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Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
 Announcing a new Meetup for Chicago Japanese Language Meetup Group!
What: Tsunami Relief Benefit sponsored by the Japan Club
When: Friday, April 29, 2011 3:30 PM
Where: DePaul Center
1 E Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604
Why: All donations will help fund psychiatrists to help console victims of the earthquake and tsunami.
This is another announcement of an event to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami, but not an official meet-up so you don’t need to rsvp here.
Hiroshi san will be playing trumpet as part of this event at 5:15.
Posted in Culture | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
What: Benefit for Japan
When: Saturday, April 23, 2011, 7pm-11pm
Where: Multilingual Chicago, 2934 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite C, Chicago
Admission: $5 or more donation at door. We will have computers so you can make your donation online to the American Red Cross. 100% of proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.
Join us Saturday, April 23 as we unite to raise funds for Japan. Help us make 1,000 origami cranes to symbolize our wish for Japan’s recovery after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. The cranes will be donated to Students Rebuild, and the Bezos Family Foundation will donate $2 for each crane received to the Architecture for Humanity’s reconstruction efforts in Japan
Ladies, please wear shades of pink or red; men, please wear green to symbolize colors of hope that comes from sakura – the blooming of Japanese cherry blossoms in Spring.
You will also get a mini Japanese language lesson with Kazumi at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
This event is being held in partnership with Unieros, a Chicago based group dedicated to promoting cross-cultural exchange.
Please RSVP for this event by contacting Jennifer at Jennifer@multilingualchicago.com.
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Friday, January 28th, 2011
 Next Thursday, February 3rd, will be Chinese New Year 2011! Traditionally, the Chinese celebrate the lunar new year, which occurs on a different day every year depending on the calendar. This year, it is the year of the Rabbit, according to the ancient Chinese zodiac, which rotates between 12 animals and completes a cycle every 12 years.
The Chinese typically get together for the lunar new year, as it is a time for family to be together. Many workers in China make amazingly long trips home to see their families, so traveling in China may be more congested during this time of the year. You can watch the human drama in a new documentary called “Last Train Home.”
It is a Chinese tradition to eat dumplings, called “jiao-zi” during the new year. The Japanese love them too and they call them “gyoza.”
According to legend, the reason that people eat dumplings and light fire crackers has to do with a mythical monster that used to come out during the Chinese new year to devour the townspeople of a village. One year, a beggar happened upon the village, where he found only empty houses. He finally happened upon an old woman alone in her house. Too old to flee, the old woman had decided to stay and face the monster.
The beggar’s appearance cheered the old woman, and she decided to make him a meal of left over meat scraps wrapped in flour skins and boiled. The beggar decided to light some fire crackers to make the occasion more festive while the old woman minced the meat on her cutting board. The next morning, the two realized that the monster did not appear and they were safe. The townspeople, who returned the following day, asked the duo how they had survived. They recounted their activities of lighting fire crackers and chopping meat loudly. Surmising that the monster was afraid of loud noises, the townspeople made it a tradition to make dumplings and light fire crackers every year after. The monster never appeared again!
Now that you know why people eat jiao-zi for new years, we hope you will take the time to make and eat them too! For an easy recipe, click here!
Happy New Year!!! Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!
Posted in Cuisine, Culture | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Can’t tell the difference between a pupusa and an arepa? What about pronouncing dishes in Spanish from the menu?
Fret not! Multilingual Chicago is excited to bring you the first ever Logan Square Latino Culinary Tour!
Chicago is home to some of the greatest Latin American eateries in the US, thanks to the large immigrant communities and a booming interest in local cuisines and ingredients. From the newest restaurants downtown to the neighborhood cafes, we are blessed with a wide array of cuisines from which to sample.
This Fall, Multilingual Chicago has teamed up with 6 local restaurants in the Logan Square area to bring you a food tour of the countries of Ecuador, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama and Cuba. Best of all, begin your tour with a 1 hour Spanish lesson at our language center, and learn the basics of pronunciation, greetings, and cultural key facts.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 25th, from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The cost is $45 and includes a 1 hour language lesson, all food/drinks/tips and transportation from our our center. Spots are limited so please reserve today! For more information, please see our main cultural events page!
Please click here to register!
Posted in Cuisine, Culture, Multilingual Chicago | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
I’ve been spending the day going through my overflowing inbox (what a treat!), and I came upon a Tribune article that someone forwarded me about Chicago’s shifting linguistic landscape. Some highlights:
Chicago still has more Polish speakers than any other American city. Its enduring linguistic stew ranks it among the top four cities with speakers of Arabic (4th), German (2nd), Greek (2nd), Gujarati (2nd), Hindi (3rd), Hungarian (4th), Italian (3rd), Korean (4th), Russian (3rd), Serbo-Croatian (2nd), Spanish (4th) and Urdu (2nd).
The article notes that in the 1920s, 27% of Chicagoans were foreign-born. As a result of the US government’s immigration quotas, that number fell to under10% by 1970. Things have changed quite dramatically in recent decades:
The new census report, comparing data from 1980 through 2007, found that the number of U.S. residents 5 years and older who spoke a language other than English at home more than doubled in the past three decades to 55 million, or 20 percent of the population. The number grew at a pace four times faster than the overall population growth.
Looking at Spanish, it’s no surprise that the numbers are growing, but just how much? I could make you read the article, or I could just tell you… Since 1980, Spanish speakers have grown by 211%! That’s a pretty compelling reason to enroll yourself (or your kids) in Spanish classes!
Posted in Culture, Language Acquisition, Spanish | No Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
The deal era. It’s amazing.
We’re the feature today on YouSwoop, one of the many deal sites that have popped up lately. We’ve sold 140 so far with 10 hours left to go. We were on Groupon in December and sold over 600. Compared to today’s Groupon deal for Wendella Boats (19,000 sold and counting) that’s nothing, but for us, we’re happy with our numbers! As a new business, there are many ways to get the word out, but most of them are extremely expensive and questionably effective. It’s been interesting experimenting with deals to see what sells and how many people buy. In the end, the goal is to get people through our door, have them fall in love with us and come back…and tell their friends.
Our Spring session starts next week, and we’ve got Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin and Arabic for adults. Our kids’ classes start the following week with Spanish, French and Mandarin. Whether you’re taking advantage of an incredible discount or paying full price, we can guarantee you that we’ll be thrilled to have you and will do whatever we can to ensure that your experience is great on all fronts. We still have some spots open, so come on and check us out!
Posted in Culture, Multilingual Chicago, Our Upcoming Events | No Comments »
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Announcing a new Meetup for Chicago Japanese Language Meetup Group!
