2022 November & December

EVENTS IN NOVEMBER & DECEMBER

November 1 to November 20

2022 Fall Tennis Doubles Championships

November 9

Thanksgiving Cooking Workshop

Wednesday, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Location: North California Room

• Member NT$600 +10%

• Guest NT$$700 +10%

November 13/27

December 11 Sunday Brunch

California Room & San Francisco Room

10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Adult Price: NT$ 1,100+10%

Child Price: NT$ 550+10% per person (Aged 5-12)

November 26/27, December 4,

2022 Photo with Santa 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: San Francisco Room

• Member NT$580+10%

November 24

Thanksgiving Buffet

Lunch Buffet : 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dinner Buffet : 6 to 9 p.m.

Location: California Room

• Adults: NT$1,280+10%

• Children: NT$650+10% (aged 5-12)

December 4 Kids Gingerbread House Decoration Workshop

Session 1 : 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m

Session 2 : 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: California Room

• Member NT$680 + 10%

• Guest NT$880 +10%

December 10

2022 Kid’s Christmas Party Saturday,11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Location: California Room

December 9

Aperitivo con Prosecco DOC Friday, Commencing 6:00 p.m.

Location: Sigis

• Member NT$900

• Guest NT$1,000

November 25

November 30

Christmas Wreath Making

Wednesday, 10 a.m. –

Location: Chicago Room

• Member NT$1,200+10%

• Guest NT$1,400+10%

For

• Member Adult NT$600/pp+10%

• Member Children NT$800/pp+10% (3-12 years)

• Guest Adult NT$700/pp+10%

• Guest Children NT$900/pp+10% (3-12 years)

December 11

Kids Christmas Tennis Carnival Day Sunday, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Fee: NT$600 per child – includes Refreshments.

December 16

TGI Friday Christmas Tennis Special Friday, 7 to 10 p.m.

December 16

A Night of Bourbon & Live Jazz Friday, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Location: The Rendezvous

December 24

Christmas Buffet

Dinner Buffet : 6 to 9 p.m. December 25 Christmas Buffet

Lunch Buffet : 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dinner Buffet : 6 to 9 p.m.

Location: California Room

• Adults: NT$1,380+10%

• Children: NT$700+10% (aged 5-12)

December 26

YETI CAMP Monday,9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

at: www.americanclub.org.tw/events/

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Maria Ting President

Injay Tai

Vice-President;

Committee

Bill Seto Treasurer; Finance Committee

Edward Wang Secretary; Planning Committee

Elaine Chang Community Outreach Committee

Liran Golan MIS Committee

Max Liu Food and Beverage Committee

Pradeep Mehrotra Events Committee

Paul Miao

Victor Su

Dennis Yung

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

George Chung-Chie Chou Membership & Rules

Amber Persson Sports Committee

H. Henry Chang

MANAGEMENT

Peter Wood General

Gerry Gibb IT

Deborah Ho Human

Peter Hsu Executive

Peter

Freeman

Ting

Alex

Alice

Finance

Fanny Tung Senior

Emily Wang Hair

Hui-Yi

President’s Message

Feature

Sports

Maria Ting

Dear Members,

Time has certainly flown by as we approach the end of another year. I hope that the end to the COVID-19 pandemic will also soon be in sight.

Before we officially welcome 2023 and the Year of the Rabbit, I wish to report what the Board has been working on these past few months, and what is expected ahead.

New Strategic Plan

In early September, the Board held a daylong strategic planning session. The previous Strategic Plan has been in place for some time. Through annual membership survey results, commit tee-level discussions, issues raised by the Board and Management over the past few years, and addi tional observations by our GM Peter Wood since he joined us last December, it has been apparent that a review was necessary.

With the full understanding that a Strategic Plan is a three to five-year roadmap into the future for our Club, the Board and Peter reviewed the Club’s Vision and Mission and Values, and collectively agreed to the following:

Our Vision: A premier family-oriented club that marries traditions and innovations while mak ing a positive impact in the community.

Our Mission: YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOMEThe American Club creates a sense of belonging to our Members, their families, and their business associates by consistently delivering the highest quality dining, memorable activities, and mean ingful experiences in a friendly and vibrant inter national environment.

Our Values:

Care: We will pay close attention and consider ation and be conscious of the impact that our acts and decisions have on our Members and employees, for the benefit of the future of the Club.

Accountability: We will act in the best interest of all stakeholders to responsibly manage our finan cial, human, natural resources, and physical plant, with collaboration and open communication.

International: We will continuously improve our delivery of the highest international quality din ing, sports, and recreational activities, and ame nities for Members, their families, and business associates.

Lasting Memories: We will cultivate an environ ment which creates lasting and meaningful mem ories for our members, employees, and guests.

With our Vision, Mission and Values more defined, long-term goals to align were discussed and agreed to. These include: to achieve the highest quality of dining and service; to create memorable and meaningful experiences for members guests and employees; to be an employer of choice; to be a pil lar for the international community; and to be a glob ally responsible organization. Steps to meet these goals and how they are to be assessed are being developed. Many such steps are already in progress. The Board and Management also understand that internal and external environments can change during the execution of our strategies, and are committed to visiting them on an annual basis and making necessary adaptions to meet pressing needs.

Welcome to Henry Chang as New Supervisor

The Board extends a warm welcome to H. Henry Chang to the Board of Supervisors. Henry, who is next in line, agreed to step into the position vacated by James Clark who resigned earlier due to growing business obligations. Henry has been a member of the Club since 1994, is a partner at Baker & McKenzie Taiwan, and the Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT).

Calling for Board Nominations

I have appointed Governor Dennis Yung and Su pervisor Amber Persson to co-chair the Nominat ing Committee to identify candidates for the Board. Elections will take place at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for March 2023. Please submit nominations and/or any related questions to them at nomcomm@americanclub.org.tw.

Between now and the AGM

The various Committees and the Board are currently reviewing the 2023 annual work plan and budgets proposed by Management. We are also reviewing any possible changes to our Articles of Association and other matters requiring your approval at the AGM. Please look for invitations for dialogue and information between now and the AGM for these proposals and more details on our Strategic Plan. Wishing you and your loved ones a very merry holiday season and best wishes for the coming new year!

Dear Members,

At this time of year, family is always more on the mind than usual with the upcoming traditional festivals. While it has been difficult to travel this year, I know many have at least been able to catch up in person with various family members, so we look forward to capping off the year in a tremendous festive style.

Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving Dinner was reputed to be in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and the Wampa noag shared an autumn harvest feast. For more than two centuries, Thanksgiving has been celebrated, but it wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Here at the Club, we continue to celebrate this im portant day, and we look forward to welcoming you with family and friends to the Club. Chef Peter and the team will be preparing your favorites, but this year we will be having a Thanksgiving Cooking Workshop, where you can learn more about some of the special dishes that are an all-important part of the dinner.

Christmas

Of course, Christmas follows very quickly. This year we have an additional day for the popular Photos with Santa, as they fill up very quickly on 11/26 & 27, and 12/4. This ties in nicely with the Christmas Bazaar on 11/25 and 26 and the 2 sessions of Kids Gingerbread House Decoration on 12/4, creating must-join events at this time of the year. Following on we have the very popular Kids Christmas Party on 12/10, and of course, the traditional Christ mas Eve Dinner, Christmas Day Lunch and Dinner Buffet. So, after all this, I can imagine what a lot of the new year's resolutions will be, and of course, I should be joining you!

While a lot of the above is for families and the young er Members, we do have a couple of adult-focused events, with the Holiday Gala at the beginning of December on 12/3 and an Aperitivo with Prosecco DOC Party 12/9 in Sigis. The Club's traditional for mal dinner party Holiday Gala will include a live band in the California Room with a formal dress code to celebrate the seasonal joy in style. "Aperitivo with Prosecco DOC", a unique cocktail event by Italy’s most

renowned sparkling wine producer, completes with a buffet featuring Italian aperitivo and 'eight freeflow brands of Prosecco will transform your senses to a different level.

On Court

This time of year is perfect for tennis, and we look forward to the Fall Tennis Doubles Championship. This is one of the highlights of the tennis year for the Men, Women, Mixed, and Juniors. Great com petition and camaraderie on the court and a great social time off the court.

Additionally, we have a bit of fun with our first mixed "100 Plus Tournament," where the joint ages of the two players will be over 100. This will be over the weekend of December 3rd & 4th, so reach out to friends and get your team together.

We have been trying to promote Squash through out the year, and we are continuing to offer Junior Squash Lessons every Saturday, so if you would like your kids to pick up this very healthy sport and learn from the former Taiwan Number 1 Player and National Level Coach, Alan would love to hear from you, just ask at the Pro Shop.

Communication

As the pandemic has continued this year, we have tried to be very clear with our communication, and I know that many have appreciated it.

This has led Management to go one step further with the "From The Desk of The GM" letters, where I try to highlight key issues and not always Covid related. Ricky now has a monthly "On Court" let ter, and Ting, the F & B Manager, has also started "Wine & Dine @ACC." Through these, we are trying to get key information to the Membership. We will continue with these and introduce new target ed communications, similar to Ricky's, which just goes out to the tennis community.

Additionally, we had a good response from Mem bers for the wine survey. We have been asking about the concept of "Build Your Own Sandwich" in Rendezvous, and we will also be surveying the Members on the Terrace menu and service quality, as after Chinese New Year, it will be time to start work on a new menu.

But we are interested in getting feedback, from the portion size are they too big to the style of Asian food, menu mix, selection of cakes, and what you would like to see on the buffet. It is great to get feedback so we can better tailor what we offer to the membership needs. So, we will be continuing with the survey concept.

We look forward to seeing you around the Club over the next couple of months during this won derful time.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Christmas, and a very Happy New Year.

Peter Wood

HAPPY

40 years

Mr. Nelson A.P. Chang & Mrs. Ruth Chang

Mr. Ching Chih Chen & Mrs. Ruth Y.H. Chen Mr. Edward Ling

Mr. Pradeep D. Mehrotra & Mrs. Diane (Dee) Mehrotra

Mr. William S. Wang & Mrs. Theresa Wang

Mr. Samson C.Y. Wang

30 years

Mr. Injay W. Tai & Mrs. Sylvia C. Tai Mrs. Li-Chiao Upham

20 years

Mr. Robert C. K Wang

Mr. Raymond F.H. Wong & Mrs. Loreta Hu

Mr. Craig C.C. Liu & Mrs. Ann-Chia Wang Mr. Justin C. Su

Mr. Joseph P. Chao & Mrs. Hsiu-Chih Wu

Mr. Steven Chao

Mr. Dennis C.P. Yung

A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS

Mr. John Jen Kung & Ms. Angela Lee

Mr. Mitchell Teck Leng Leow & Ms. Karen Peck Har Ong Mr. Masatoshi Ogasawara & Mrs. Emi Ogasawara Mr. Alex H. Chou

Mr. Fabian Timothee Peter Jules Bergeron & Ms. Borami Lee

Ms. Sitora Muzafarova & Mr. Sarvar Muratov

Ms. Tandy Yen Hsiang Wu & Mr. Feng Wu

Mr. Jun He & Ms. Yuan Yuan Zhou

Mr. Vincent Martin Ham

Mr. Jay Lee & Ms. Huei Fang Liang Lee

Mr. Shiro Suzuki & Mrs. Tina Yi Ching Suzuki

Mr. Jeffrey Horn Walters & Ms. Lily Ka Lai Cheng

Ms. Elizabeth Gale & Mr. Carel Van Apeldoorn

Mrs. Shelly Su Cheng Chiang & Mr. Jack Jeh Chung Chiang

Mr. Graham Villiers-Tuthill & Mrs. Jane Villiers-Tuthill

Mr. Kyle Brandon Marcrum & Mrs. Erin Elissa Marcrum Mr. Samrat Khosla & Mrs. Navneet Khosla

A FOND FAREWELL TO MEMBERS WHO HAVE RESIGNED

Mr. Edward Li Ping Lew & Ms. Alice Ka Yin Cheng

Mr. Wilson Po Lung Chen & Ms. Emi Peien Lee

Mr. Horst Yen-Chih Chen

Ms. Helen Ching Ting Tu & Mr. Wei Ting Kuo

Mr. Daniel Jeen Long Liao & Mrs. Jean Khim Chin Liao

Mr. Steven Charles Parker & Ms. Allison Fong

Mr. Wellington P Chu & Mrs. Wakami S Chu

Mr. Ted S. Lo & Mrs. Eleanor L. Lo (Leave of Absence)

Mr. Nelson Ying Chieh Chiang & Ms. Julie Kuo

Mr. Richard Van Reenen Barry & Mrs. Ulandi Barry

Ms. Elaine Tsui-Hua Wu & Mr. Eric Chin-Yu Chen (Leave of Absence)

Mr. Chris Keh-Fei Chi & Mrs. Gigi Pei-Chi Chi

Mr. Wayne Wen Hung Tsai & Ms. Teressa Tu (Leave of Absence)

Ms. Ginnie C.N. Pai & Mr. Alan C.H. Ho (Leave of Absence)

OUR

An offbeat travel destination in Taiwan

Written and Photo by Amandeep Kaur

I have been living in Taiwan with my husband for quite some time now and I keep looking for places to visit here. Taiwan never fails to amaze me with a plethora of museums, temples, markets, old streets, art centers, amusement parks, gardens, malls, cafes, historical monuments, and famous landmarks.

One such place that I discovered online was Yingge, which is famous for its ceramic art. I love learning about art and culture. For a long period, I have har bored this desire to create a pottery item with my hands on the potter’s wheel. So, that is how Yingge became our next destination.

Where is Yingge?

Yingge is a small town in the southwestern part of New Taipei City (the area surrounding the main Taipei city) in Taiwan.

It is the hub of ceramics production in Taiwan. Yingge has hundreds of ceramic-related businesses in and around the area. Yingge Old Street or Yingge Ce ramics Street is famous for a huge variety of ceramic items that are sold in the shops of this street.

You can take a train from Taipei Main Station to Ying ge Station which would take less than an hour. Taxi can also be hired for traveling from Taipei to Yingge. We boarded the regular train (TRA) for Yingge from Hsinchu train station.

Yingge Ceramics Street

After about ten minutes’ walk, we arrived at a cob bled street that was lined with shops on both sides. This was Yingge Ceramics Street and it looked quite touristy with lots of people around. Palm trees on the sides made the place look more beautiful and inviting. The shops had an amazing, huge collection of various pottery items like cups, mugs, teapots, plates, vases, toys, all sorts of kitchenware, decorative items, and whatnot. We decided to stroll around and have a look at as many shops as we could. It was a treat to my eyes.

Colorful, delicate, beautiful pieces of art in hundreds of numbers were displayed all around. Many items were common in those shops but the bigger ones boasted exquisite and opulent collections.

Creating our Masterpieces

We came across a small entrance that looked like an ancient kiln. A board was displayed outside that in formed about the pottery session. We decided to go ahead and explore. The kiln was actually another en tryway to the neighboring store.

Some kids were trying to create their own pottery with the help of the staff. Soon, we both joined in and enjoyed creating our own masterpieces. It is not as easy as it looks when they do it. With a lot of help from the staff, we both succeeded in creating our own modest art pieces.

They suggested we draw or write something on our pieces. I wrote the words I love- Love, Travel, Explore. You can choose the color it is glazed with. I chose a pale blue.

It was a wonderful and enriching experience. They charged a fee of NTD 250 per person. By paying a delivery charge, you can have your creation shipped to your address. We decided to have only these as souvenirs rather than buying other things this time.

Yingge Ceramics Street is a place where you are spoilt for choices. The price for ceramics starts from as low as NTD 50 and goes up to a few thousand and more at high-end stores.

Yingge Ceramics Museum

Taking a taxi, we headed towards the Yingge Ceram ics Museum. We just had an hour to spend here as it closes at 6 p.m. on weekends. The general entry tick et costs NTD 80. There is no fee for local registered residents, children under 12 years of age, students with domestic student ID, and senior citizens. A big statue of a colorful mermaid welcomed us as we entered. There were various sections and floors dedi cated to different kinds of pottery. This museum was opened in 2000 and since then it has been working towards curating, preserving, exhibiting, and promot ing local ceramics art and artists. Special exhibitions are held in the museum regularly for the promotion of this art. A huge collection of art pieces show the his tory and development of ceramics in Taiwan.

The Yingge ceramics industry is more than 200 years old. The importance and role of ceramics in the lives of local people are tastefully displayed in the muse um. From tableware, cookware, washroom accesso ries, decorative pieces, and tiles, almost everything that you can think about pottery, is there. We spent about an hour here but art and history enthusiasts may like to spend more time in the museum.

Yingge is a beautiful town that is definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in art, history, culture, or ceramics. I would love to be back for ceramics shop ping next time.

TGI Friday Christmas Tennis Special Friday, December 16 from 7 to 10 p.m.

Join us as we Celebrate Christmas Special TGI Friday Tennis Doubles Event!

An evening of fun social tennis and get into the Christmas Spirit come dressed in Red/Green. The Best Dressed Christmas attire will win a prize!

Open to adult Members who can serve, hold a rally and have some doubles experience.

Kids Christmas Tennis Carnival Day

Sunday, December 11 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Christmas will be upon us very soon. We would like to invite your kids to our biggest and most fun event of the year, “The Christmas Tennis Carnival”. Our 6th year hosting this event and every year we will see the children having fun with huge smiles on their faces enjoying themselves!

Bring out the Christmas spirit and come dressed in something Red/Green.

The Best Dressed Christmas attire will win a prize! Don’t miss out and sign up for your child today!!!

Fee: NT$600 per child - includes Refreshments. Best for kids aged 4-10 years old. Participants should wear non-marking sports shoes and appropriate attire for the day of the event.

For more information, contact the Pro Shop at 02-2885 8260 ext. 368

“Century” Tennis Doubles Tournament

December,

An exciting, fun Doubles tournament where teams are a combined 100 years of age or greater!

Team pairings can be either two males, two females, or mixed.

Following the rules adopted by other organizers, a female player may have an allowance to add an extra 10 years to their actual age.

Refreshments will be available on both days. Open to adult Members who can serve, hold a rally, have some doubles experience, and love their tennis!

Christmas Special InterTeam

The Club have invited a local team to play a friendly challenge match with our members.

We foresee a spectacular afternoon of competitive play and a wonderful opportunity for social bonding for all taking part.

If you have interest to take part in this exciting team event, please sign up at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex.

For more information, contact the

at 02-2885

The

Week

December Monday, 26 to Friday 30 (5 Days) Week 2

January Tuesday, 3 to Friday 6 (4 Days) Week 3

January Monday, 9 to Friday 13 (5 Days) Week

January

February

Friday, 3 (5 Days) Week

9-9:50 a.m.

10-10:50 a.m.

a.m.

p.m.

12:40-1:50 p.m.

p.m.

3:00-3:50 p.m.

p.m.

SIGN UP and CANCELLATION POLICY REMINDER

Cancellations must be made 3 days before the reserved date to avoid charges. A late cancel charge will be NT$1,000.

inform the Fitness Staff Team as soon as possible for any cancellation. For more information, please contact the Fitness Staff at 02 2885-8260 ext. 378 or email to fitness@americanclub.org.tw

SHOP

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

August

Name:

Department:

Monica, is well known to Club Management for her diligence in ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of processing inventory control and food cost control. Has a well-earned reputation as a team player for her friendliness and readiness to be on hand to assist other departments with their cost-control-related documentation. Please join us in congratulating Monica for this recognition of her professionalism, dedication, and great work ethic.

Staff News

Driving dialogues with our staff is critical to employee satisfaction. Therefore, we hosted 10 sessions of staff dialogues in the past two months. We open the door for our employees to feel safe to express their concerns to the management. We are delighted to receive a lot of feedback. The management team is taking seriously facing up their concerns, problems, and suggestions to make our Club better for our staff.