Mini History of Double-Entry Accounting Largely Centered in Northern Italy article in Chicago Booth Review reposted by Ruth Paget

The following article entitled The Birth of Modern Accounting and Finance in the Chicago Booth Review is a mini history of how double-entry accounting developed in Europe with the best documentation in Northern Italy.

The article describes single-entry accounting in medieval manors with serfs and how the rise of towns and trade promoted double-entry bookkeeping.  

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/birth-modern-accounting-finance?source=ic-em-20260407

Great reading for armchair economists!

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Wheat Culture versus Rice Culture Traits in Chicago Booth Review reposted by Ruth Paget

The following article entitled  New Residents Adopt Old Cultures about people moving to new culture regions and adopting different thought processes in China touches upon the differences between wheat growing cultures and rice growing cultures in China.

The article in Chicago Booth Review is short and raises issues Californians who eat bread and tortillas in a rice growing state might want to ponder:

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/new-residents-adopt-old-cultures?source=ic-em-20260407

Happy Reading!

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Fish Night Market Idea - Fish Food Truck Idea posted by Ruth Paget

Fish Food Truck Market or Fish Market on Fridays Idea posted by Ruth Paget

Fish tacos and poke bowls are the inspiration for this food truck idea but fish and chips and grilled fish stuffed with lemon, rosemary, and garlic might work for a Friday fish market food truck meal as well.

People wishing to buy fresh fish and shellfish might enjoy going to a local fish market instead of going to Casttoville or Moss Landing.

Castroville and Moss Landing have Sea Harvest Market and  Phil’s Fish Market, but maybe a cioppino or Caldo 7 Mares Soup night in a public park or large mall parking lot in Salinas might increase fish sales and provide an added fish option for local diners.

Just a thought on how to develop fish tourism,

Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Seafood Tourism at the Gallery Cafe in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Seafood Tourism at the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

For a sunny spring brunch in April, my husband Laurent, daughter Florence Paget, and I went to the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California that overlooks the Lodge Hotel’s putting green with glimpses of Stillwater Bay in the distance. 

We sat at a balcony table outside with comfortable wicker chairs with armrests and cushions. An umbrella shaded our back and breezes rippled through the manicured glossy green leaves of the California magnolia trees below. I ordered a seafood tourism meal for our relaxed brunch by the ocean. 

I began with an order of Monterey’s signature dish – deep-fried calamari rings, cones, and legs with a flour and corn meal crust. The calamari came with a perky, cocktail sauce flavored with freshly grated horseradish sauce. Before eating the calamari, Florence sprinkled them with freshly squeezed lemon juice.  

The scent of the lemon juice on the calamari reminded me of calamari I ate in Barcelona, Spain on my honeymoon after an afternoon of visiting the Picasso Museum and Cathedral. I still love the salty and lemony flavor of calamari on hot days. 

For my main dish, I ordered the three fish tacos plate made with Pacific tilapia, a white fish similar to sole. I like both spicy and mild tacos. The tacos at the Gallery Café are mild, which allows the buttery flavor of the large tilapia filets to shine. 

The oversize tacos are stuffed with grated pepper Jack cheese, chipotle aioli mayonnaise, cabbage slaw, cheddar cheese, and toned down jalapeño peppers. 

The tacos come with three sauces on the side: 

-guacamole – mashed avocados with onion, tomato, and Mexican citon mixed together 

-pico de gallo salsa – a chunky and mild mixture at the Gallery made with red bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro 

-sour cream that may have been a creamy Oaxaca cheese that is also made in California 

All these flavors combined to give a refreshing vegetable flavor to the delicious tilapia. The cheeses provided calcium to this protein-rich meal encased in lightly fried white corn tortillas. 

To go with this pretty spectacular brunch, I ordered a pink lemonade cocktail made with lemonade, Ketel One vodka from the Netherlands, and Chambord. Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur from France. That was a lovely cocktail for a sunny day. 

I finished my meal with a layered carrot cake with cream cheese dressing and a latte.  Nearby Salinas probably provided the carrots for this dessert as well as the vegetables in the sauces and the slaw in the tacos.

Eating brunch at the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California is a resort experience that is a welcome quiet, ocean side retreat from busy city life for locals and tourists alike. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Sunrise Brunch at the Gallery Cafe in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Sunrise Brunch at the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget  

I was all set to eat a tomato-basil soup with cracked black pepper mixed in it along with extra virgin olive oil when my daughter Florence Paget invited me out for brunch. Brunch out is always a fun option and especially when you set out for Pebble Beach on a sunny day to eat at the Gallery Café overlooking Stillwater Cove and the Lodge Hotel’s putting green. 

Florence and I started our meal with a large serving of fried calamari. I love cocktail sauce with fresh horseradish grated in it, which is how they make it at the Gallery. Tartar sauce is available if you ask for it. The calamari comes with lemon wedges for sprinkling on the squid. The lemon makes me think I am in Amalfi, Italy. 

For my main dish, I ordered the Breakfast Sunrise Skillet which cam with minced ham, spicy chorizo sausage, caramelized onions, green and red bell peppers, spicy green peppers (probably local Serrano peppers from Prunedale) and hash browns. On top of the sizzling basic ingredients were two over easy eggs with melted cheddar cheese on top. 

The spicy green peppers and spicy chorizo sausage gave the dish some heat but not too much. I really liked the combination of spicy and refreshing flavors with the salty ham in this dish. It is a perky breakfast dish perfect for the West Coast of the US. 

I skipped dessert and drank a hot latte instead. I enjoyed looking at the spring foliage. The landscapers at Pebble Beach nicely shape trees and bushes. There seems to be an omnipresent scent of freshly cut grass and branches in the air that I like. There were even some humming birds flitting about as we walked around the Lodge Hotel area. 

This nice brunch was unexpected and very welcome. I am a local who enjoys visiting Pebble Beach as much as tourists. I like the restaurants at Pebble Beach and the oceanfront scenery. 

In addition to the golf courses at Pebble Beach, there are several other things to do that might interest tourists like the health club, spa, golf lessons, equestrian center, bagpipe music at Spanish Bay, and hiking trails as well as several restaurants. 

Soon there will be another hotel by the Spyglass Golf Course with two new restaurants. 

For a break from city bustle, Pebble Beach is a quiet retreat surrounded by nature. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Free UChicago Press Book for April: Old Beach: Toxic LA Ingrastructure reposted by Ruth Paget

The free University of Chicago e-book for April is Old Beach; How Toxic Infrastructure Threatens Life in the Ports of Los Angeles and Beyond by Christina Dunbar Hester.

This book may interest sustainable tourism students for its discussion of the fragile balance between needs of petroleum shipping and a rich marine life site.  Similar conditions might exist in other ports in California.

Details about downloading the book follow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d537a1f0f3411d

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer. Of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Jalapeño-Cheese Bagel and a Thai Tea Smoothie at Blazin’ Bagelz at Northridge Mall in Salinas, California posted by Ruth Paget

Jalapeño-Cheese Bagel and an Iced Thai Milk Tea Smoothie from Blazin’ Bagels at Northridge Mall in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

I ate a California fusion breakfast today that featured items that have been on the menu in Monterey County for at least 30 years.  

These items are now California specialties - the jalapeño-cheese bagel and a frozen Thai Milk Tea Smoothie flavored with star anise and cloves.  At least one generation of children has grown up with these now traditional American items.

Personally, I love toasted jalapeño-cheddar cheese bagels with cream cheese and a latte.  I tried a sweet Thai Milk Tea today and thought it was perfect for warm weather.  It is still a bit of a treat; I like iced lattes for everyday in summer.

Blazin’ Bagelz has an extensive menu with something for everyone before a morning of shopping at Northridge ZMsll.  Teens visiting the anime store at the mall might enjoy trying the iced smoothies after shopping in the afternoon.

Blazin’ Bagelz are good throughout the day, but I think that are a great morning treat.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games