Snacking on French Montelimar Nougat at The Market in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

French Montélimar Nougat at the Market in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

During a stop to buy coffee at The Market at Pebble Beach, California, my husband Laurent found Carlier nougat from Montélimar, France on sale. 

Laurent naturally bought some to bring back memories of chewing Montélimar nougat while crawling through holiday traffic jams outside Lyon, France highway tollbooths. 

All the freeways in southern France eventually lead to Lyon and its bouchon, meaning simultaneously wine cork, traffic jam, and Lyonnais bistros in general that are famous for offal (variety meat) tarts and Beaujolais as the house wine. 

To put off the bouchon, drivers buy bags of Montélimar nougat for themselves and all children on board outside Lyon at Montélimar. 

Nougat without anything added to it is a mix of hot sugar and honey that you add whipped egg whites to. Next you fold in sliced nuts and/or candied fruits. Carlier nougat features sliced almonds and pistachios. 

Once all the nougat ingredients are mixed together, it is allowed to cool before being sliced into chewy pieces that can be packaged like the Carlier brand we bought at Pebble Beach. (Picture below) 

To add a little treat to you coffee order at The Market at Pebble Beach, California, you might want to try the Carlier nougat to give your coffee break a slice of French lifestyle on the Pacific Ocean. 

Note: The Pebble Beach Market sells Peerless Coffee and Tea Products from Oakland, California.

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

Fish and Seafood as Tourism by Ruth Paget

Maine and New England in general promote lobster, clam bakes, fish, and clam chowder as tourism in winter.

The Central Coast can do this sustainably thanks to efforts of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Personally, I like Italian seafood dishes for using a moderate amount of shellfish with pasta or in a stew and stretching ocean resources while tasting phenomenally good.

Of course, seafood tastes best in cold and rainy weather.  

Bon Appetit!

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

Possible use for two empty buildings by casino posted by Ruth Paget

Possible use for two empty buildings by the casino in Salinas, California posted by Ruth Paget

-souvenir shop selling puréed vegetable soup from Monterey County organic vegetables - locals and tourists alike can buy these - a French strategy for selling regional products

-day old bread could be sold here from the town’s many bakeries to centralize a pick-up spot for this item that can be used to make bread crumbs for gratins or whole to make strata casseroles as well.  This would free up space in bakeries for new products.  Ready made, frozen strata could be sold and thermal bags for tourists who drive.

Both buildings have small parking lots for limited time parking.  A garage is across the street.

Just some economic development thoughts.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Possible Use for Junkyard Cars: 5G Towers posted by Ruth Paget

Could car bodies of junkyard cars be re-smelted to make 5G towers?

Each state would have raw material to get these built, if this is true.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

UChicago’s New Professors and Their Work

The list of new professors at the University of Chicago is out.  I always like reading this for books to read. 

One book that looks particularly interesting is Shigehito Oishi’s Life in Three Dimensions about building a psychologically rich life at any age.  

The list of new professors at the University of Chicago follows:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/32-uchicago-faculty-members-receive-named-distinguished-service-professorships-2026?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=NewsModule

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Water Color Variations Photo at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Water Color Variations Photo at Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

January 11, 2026 was a sunny, cloudless day at Pebble Beach, California, which allowed me to photography color differences in the water due to geographic features. 

In the photo below, there are two colors, navy blue and aqua marine. Navy blue water is usually a sign of deep water and even the open ocean. 

In this photo, however, the Navy blue water close to shore reflects rock formations below the water surface that creep up the shore. 

The aqua marine water reflects an area with white sand beneath the water that reflects the blue sky. This area with aqua marine water is where waves from and begin to crash ashore I saw. 

This small exercise in water color observation is probably something surfers and sailors know, but it was a discovery for me as I looked over a photograph of beautiful shoreline.  

Looking for these color variations along the ocean in Pebble Beach, California is almost as fun as bird watching, which I also enjoy. 

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

Pebble Beach, California at Ocean View St. Turnout
Photo by Ruth Paget

Soup of the Seven Seas (7 Mares) at Super Pollo in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Soup of the Seven Seas at Super Pollo in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried the robust 7 Mares soup at Super Pollo in Salinas, California (next to Star Market) for a winter brunch and loved the somewhat exotic flavor of this generous seafood medley. 

The exotic seasoning I am referring to is the epazote herb. This herb is sautéed along with onions and peppers as a flavor base in the 7 Mares Soup according to the nuwavenow.com website.Epazote tastes like a combination of oregano, anise, citrus, and mint. Its flavor is strong and is said to aid in digestion even help deworm according to some websites. 

I like epazote’s flavor and thought it made the tomato juice soup broth even more pronounced. You could probably say the 7 Mares soup is also made with seafood broth due to all the shellfish that boil open in the fish. For seafood lovers, the soup’s combination of flavors is invigorating. 

At Super Pollo, they sauté chunks of daily catch fish before adding in shrimp, octopus, crab legs, clams, scallops, and mussels. Once those go in, Super Pollo adds in chunks of carrots, celery, potato, and cabbage. The soup boils till the shellfish shells open and the vegetables are soft. 

For garnish, there is a bag of minced onion and cilantro along with a lemon wedge. I made sure to add those to the soup before feasting away and dunking in several folded soft corn tortillas. 

People who love Manhattan-style clam chowder would probably love 7 Mares Soup as well. California is able to source the 7 Mares seafood ingredients from the Pacific Ocean alone. This keeps the cost down and the flavor up. 

For a spa-worthy Mexican soup, 7 Mares at Super Pollo in Salinas, California is a vacation winner for travelers to California’s Central Coast. 

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

Ruth Paget Self-Portrait