California. Details follow from the Monterey County Weekly’s Online Community Calendar:
Diego’s Rib Night at Trailside Cafe and Beer Garden
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
The University of Chicago is hosting The Year of Games all throughout 2025 - 2026. Information about major events is available below at the university website:
https://voices.uchicago.edu/yearofgames/news-and-events/
Happy Gaming!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Darjeeling: The India Tea Game Created by Ruth Paget
Indian tea is largely a story of black tea, green leaves processes to make strong black brews.
This Darjeeling tea game is for tea drinkers, people who want to more about India, and food and beverage workers who would like to advance their career.
The objectives of this Darjeeling Tea Game include:
1-Knowing the principal tea growing regions of India
2-Knowing the characteristics of the different Darjeeling harvests
3-Knowing the processing steps that create Indian black teas
4-Knowing the grades of Indian black tea
5-Knowing the main Indian tea types
6-Reward
The materials needed to play this game include:
-The book Tea: History Terroirs Varieties by Kevin Gascoyne, François Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais, and Hugo Américi
-index cards – large and small
-notebook paper
-pen
-Darjeeling tea to use as a reward
Game 1: Indian Tea Growing Regions
Note the four regions below on the front of four index cards. On the back of the index cards, note their location and 5 to 10 facts about the region to quiz yourself on.
These are the tea growing regions or terroirs to learn about:
-The Darjeeling Region
-The Assam Region
-The Nilgiri Hills
-The Sikkim Region
Game 2: Darjeeling Harvest Characteristics
Note: There are more than 30 cultivars or cultivated varieties of tea in India, but T78, AV2, and P312 are the most prevalent.
The cultivar plus the growing conditions of the tea create different flavor profiles. There are 3 main harvest seasons in Darjelling that affect the tea flavor and quality.
Write the following 3 harvest seasons on the front of an index card. On the back of the index card, not 5 to 10 characteristics of the harvest and quiz yourself on them:
-First Flush
-Second Flush
-Autumn Flush
Game 3: Know the Processing Steps that Create Indian Black Teas
There are two main methods for processing Indian black teas: The Orthodox Method and the CTC Method.
For this game, write the Orthodox Method on the front of notepaper. On the back of the notepaper, note the following process steps with 5 to 10 characteristics. When this is done, quiz yourself until you know all the steps in the Orthodox Method.
The Orthodox Method Process Steps to describe follow:
-withering
-rolling
-oxidation
-drying
-sorting
Use the same game style to describe the CTC Method on notebook paper and quiz yourself.
Game 4: Know the Grades of Indian Black Tea
"This grading system to grades of whole-leaf tea. The most important aspect is the number of buds (pekoes). The more buds a tea contains, the more letters in the appellation,” Tea by Gascone et al.
On index cards, note the following abbreviations on the front of the index card and what they mean on the back. Then, quiz yourself with the cards for following acronyms:
-SFTGFOP
-FTGFOP
-TGFOP
-GFOP
-FOP
-OP
-Tippy
-Golden
-Flowery
-Orange
-Pekoe
-1
-S
Game 5: Main Indian Tea Types
For the main Indian tea types listed in Tea by Gascoyne et al., note the tea type on the front of an index card.
On the back of the index card, note the following information:
-tea family (usually black for Indian teas)
-production areas
-harvest season
-cultivar
There are 8 main tea types listed in Tea by Gascoyne et al.
Game 6: Reward
Once you have mastered all facts in this Darjeeling Tea Game, make some Darjeeling or Assam tea and enjoy a cup.
For more information on Indian food and culture, the following books may be of interest:
-Tea: History Terroirs Varieties by Kevin Gascoyne, François Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais, and Hugo Américi
-Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and The Future of American Power by Robert D. Kaplan
-Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni
-Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Julie Sahni
I have written about two Hindu festivals that my family has participated in on my blog. Links to these blogs follow:
-Ganesh Puja in Carmel, California
-Diwali in Monterey, California and Norfolk, Virginia
Happy Tea Sipping!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France -
