2016 april

Accent Apr il 2016

MUSTARD

TOMATO SAUCE

ACC WINE

18

PizzaBuy One Get One Free

25

2016 Spring Tennis Tournament (April 18 - May 1)

26

Party to Recognize Long Standing Members at ACC

19

12

11 PizzaBuy One Get One Free

2016 Swim Challenge (April 11 - May 29)

5

Pizza4 Buy One Get One Free

ACC April Tue CalendarWed Mon

27

20

13

6

Thu

28

21

14

7

8

1

RDV Music Night "The Coincidence"

29

22

15

RDV Music Night Jessie Lin “Jazz Quartet”

Tennis Friendly vs The Grand Hotel

Fri

30

23

2016 Mother's Day Craft - Mrs. Rabbit Paper Doll & Mushroom House

Outing Spring Picnic and Kayaking

16

9

2

Back to 80’s Zumba Time

Sat

RDV=Rendezvous

Sunday Brunch

17

24

Kids Cookies Class Cake Decoration

Sunday Brunch

10

3

Sunday Brunch Outing – Experience Transplant Rice Seedlings

Sunday Brunch

Sun

For latest informotion please visit our online calendar at: www.americanclub.org.tw/events/

Accent

OUR MISSION The American Club in China is a non-profit organization established for the sole purpose of serving the American and International communities in a family atmosphere, providing the highest quality food, recreational and social activities. The club will endeavor to enhance a cultural exchange with the R.O.C., effectively utilizing all available resources and assuring proper responses to Members needs.

Contents | April 2016 President's Message

2

General Manager's Message

3

Do you know

4

Food & Beverage News

8

Sports News

14

Hair & Spa

17

Nutrition Column

20

Cover Story - Have Kids, Will Travel, 10 Tips for Family Journeys

22

Photo Gallery

28

ACC Classic Recipe

34

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Ellen Yin President

Godwin Chang

Vice President; House Committee

Douglas Pierce

Treasurer; Finance Committee

William Hsu Jr.

Secretary; F&B Committee

Faye Angevine Rules Committee

Richard Chang Sports Committee

Philip Chiang MIS Committee

Louis J Christen III Membership Committee

Jesse Chuang Social Committee

Stephen Tan HR Committee

Richard Yin

Security Ad Hoc Committee

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Jim Clark Sampson Mar Andrea Wu

DAILY OPERATION HOURS Cashier & Member Services

Daily

8:00 am

- 10:00 pm

Library

Daily

10:00 am

- 7:00 pm

Terrace Terrace Salad Bar

Tommy Chan

Rendezvous

Daily Lunch Daily Dinner Daily Daily Lunch Daily Dinner Daily Daily

Sabrina Chen

ACC Market Banquet Office Game Room TV Room

Daily Mon - Sat Daily Daily

Teen Room Nursery Fitness Center

Daily Daily Mon - Fri Sat & Sun & Holiday Daily Daily Mon - Fri Sat & Sun & Holiday

MANAGEMENT TEAM Todd Bretzlaff

Sigis Gyoson

General Manager

Sports & Recreation Director Marketing & Communications Manager

Gerry Gibb IT Director

Stella Hou

Financial Controller

Peter Hu

Purchasing Manager

Steven Hung

Human Resource Director

Chi-Wen Lin

Racquet Courts Outdoor Playground Pro Shop & Reservations

Engineering Director

Duxbury Low

Swimming Pool & Jacuzzi

Mon - Fri Sat & Sun & Holiday

Hair & Spa

Mon - Sat Sun & Holiday

F&B Director

Fanny Tung

Senior Membership Manager

Emily Wang

Hair & Spa Manager

7:00 am - 10:00 pm 11:00 am - 2:30 pm 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm 11:30 am - 10:00 pm 11:30 am - 2:30 pm 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm 11:30 am - 11:30 pm closed 10:00 pm Last Order for snack food 10:00 am - 9:00 pm 10:00 am - 6:00 pm 9:00 am - 9:00 pm 9:00 am - 9:00 pm 11:00 am - 10:00 pm 9:00 am - 9:00 pm 6:00 am - 9:30 pm 7:00 am - 8:00 pm 6:00 am - 11:00 pm 7:00 am - 10:00 pm 7:30 am - 9:00 pm 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 6:30 am 9:00 am

- 8:30 pm - 7:30 pm

10:00 am 10:00 am

- 7:00 pm - 5:00 pm

To advertise in ACCENT, please contact 02 2885-8260 ext 56 Sabrina Chen For membership information, please contact 02 2885-8260 ext 73 Fanny Tung Email ACC : member.services@americanclub.org.tw Website: www.americanclub.org.tw

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear ACC Members,

Ellen Yin

We held our first Security Committee meeting this month. Scope of project was defined as follows: 1. Access Control for the Club to ensure access is limited only to authorized members. Increase physical perimeter security at entry points for improved overall safety.

2. Access Control for the ACC Car Park to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering ACC’s parking lot.

3. Conduct traffic impact analysis on entering/exiting ACC’s parking lot with the ever increasing traffic on BeiAn Road and provide safer solutions.

Our Management Team will produce the initial analysis and the Security Committee will evaluate the pros and cons as well as cost/benefit analyses of the various options available to us. We are aware of everyone’s “Good, Fast and Cheap” expectations. Security Committee will be diligent in getting the most updated technology that is user friendly with a lean budget.

F&B Committee would like to recruit more committee members to represent various demographic groups in our Club. The opinion leader will be the group advocate for our new and improved F&B events. We want to create events with WOW experience. If you are interested, please contact Mr. William Hsu or our F&B Director - Duxbury for more detail.

In my brief tenure as the President of the Club, I’ve been approached by a few members regarding the dismal state of dining chairs in Sigis. I am aware how frustrating it has been for members and guests to be sitting in chairs that are not in their optimal conditions. I apologize for the delay in updating those chairs, but the GOOD NEWS is that a decision has been made and we will see transformed chairs in Sigis shortly.

One may wonder why it took so long to get these chairs updated? Management is quite efficient in getting things done.

Most repairs are black and white decisions. Project scope is very clear, we are presented with quality vs. pricing choices, an objective analysis leads to a decision and action follows.

We were well aware of the issue around last fall and the House Committee was commissioned to diligently study various options by taking a big picture approach. In a project that involves color and style, it gets complicated! Everything is subjective. If you ask 5 people, you get 10 opinions. The scope of the project was redefined several times going from House Committee, F&B Committee, Finance Committee, and Executive Committee before reaching the Board.

Unfortunately, this particular project went through the whole process and was sent back to the House Committee with a redefined scope, and by the time it bounced back to the House Committee, a new board was elected. Decision was put on hold again because new officers and committee chairs had not been elected and appointed. We will learn from this lesson to not let projects fall through the cracks during transition of the board. Thank you for your patience.

Kitchen project is right on schedule. Management and the F&B Committee are working to ensure minimal disruption on food service during the construction period. We will be able to let you know what changes will take place next month.

Spring usually begins in March in Taipei where we stop wearing our winter coats, that is if we had a normal March.

Come work out and stay healthy in this unseasonably cold and wet weather. Or, have a hot chocolate and stay warm.

See you around the Club.

Ellen Yin President

2

GENERAL MANAGER'S MESSAGE

Dear Members,

Todd Bretzlaff

With all the rain, it makes us look that much more forward to a vibrant spring but despite the weather, there is plenty to do at ACC. We had a number of activities to keep Members occupied during March. We held our first nutritional seminar where we attracted an initial group and given the importance of this topic along with the help of our resident nutritionist, Debra Liu, will intend to attract more Members to our subsequent sessions and help Members make healthy dining choices. Then moving toward gourmet dining, we held a French Languedoc Roussillon Wine dinner where these exquisite wines were expertly paired with a menu prepared by Chef Lam and the Sigis’ Team.

Our Events Team deserves special recognition for putting together an exceptional Father Daughter Ball this year. We had over a 120 fathers and daughters enjoying a beautiful evening with dinner, games, activities and plenty of dancing. Later in March, we offered the Sergio Valente Wine Bazaar for Members to enjoy plenty of wine for tasting while benefiting from some exceptionally great deals on some incredible wines. For the day we sold over NT$700k of wine. Then, the tennis members got together for the Margarita Tennis Social which provided a nice balance for some fun recreational tennis. And finally at the end of March, we moved our Children’s Easter Party indoors so that the kids could experience the traditional of Easter while also having a great time with plenty of games and activities.

March also was the time for significant planning toward our major kitchen renovation project. The Board short-listed both the equipment vendor and the general contractor for the kitchen works in February. Since then, we have been working with the selected vendors to find ways to further work the costs down for the best value while still ensuring an improved kitchen.

Fortunately, we have been able find ways to get the total cost of the project for construction and equipment down and along with a 10% contingency for necessary change orders and modification in construction the overall construction and installation costs will remain under NT$50 million provided that no significant structural problems are uncovered. We will continue to keep you updated as we approach commencement of the construction.

Currently, construction for the 1st floor Kitchens (including Terrace, Gyoson and the Hot and Cold Production Kitchen) will begin 6 June and expected to be completed by 6 August. Following which, we will start work on the 2nd floor Banquet Kitchen and Bakery which is expected to be completed by the end of September. As we get closer to June, we will display the detailed drawings and plans at the front entrance along with a floor plan outlining the areas of the Club that will be impacted during construction. Temporary cooking facilities will be established to provide modified menus for both Terrace and Gyoson in order to minimize the inconvenience and negative impact to Members during the construction period. Sigis will remain unaffected.

During this summer we will also be resurfacing of the Tennis Court. This is a normal maintenance process that must be done every 5 to 6 years, and since we have issues with the most recent surface which was installed 6 years ago, this work must be done to maintain an acceptable standard. The work will be scheduled to be done in July and we are excited to announce that the Tennis Committee has selected a beautiful Blue on Blue color combination similar to the standard in most of today’s international tennis competitions. I am confident that the ‘Tennis Community’ will be excited for the improved surface. We will also be replacing the pool lounge pads as we gear up for summer. For better durability and longer lasting, we will be going with a slightly better quality fabric this year which has a much higher rating for stain resistance and UV protection.

And for everyone who has been frustrated with the existing booking system for fitness classes, you will be happy to know that starting in May, the system will be improved to require cancellation of class earlier to allow Members on the waiting list to have more advance notice when their spot becomes available and to limit the number of classes Members can cancel each month to motivate Members to only book classes they are pretty confident that they can attend. Management and the Sports Committee made these changes to improve the availability of our existing classes.

And finally, we are really looking forward to a party scheduled at the end of April to recognize all “Long Standing Members” of the Club who have faithfully and consecutively been Members of the Club for the last 25 years and beyond. It is the loyalty and commitment of Members such as these that help ACC remain strong and to move forward towards becoming the “Best Club in Asia”. Thank you again for all of your support to help ACC on its journey.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Club!!!!

Sincerely,

Todd Bretzlaff General Manager

3

DO YOU KNOW

A Warm Welcome to New Members Edward & Julia Butler / Caesar Chang & Grace Sun / Sylvia Chen & Bayani Inocencio Wilson Chou & Fu-Lin Chen / Vivian Chu & Alan Tseng / Daming Hu / Kent Ma / Sahil Mehrotra Lawrence Ng / Steven Parker & Nora Wang / Alex Wang & Helen Cheng / Tim & Eva Wang

Bon Voyage to Resigned Members Tony Chen & Annie Lee / Ross & Michelle Hennessy / Chi Huang & Mary Choi Molly & Soner Iskorkutan / Eddy Kuo / Darryl & Sharon Owens / Tong Ngee Pang & Bee Ling Ma Rafael & Assunta Santos / Douglas & Elizabeth Weinstein

Completed Engineering Projects in ACC To provide a better environment for our Members, ACC’s engineering team finished two projects at the beginning of this year.

The first was new metal fencing and a new retractable awning installation in the upper stair tennis court let you play tennis comfortable and safely.

The second was a new façade around the Staff Locker Rooms and new awnings in the front of the main Building. When driving into the Club, you will also see a brand new, clean and shining surface of the building next to the security room.

New Rules for Cancellation of Group Fitness Class Bookings Effective by 6:00 pm on Monday, May 2, 2016 To ensure fair availability and maximum utilization of our very popular free Fitness Center Group Classes we will implement the following changes to the rules for cancellation of bookings.

1. Cancellations made from 6:00 pm on the day prior to a class, up to the class start time on the following day, will be flagged as “Late Cancellations” and will incur a penalty of NT$100 per occurrence.

2. Each Member will have a quota of 2 penalty-free “Normal Cancellations” per calendar month. A normal cancellation is when a class booking is cancelled before 6:00 pm on the day prior to the class. Any further normal cancellations in the same month will incur a “Cancellation Beyond Quota” penalty of NT$100.

3. No-shows (Member books, but does not cancel and does not show up at the class) will be charged a penalty of NT$300 per occurrence.

ACC Employee of the Month – February 2016 Young Yang who has been with ACC’s Fitness Center as a gym instructor for 7 months is this month’s Employee-of-the-Month. Young well known to our Members and his colleagues for his work ethic and gentle personality and for his cooperation when assistance is required by our other departments.

4

Name:

Young Yang 楊奇峻 Department:

Fitness Center

Sigis

F&B NEWS

Business

Lunch Salad

11:30 am ~ 3:00 pm Monday ~ Friday Price: NT$590+10% Main

Apple Celery Salad with Chicken

or

Grilled Mexican Spicy Chicken

Main or

Squid Ink Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Dessert

Chick Pea Braised Pork Knuckle

Daily Selection with Coffee or Tea

Month y SPECIALS Parma Ham, Padano Cheese and Poached Egg on Crêpe

NT$280

Poached Egg Crêpe Salad

Stuffed with Zucchini, Bell Peppers, Onions, Celery and Padano Cheese in Spinach Lasagna

NT$300

Vegetables Cannelloni

Fresh Grouper Pan-seared to Crispy on White Wine Clam Broth

NT$450

Accompanied with Baked Potato and Broccoli

Pan-seared Grouper on Clams 8

NT$680

Grilled Boneless Short Ribs

Rendezvous Lemongrass Mojito

NT$200

30

NT$3

Thai Paprik Rice

With Prawns, Chicken, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Snow Peas, Long Beans, Baby Corn, Tomatoes, Onions, Mint Leaves, Basil Leaves, Chili, Eggs and Fish Sauce in Spicy Sauce.

ion

mot o r P l i a t k il Coc

Apr

Thai Deep-fried Prawn Rolls

With Greens and Tangy Thai-style Dipping

Gyoson

0

6 NT$2

April Monthly Promotion

Main Course

Australian Purebred

Wagyu Beef

Special Salad

Australian Wagyu Beef Teppanyaki

l l o R l a Speci Australian Wagyu Beef Tataki

NT$680

NT$1,580

Australian Wagyu Beef Sushi Roll

NT$460 9

SPORTS NEWS

Fitness Classes Schedule for

April

Thursday

10:00 - 10:45 am

Cardio Step (Tommy)

Monday

10:00 - 10:40 am

Tuesday

Fusion Belly Dance (Wendy)

Strength Lab (Joanne)

9:25 - 10:45 am

10:45 - 11:30 am

Zumba (Joanne)

11:00 - 11:45 am

12:45 - 1:30 pm

10:45 - 11:30 am 11:30 - 12:15 pm 12:30 - 1:15 pm

Power (Billy/Michael/Tommy) Total Body Fitness (Billy)

Group TRX (Vincent)

7:00 - 7:45 pm

2:00 - 3:15 pm

Mind & Body Yoga (Nina)

10:00 - 10:45 am

Cycle Fit (Kelie)

Friday

Functional X (Olivia/Ed)

Pilates (Jenny)

Saturday

10:00 - 10:45 am Pilates (Jenny)

11:00 - 11:45 am

11:00 - 11:45 am

7:00 - 7:45 pm

12:30 - 1:15 pm

2:00 - 2:45 pm

Group TRX (Michael)

Cycle Fit (Billy)

Latin Fever (Amber)

Group TRX (Kevin)

Kids Yoga (Vincent)

FUSION BELLY DANCE: Combination of the Middle Eastern belly dancing with many different types of dance movements.

LATIN FEVER: A dancy aerobics class with fun Latin style moves for a great fat-burning cardio workout.

ZUMBA: The joy of movement inspired by Latin rhythms , hip hop and funk keeps you moving through the hour.

BODY ATTACK: Powerful cardio training for the athlete in you. This class combines movements of Martial Arts and Kickboxing into a fun and exciting aerobic workout.

CARDIO STEP: Suitable for those familiar with Step. Class starts with basic (yet high intensity) combinations on the Step and then finish your workout with a relaxation stretch.

CYCLE FIT: This indoor stationary fitness cycling class gives you an intense and effective cardio workout with exciting music. Limited to ten members only per class.

THE "POWER": A tough but fun "Barbell" weightlifting class which is being taught for its simplicity, consistency, results, and excitement. Never done it before? See an instructor first for an introduction to the various moves, for your own safety and to have an effective workout.

GROUP TRX: Developed by a Navy Seal, the TRX suspension training is a form of resistance training that includes body weight exercises in which a variety of compound exercise movements develops strength, balance, and core stability.

Class is designed for fitness levels from intermediate to advanced.

Fitness Tips

10:00 - 10:45 am

Body Attack (Mandy)

Mat Science (Mandy) Group TRX (Ivan)

7:00 - 7:45 pm Cycle Fit (Billy)

11:00 - 11:45 am Pilates (Jimmy)

Wednesday

7:00 - 7:45 am

10:00 - 10:45 am

Sunday

Pilates (Joanne)

11:00 - 11:45 am Zumba (Jerry)

2:15 - 3:30 pm

Power (Vincent/Michael/Tommy)

3:45 - 4:45 pm Cycle Fit (Kelie)

FUNCTIONAL X: nstructor will guide you through constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements to help improve your physical well being and cardiovascular fitness.

Every single exercise is scalable for your ability, fitness level, injuries and past exercise experience. This class is designed for everyone.

TOTAL BODY FITNESS: This 45 mins class provides cardio workout and resistance training for the entire body.

STRENGTH LAB: A lively fusion of ballet conditioning, core strength, abdominal work, balance work and incorporates resistance exercises.

KIDS YOGA: (Ages 6-9) At the Fun Yoga for Kids, children are encouraged to ”play” yoga and experience how their breath and body move together in a fun-filled way! This 45mins class will help children to focus and to release anxiety.

MIND & BODY YOGA: Learn and practice the basics of bending and blending mind and body through yoga modified for different levels.

PILATES: A different kind of strength and flexibility class for a mind-body fitness experience with graceful movements and powerful postures.

Personal Trainer- Kevin

Muscle vs. Fat. InBody Composition.

Liu

Starting in March, ACC offers the InBody Composition Service.

What is body composition and To illustrate the value of InBody composition let's compare fat and muscle 1. Large difference in mass. 5kg of fat is about 3 times larger in size than why is it important to you?

5kg of muscle. For example: two females of the same height each Body composition measures both fat weighing 70kg. A has 40% body fat which weighs 30kg and B has mass and fat free mass, thereby giving 20% body fat equaling 15kg. Clearly B will look much leaner you a clear readout on your body makeup, than A due to less body fat weight.

2. Muscle burns more calories. Muscle burns 4 times more as opposed to a weigh scale reading which calories than fat. With a higher muscle mass, you simply measures your total weight (fat mass plus fat body will have a higher basal metabolic rate, BMR. free mass such as organs, body water, bone mass, and Therefore, by burning calories more efficiently, muscle mass). you can get to enjoy that juicy burger 3. Muscle functions. You are more likely With the body composition analysis you will learn how much to stand taller, have a better body image, and have less joint pain when muscle you have making it easier to plan or change exercise you have more muscle. Muscles are routines to gain more muscle where required and to remove our body's own ‘under armour’, they unwanted fat mass. will provide protection to the joints t wha out find and make our daily tasks and and oday t ent Book your InBody appointm me! beco can movement safer and easier. body your t wha and body ismade of

14

your

SPORTS NEWS

2016 ACC SPRING TENNIS TOURNAMENT Monday, April 18 – Sunday, May 1 It’s that time of year again when we ask you to dig out your racquets, buy some new tennis gear and get signed up for our Social Tournament of the year. Lots of categories to choose from, something for everyone, juniors and seniors held at the same time, creating a fantastic experience for all tennis enthusiasts.

Entry Forms will be available from the Pro Shop and also to download online at www.americanclub.org.tw.

We are very proud to announce that our Sponsors this year are We sincerely request all players to read the Tournament Rules and Regulations in advance to avoid confusion during the two-week spectacle.

Spectators will be advised daily of all matches via the Racquets Manager or online.

Felicia Chan Youth TennisFoundation

We look forward to a Carnival of Tennis where Fun/Participation/Sportsmanship come together making tennis the best sport in the World.

Pre - Tournament Party

Friday, April 15 / 6:00 pm / Terrace Veranda All players are invited and advised to attend.

Players will have the opportunity to schedule their match against their opponent during the party.

Friendly Reminder - Swimming Pool Opening Hours April – November

Monday – Friday Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays

6:30 am – 8:30 pm 9:00 am – 7:30 pm 15

SPORTS NEWS

Tennis Tips ( Provided by Robin Palmer ) Diagnosis Of The Tennis Serve in Order Of Importance

Racquet Manager –

Robin Palmer

1/ GRIP - Determines the path of the racquet and forearm / wrist action.

2/ TOSS - Determines proper timing and proper racquet path.

3/ RACQUET PREPARATION - Affects timing and speed of the racquet.

4/ CONTINUOUS UPWARDS MOTION – Determines effective ball trajectory.

5/ FOLLOW THROUGH - Maximizes racquet head speed and protects the body.

6/ STANCE - Affects balance, accuracy and development of racquet head speed.

Friendly Reminder: Classes for 2016 • “COFFEE MORNING” Monday 9:00 - 11:00 am - NT$450 - Maximum 6 / Minimum 4 - Court 1 Coach Stacy – Fun social group with drills / game-play and personal coaching + coffee and fruit.

• “TURBO TENNIS” Monday 8:00 - 9:00 pm - NT$450 - Maximum 4 / Minimum 2 - Court 1 Coach Robin or Coach Sen - Fast paced drills for the fit and strong, mentally and physically.

• “EASY DOUBLES CLINIC” Wednesday 9:00 - 10:30 am - NT$750 - Maximum 6 / Minimum 3 - Court 1 Coach Robin or Coach Sen - Learn modern doubles and take your game to a new level.

• “ADVANCED DOUBLES CLINIC” Wednesday 10:30 - 12:00 noon - NT$750 - Maximum 3 / Minimum 2 - Court 1 Coach Robin or Coach Sen - No mercy, hard hitting, no nonsense tutored game-play.

• “THURSDAY LADIES CLUB MORNING” 9:00 - 10:30 am / 10:30 - 12:00 noon - Courts 1 & 2 Advanced / Intermediate / Beginner - Sign up against players of a similar level.

• “THURSDAY MEN’S CLUB NIGHT” 7:00 - 8:30 pm / 8:30 - 10:00 pm - Courts 1 & 2 Advanced / Intermediate / Beginner - Sign up against players of a similar level.

• Club Morning and Club Night are run as an on-going competition where players play to accumulate points each week in the hope of reaching the grand finale, playing for strings worth NT$1,000.

•“FRIDAY MIXED CLUB NIGHT” 8:00 - 10:00 pm - Court 1 Organized by members for members. Contact Pro Shop for more details.

• “WEEKEND SOCIAL TENNIS” 3:00 - 7:00 pm - Courts 1 & 2 Open social game-play for all levels, members new and old. Sign-up for 30 minute games.

Tennis balls provided by ACC.

New ACC Men’s & Ladies Singles Ladder 2016 Men’s & Ladies singles ladder competition. Work your way to the top.

Challenges / match reports / contact details all online. The goal is to have fun and play competitive singles. Teens who can play with adults are welcome. This is a member led event. Players must book courts themselves and challengers should provide the tennis balls. The first season is free to join.

Starts March 12 .

For more information please contact mikebrennand@gmail.com.

16

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Hair Treatment

If you want great hair, you'll need a great scalp, too.

Scalp deep clean treatment will remove oil blockage from hair follicle to enhance healthy scalp and improve the problem of hair dropping then follow oil treatment to receive the best result.

Special package price NT$1,200( original price NT$1,500 ) Advanced booking is required. Both treatments must be scheduled to complete at one time.

Facial Treatment

er f f o d e t i Lim

Purchase Anti-aging & �irming Collagen Valmont Facial Set and receive 5 complimentary facial treatments by using this purchased set and must be used up within one year upon purchase date.

Please call 02 2886-5912 for more details.

Library New books

Arrival

Before

After

1.When Breath Becomes Air by Kalanithi, Paul/ Verghese, Abraham (FRW) 2. City On Fire by Hallberg Garth Risk 3. Room by Emma Donoghue 4. Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Carle, Eric 17

NUTRITION COLUMN

he Paleo clan would laugh you out of court if you T claimed pasta and potatoes could help you lose weight

and improve digestive and metabolic health. However, growing community of scientists and food manufacturers are so impressed by this carb, they’re experimenting with ways to add more of it into our diet. Just like men, not all carbs are created equal.

Meet resistant starch (RS). Never heard of it? Don’t know what it is? No worries, you’re not the only one.

Glucose units linked together make up starches, which is classified as a carbohydrate. Not all of the starch we eat is digested and absorbed. The chunk that “resists” digestion and passes through our system unchanged is what is called resistant starch. It essentially acts like soluble fiber, and many human studies have shown it to improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood glucose levels, reduce appetite, gut health, and possibly reduce cancer risk.

The 4 Different Types of Resistant Starch

Type 1 is found in seeds, grains and legumes, and aren’t Type Type Type

readily digested because it is bound within fibrous

cell walls.

2 is found in certain starchy foods, such as raw potatoes and green (unripe) bananas.

3 is formed when some starchy foods are cooked and then cooled. It’s during the cooling process that turns some of the digestible starches to its resistant counterpart via retrogradation.

4 is synthesized by us using chemical processes.

Ultimately, some foods can have one or more types of these resistant starches present. The major factor that determines the amount of resistant starch is how the food is prepared.

It’s Superfood for Your Gut The resistant starch may pass through your stomach and small intestine undigested, but the good bacteria (probiotics) feed on it and flourish. We don’t give probiotics enough credit, or individuals that have diets that support healthy growth of such colonies. Now that we’ve seen how the population of our gut bacteria can affect your weight and overall health, it may not be long before fecal transplants-real thing- are used to treat more ailments. Subsequently, the bacteria produce gases and shortchain fatty acids like butyrate upon digesting resistant starches.

The short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, is actually the preferred fuel of the cells that line our colon. Therefore, resistant starch doesn’t only feed the good gut bacteria, but indirectly feeds us.

Fighting Hunger and Diabetes with Resistant Starches

Several studies have shown that soluble fiber supplements, similar to resistant starch, contributes to weight loss by increasing feelings of fullness and reducing appetite. I don’t think solely relying on adding a resistant starch supplement would promise much weight loss, but it may help guide smarter food choices. Increasing resistant starch intake to 15-30 grams per day has also shown to improve insulin sensitivity by 33-50%. It also helps lower blood sugar spikes after meals, which is very important for diabetics. Controlling blood sugar levels can help decrease the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

9 Good Sources of Resistant Starch

Greener bananas

Pasta, 1 cup cooked and cooled

Potatoes, roasted and then cooled

Lentils, ½ cup cooked

Rolled oats, ½ cup uncooked

Frozen peas, steam ½ cup then cool

White beans, cooked

Cashews, 1oz (18 nuts)

Photo credit left to right: pickled plum, gimme some oven, eat good 4 life, wild greens and sardines, pinch of yum

20

White rice, 2/3 cup cooked

Text and photo

by ACC Nutritionist Ms. Debra Liu

Have Kids, Will Travel

10 tips for family journeys

You must agree that air travel with kids can be a big challenge. So for those of you planning spring and summer vacations with your children, we have invited our Member Vanessa to share her experiences when traveling with her lovely children Hudson who is 5, Sienna who is 3, and 9-month old Harrison.

T

Text by ACC Member Vanessa Burnett Photos by Vanessa Burnett and illustrations by ACC Design Team

raveling with young children is a difficult but necessary part of living overseas. As much as I would normally prefer to spend holidays and vacation time at home, maintaining family relationships with loved ones across a great distance demands frequent travel. Having just returned from a short break in the US ourselves, I thought I would share some tips for making the most of your family trips and managing to arrive there and back with some sanity intact.

1 Musical chairs

Getting the perfect seat arrangement on flights can sometimes be difficult, depending on how the aircraft is set up. While I would love nothing more than to enjoy a few in-flight movies sitting next to my husband, the reality is that we invariably end up sitting separately and taking turns between caring for, entertaining, and feeding the older two and the baby.

If you have an infant, it’s always a good idea to try to book the basinet seat. Even if your baby refuses to sleep and give you precious hands-free time, you will at least have extra leg room for the duration of your trip. It also provides a small area for baby to crawl around and explore on his own.

Luckily our older kids are great friends and generally enjoy sitting next to each other. We have even managed on occasion to put them in the same seat to watch a movie together. I always keep a small headphone splitter in my purse and have been surprised as to how frequently it has come in handy!

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2 Divide and conquer

My 9 month old is very independent and refuses to be held for long periods. This can make 10+ hour flights quite a challenge! My husband and I take turns taking him on little “adventures” to go exploring in the airplane. I have found bringing toys along to be a wasted effort as my babies are always more interested in getting into trouble than playing nicely, but small snacks they can feed themselves (think Cheerios..) is absolutely essential for keeping them quiet and in place when the seat belt sign is on.

Older children are much easier to keep occupied. We let them choose their own small backpack/carry on, and then we fill them with books, crayons, activities, and snacks for the flight. A stop at The Everything Store before leaving Taiwan and Target on the way back is a must for stocking up on new and interesting things to have on hand with long haul boredom inevitably sets in.

3 Keep calm and carry on

I forego taking any baby gear on trips other than my number one essential -a soft sided baby carrier. The one we have can carry up to 45 pounds, meaning if my 5 year old falls asleep and refuses to wake up on arrival, I can strap him to my back and still be able to carry the smaller ones. My husband and I have found that after 20+ hours of travel, none of the kids are willing to walk, so we always take a travel stroller that can accommodate a larger child, pile the carry-on bags in their lap, stick the baby in the carrier, and carry the other child in arms. The bonus is a fairly good workout - I always get back home a few pounds lighter!

4 Plan your work, work your plan

It’s always a good idea to have a game plan for keeping the kids busy during the days of your trip. I generally don’t have time to plan much in advance, but once we arrive at our destination, I pick one outing/activity for each day we will be there. Attempting to simply “relax” never works out as it translates into too much screen time, subsequent fighting, and inevitable tears. (Plus, family vacations are never relaxing when you are the parent. It’s hard work!)

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Trip Advisor is a great source for family-friendly activities wherever your travels take you. Some of the places we took the children on our last trip were a children’s museum, a butterfly conservatory, an indoor trampoline park, a dolphin and white tiger habitat, and a botanical garden.

5 Back to nature

Sometimes the best (and cheapest!) plan involves simple time spent outdoors. Despite the list of great activities we did with our children this trip, when I asked my son what was the highlight for him, he told me, “Climbing that really big tree!!”

It can be easy to over-complicate things. Kids are simple. You will never go wrong with a trip to the park, playground, or a long walk to pick flowers and feed birds.

I will also occasionally take on our walks two small bags for the children to collect leaves, twigs, rocks, flowers, or seashells if we are at the beach. With a sheet of paper and some glue, these treasures turn into a great art project to keep them occupied after their morning out.

6 Double date

Although we are occasionally fortunate enough to have an adult date night during family trips, it can be just as fun to do a date night with our kids. On the last two trips we have taken, we have booked a sitter for our baby and taken the older two out for a special evening.

They have been so excited to dress up and enjoy a fun night out on a double date! My husband and I have loved spending this quality time with them and playing along as they decide where we should sit, etc. and pretend to be grownups.

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7 Boys will be boys

Now that my eldest son is 5, he is starting to enjoy feeling like he is “one of the guys”, so my husband plans a boys’ night out each time we go away. This past trip, he took Hudson to a hockey game with his uncle and cousin. It was a huge success! He was super excited and such a chatterbox when he got back, telling me everything that they had done. The following day he was still talking about it, telling his sister about his special night out with the guys and reliving every detail of the evening.

8 Girls day out

Not to be out done, I also planned a special outing for my little girl. She got to go out for lunch and get her nails done at a salon for the very first time with her aunts and cousin. I try to take advantage of these kinds of simple ideas while the children are still young enough to get really excited about them!

9 Go the distance

Even though our kids are still very young, it is worth the effort to take them to beautiful and interesting places. We decided to journey to the Grand Canyon for an overnight on the way from Scottsdale to Vegas to meet family.

I had never been there before and was completely in awe of the majesty of it.

We stayed in a hotel right on the canyon and woke up early to watch the sun rise. As we stood out on the rim at 6am with our infant in tow, a passerby said to me, “He won’t even remember it.” Although it’s true that he is unlikely to remember that sunrise, it was a special moment for our family and I will certainly remember it forever.

The time that you spend with your children going on family adventures creates precious memories for you and your spouse and weaves colorful and fun experiences into the tapestry of your kids’ childhood.

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Lighten up

Above all, don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t forget to be silly and just enjoy your kids! Traveling with children is too exhausting not to take a step back and just be goofy and laugh at them and at yourself. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child makes it all worth it! Happy travels!

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PHOTO GALLERY

2016 Father Daughter Ball

Fathers and their “Little Angels”

Big Angel joined the party and gave a beautiful Harp Performance!

All the little angels loved her so much

Three handsome “Slippers” Catchers for the Flying Slippers game!

A wonderful and unforgettable moment for every Fathers and their little angels

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PHOTO GALLERY

2016 Tang Yuan Making

Chef Leo teaches kids how to make special Tang Yuan: Piggy and Panda!

We love to make traditional Tang Yuan, Rolling~ Rolling~

Could we do the Tang Yuan every month? It was so much fun!

2016 Kid's Cooking Class Cake Pop and Bunny Cookies

Make cake pop with Mama! Such a fun time!

Oh~ I love Chocolate so much!

Look! I made lots of cake pop! I want to share with my friends and of course a few with mommy and daddy!

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PHOTO GALLERY

t

f a r C ll o Mrs. Rabbit Paper D Mushroom House

&

Date & Time:

2:00-3:30 pm, Saturday, April Location: Poolside

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Cost:

NT$480/ 9-13 year old Child Rabbit’s mom provides warm and feeds their loved child just like our mom, so why not build a cute Mrs. Rabbit for mommy this year? We will use the paper roll and teach kids step by steps. Furthermore, we will have a “Mushroom package” included in this event, kids could put a mushroom bag with mycelium and plant into a cute Mushroom House!

ACC Members Only.

For more information or sign up, please see the ACC website event page.

ACC Bazaar Vendor Search!!!

Have your children already grown-up?

Do you have some beautiful clothes, bags, shoes, toys and fine children's books that you would like to sell?

Or, are you good at handicrafts and have some items you would like to sell?

Join us at the ACC Bazaar and have your own booth!

Contact ACC Marcom team at (02) 28858260 ext. 44 Bazaar Event Day & Time:

11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Saturday, May 21 Location:

ACC Outside “Porte-cochère”/ Main Entrance Cost:

NT$800 / Booth (8’ Table), for ACC Members 30

Do you want to promote your business to our Club Members?

HERE

is the space for you!!

We offer a quarter, half, and one page insertion choices for your advertisements / promotions.

For further details please contact Sabrina, our Marketing & Communication Manager at 02 2885 8260 ext.56 or marcom@americanclub.org.tw

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Don't make it too complicated -

the 'simpler the better' to get things done.

CR ad Center Magazine.indd 1

5/20/2015 10:20:51 AM