General Meeting Minutes, 10-29-03

The bliss of updates awaits

M.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


1)	Mitsuwa Trip

	On Saturday, November 8th, we will travel together to the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, IL.
	Mitsuwa is more than a supermarket--it is also a bakery, bookstore, kitchenware store, food court, etc.
	(What distinguishes Mitsuwa, of course, is that most of what they sell is imported from Japan.)  We will
	depart at 10am.  Where we will gather before departing has yet to be determined, as it hinges on the type
	of transportation we will use.  Estimated one-way travel times are 45 minutes by car and, at worst, 2
	hours by CTA.  We are trying to organize a carpool, and 2-3 members have already agreed to drive.  (If
	you would like to drive in the carpool, please contact Vince [vcaintic@uchi...]).  It is important
	that members who wish to attend RSVP to me (dionisio@uchi...).  Being able to carpool depends on the
	ratio of cars to people who RSVP.  (For information about the Mitsuwa, visit
	http://www.mitsuwachicago.net/.)


2)	Club Representatives

	It is a tradition to elect "fresh blood" (Shawn's term) to the board of the Japanese Club every Autumn
	Quarter, a tradition we will continue this quarter with the election of 1-2 Representatives.  The duties
	of Representatives are kept general: they assist and work closely with the board and help to coordinate
	events that J-Club hosts/attends.  Shawn spoke about his experience as a Representative last year; he
	noted how he found himself getting involved to a larger degree than he had expected, especially with Iron
	Chef: Chicago.  Any member of J-Club may apply for the position.  The application will consist of the
	applicant's name, club experience and/or other experience he/she feels is relevant, and an answer to the
	question, "What would you make J-Club into?"


3)	J-Table

	Last year, a few graduate students hosted a table in the lounge of the I-House where anyone, regardless of
	skill level, could come to chat in Japanese once a week.  Thus the Japanese Language Table (J-Table) was
	born.  This year, although there are no signs that the table's weekly meetings have resumed, we would like
	to support J-Table by letting Japanese speakers know of its existence.  (We will keep you posted.)


4)	International Food Festival and Iron Chef Chicago

	There was brief mention of our yearly participation in the International Food Festival (IFF), a
	celebration of world cuisine that traditionally takes place during the last weekend of January in Ida
	Noyes.  J-Club participates by hosting Iron Chef Chicago (ICC), a competition between undergraduate chefs
	centered around a thematic ingredient.  (The concept for ICC comes from the internationally acclaimed
	television program Iron Chef.)  Because it is our largest event each year, it is likewise the most taxing
	on our sanity.  Shawn mentioned how little sleep he got the night before but how unbelievably delicious
	Iron Chef Mabel's mushroom ice cream was.


(End of Minutes.)