Austin – Jun 28 2012

Photos © Eurocircle. For privacy reasons we ask you not to copy these to Facebook or other social networks

This is another joint happy hour with The Austin Grand Prix and Mercedes Benz of Austin.

Complimentary Hors d’oeuvre table, $5 burgers – drink specials are being discussed.

This event will be themed around motorsports such as F1, motoGP and World SuperBike. We highly encourage you to wear you teams favorite shirt, colors and/or accessories to support this incredible event coming to us in November. Of course, if you would rather wear your cocktail dress or nice shirt, please do – we will not judge!

The purpose of this event will be to reunite, educate and promote F1 Austin around drinks, hors d’oeuvres and common interests (or soon to be!).

A FEW COMPLIMENTARY GIFTS: Please note that Mercedes Benz of Austin has kindly offered to have some give aways for the first 20 people and Mercedes/F1 accessories thereafter.

Hosts: the lovely Allison Berguin and Kerri Olsen – and Kerri’s brother Kevin from The Austin Grand Prix“. Patrick Van den Nieuwenhuysen from Mercedes Benz of Austin.

The location is a brand new venue at Rainey Street – Javelina!
http://www.javelinabar.com

Please spread the word!
The Austin Grand Prix” was established in 2010 as the first Austin-centric online community supporting motorsports and events at The Circuit of The Americas. Kevin brings his knowledgeable Formula One passion and eye for design and detail to the table. Kerri couples her business acumen with years of social and philanthropic involvement in the Austin community. They support responsible and sustainable growth for Austin while helping fans around the world learn more about this amazing city. Learn more about The Austin Grand Prix

New York – Jun 22 2012

For the 10th year in a row, event organizers – and long time members of EuroCircle community – InternationalSwede, Mania Events and Nordic Nights gather the Scandinavian community in New York for a great, big party in the heart of Manhattan’s Flatiron District; a space with soaring ceilings, two levels, three bars and refined furniture and fixtures. They will be also co-hosting our July 17 event!

Attire: Summer chic

TICKETS:
Advance Tickets – click here!
Table Packages
The Highlights

– Live performance by Swedish pop-legend Christer Sandelin and Norwegian-Japanese platinum-record-seller Baby M.
– Two ballrooms (House Room & Swedish Room) and 6 Scandinavian DJs alternating through-out the night.
– Group/Table Packages at special prices.
– Special Guest Appearances.
– Scandinavian Drink Favorites: Kopparberg Cider, Kronan Lime and Piggelin.
– Swedish Candy Arrangements from Sockerbit.
– Midsummer themed party favors and more.

New York – Jun 22
Friday June 22 2012 10pm – 4am

Location: Club Crimson
Address: 915 Broadway @ corner of 21 st, New York City, NY USA
Cover : $20 in advance, $30 at door (must be 21+)

F

Houston – June 21 2012

EuroCircle Houston is co-hosting its June get-together with the Texas Young Professionals (TYP) and the World Affairs Council.

Join us at Remington Bar in the St. Regis Hotel on June 21st from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

A well-known Houston bar, Remington Bar that offers sophisticated nightlife and high-end mixology. As written in the CultureMap.com’s Low-Down: “If only walls could talk. At The Remington Bar, stories abound about the two decades worth of corporate moguls, high-priestesses of society and international A-list celebrities, intellectuals and royals who have made this cosmopolitan lounge their Houston salon. And while the plush booths and cozy, art-filled side rooms invite scintillating private conversations, live music on the weekends draws people onto the dance floor.

Housed in the elegant St. Regis Hotel, the Remington takes advantage of the hotel’s culinary acumen by offering a menu that incorporates classic European bistro panache with the imagination of New American cuisine. The juicy hamburgers would satisfy any cattle baron – but first, try one of the bar’s signature infused-vodka martinis. Think 1920s Algonquin with a contemporary Texas twist.”

Be sure to invite your friends and co-workers to our largest event yet!

10 Things British Expats Will Miss About The UK

Ditch Blighty for the U.S., and you may find yourself longing for the best of British says Ruth Margolis in this article she published on July 12 2012. Ruth Margolis is a British freelance journalist who recently swapped East London for Brooklyn. She writes about TV for Radio Times and is working on her first novel. This is the second article of hers I am using as I really like the way she writes for BBC America. I usually agree with most of what she says. The following are the 10 things she says British expats will miss about the UK.

1 Marmite

Actually, you can sometimes find the delicious brown gloop in U.S. supermarkets, although I’ve no idea who’s buying the stuff – other than the odd homesick Brit. Every American I’ve consulted on this has either never heard of Marmite or thinks it’s repulsive. Anyway, if you want to pick up a jar, try the baking aisle (you know, because of the yeast) of any grocery store. Expect to pay double what you would in the UK.

Kaisa: : I have no idea what Marmite is and can not recall ever seeing it. However, it made me think how we Finns and Russians use “live” yeast which you can not find anywhere else.

2 People saying sorry when it’s not their fault

Back home, if someone bumps into me, I’ll apologize profusely without even thinking about it. Similarly, if I decide to gallop headfirst into a fellow pedestrian, I expect them to respond with suitable contrition. Here, weirdly, it’s the responsible party who’s expected to utter the “S” word.

Kaisa: : Hmm…and I always thought it is the Americans who are so polite they apologize for everything possible and impossible. In fact the Finns seem incredibly rude after living in the USA. In Finland most people will not apologize when they bump into someone. They say maybe “oh hoh”..”oops” or something like that. However, my experience is limited with short visits to London where I always stayed with my American/Finnish friends Maarit and Tom Glocer close to Hyde Park Gate.

3 Tea (that isn’t Lipton):

The go-to brew in these parts is unthinkably vile to proper British tea drinkers. Lipton (*dry wretches*) has somehow managed to dominate the American tea market for over a century. Okay, you can buy other brands here but it’s still what every waiter pours out when this parched Brit orders a cuppa.

Kaisa:true, and if you pour milk into your tea here it is strange. I just love the English tea traditions.

4 Room temperature beer

Here’s another British-born yeast product that’s been tragically misinterpreted by its American foster parents. Craft beers with cute names are huge news in big cities, which is exciting until you discover that they serve them up cold. COLD. Unless you enjoy a hypothermic top note, grasp your pint glass between your thighs for a bit. Eventually your body heat will free up some flavor.

Kaisa: come on, the American put ice into everything, coffee, tea, water, soda…to the point that the few times I have ordered soda, I asked for the drink without ice. Ever checked how little soda you actually get after the ice? Try serving warm beer…that’s just out the question. My first experience with the ice was in the Hamptons where I was really turned off as so called wine experts were putting ice into a great Riesling at the dinner table.

5 Winding city streets

A fun thing to do in European cities is to get lost exploring their meandering boulevards and back alleys. When your landscape is broad streets that slot together at perfect 90-degree angles, like they do in countless U.S. cities, it’s not nearly as pleasurable. Then again, the grid system ensures you won’t get lost to begin with.

Kaisa:oh yes, that would be something many Europeans miss. The character of the crazy old cities and villages.

6 A National Health Service:

Insist all you want that government provided health care is an infringement of your human right to get sick and have no one give a hoot. I’ve tried paying and not paying for medical treatment and, shockingly, I like the version where I get free stuff – regardless of my financial status – better.

Kaisa: All Europeans do, long live the state backed up health care systems as long as they are also audited properly.

7 Balanced news coverage:

If there’s a serious news show in the U.S. that provides impartial coverage (i.e. doesn’t act as a mouthpiece for a political party) then I’m yet to hear about it. British news fiends will find themselves longing for more balanced UK-style current affairs programs. Luckily, you can stream BBC radio here without breaking any licensing laws.

Kaisa: : true, there are times I feel deceived by the news coverage here – it is so embarrassing not to even hear about what is going on in other countries. And if you start comparing for example Fox News and CNN…you start thinking you are going insane. Where is the integrity of the journalism?

8 Sunday pub roasts

Some weekends, I’d even settle for withered, spongy roast potatoes and beef so old and grey it’s more likely diplodocus than cow. Of course, it would need to be served with warm beer.

Kaisa: this is the part I can not comment……my experience is quite limited with the English pubs. I know the Irish pubs better..

9 Lamb

Having searched, unsuccessfully, for lamb in five New York supermarkets, I recently found myself wondering if the U.S. even has sheep. I certainly can’t remember seeing one. “But I’m sure they had them in Brokeback Mountain,” I thought. (The Internet was down so this wasn’t resolved as quickly as it might have been.) Later, Google informed me that America does in fact have a healthy ovine population. Where the sheep go on sale once they’re dead is still a mystery.

Kaisa: : you are right, it is not as popular here in the USA. In Austin I can sometimes find it in the local supermarket and I have forced Lance and Gary I often cook for to become lamb fans. They actually love it – and now they know it is healthier than many other meats! And it is far tastier too!

10 Marks and Spencer’s underwear

My smalls are in dangerous need of update but nowhere makes workaday lingerie like M&S. Please someone tell me which U.S. stores stock cheap, well made, no frills lady things. All the American knickers I’ve fondled so far are either poor quality, uncomfortably slutty or too high end for mooching about in.

Ruth Margolis

Kaisa: hah hah…I want to see Mark’s and Spencer’s underwear now. As a general note there are a lot of poor quality clothes in the USA. Where many Europeans like to purchase very good quality, pay a bit more and use the clothing much longer, many Americans prefer a lot of variety and follow trends more. If you check how many bras American women buy per year it is by far more than most Finns would buy!

10 Things Brits Do That Drive Americans Nuts

You might think that you come off all charmingly Alan Rickman or Emma Thompson, but don’t think Americans aren’t incensed by bits of your Britishness. If you want to make friends in these parts, avoid the following:” This is how Ruth Margolis, a British freelance journalist who recently swapped east London for Brooklyn – started this article. She writes about TV for Radio Times and is working on her first novel. I am taking the liberty of using it as I love the way she writes for BBC America. The following are the things she says Brits should avoid:

1 Over cooking your vegetables

The authentic British way to prepare edible plants is to immerse them in boiling water for a fortnight. Americans think this is weird and unpleasant, to which I say: “Until you’ve had a carrot disintegrate on your tongue, you haven’t lived.”

Kaisa: this is very true, many Brits really over cook their veggies based on my limited London visits.

2 Being standoffish

When strangers in shops and people I pass on the street make eye contact, nod or say “Hi!” I like to reply with an icy stare or low growl. Lately, I’ve come to understand that this is not the done thing, but I can’t help it because I’m British. I was raised in a land where a sneer is worth a thousand smiles.

Kaisa: so true…Brits know better than anyone how to act standoffish in a very “elegant” way. Unfortunately we Finns appear just standoffish occasionally – and not in an elegant way.

3 Thinking all Americans are flag-wielding fatties with guns

Oh you crazy Yanks with your big guns and trousers that could fit three normal people in each of the legs! However inaccurate, we Brits love to believe this is the blueprint for every American. Understandably, they’re not amused.

Kaisa: yep, they are not amused even if that description is starting to fit way too many Americans as the United States of America has become a land of “obesity” as much as it used to be the land of “opportunity”.

4 Not tipping

Most Brits would rather undergo weekly colonoscopies than leave a fat stack of bills for their poorly paid waitress. You might think you can get away with leaving skimpy tips but the locals have noticed and now we have a reputation.

Kaisa: ouch…I remind many times Europeans (EuroCircle members) in general to tip, we do not tip in Finland usually so you do not expect to do that. And how the Brits – or anyone from a culture like Finland would know that you must tip hairdressers and pretty much anyone else doing something for you.

5 Your reluctance to “share”

The British stiff upper lip is considered a disadvantage over here. By all means, Americans, breakdown and cry – tell us something deep and dark – but do not expect us to reciprocate. But Brits be warned: your silence will only buy you pitying looks and unsolicited therapist referrals.

Kaisa: oh no, I know the feeling. I had a few dates whose criteria for a “normal” relationship was that both parties go to therapy or have done psychoanalysis. At that point I knew I am not qualified. And washing all your dirty laundry in public is not that appealing – and it may embarrass other people which is not cool in many European countries.

6 Believing that Americans have no sense of irony

This myth persists amongst Brits to the irritation of many an irony-literate American. What you will notice is that, on occasion, your new countrymen won’t pick up on our brand of sarcasm. That’s because to the untrained ear, a British person being serious sounds almost exactly the same as one in mocking, sardonic mode.

Kaisa: I think most Europeans would agree with that statement at least to some extent.

7 Having terrible teeth and neglected nails

As any American will tell you, the British suffer from a severe case of hand, foot and mouth. If your teeth look like chipped, moldering tombstones and your fingers are topped with jagged, dirty claws, don’t expect to get many party invites.

Kaisa: the holy grail for American women (at least in NYC) is their nails…you have nail salons everywhere. Let’s just say that I miss NYC in many ways.

8 Not being able to tell a fifty from a five

To us, all dollar bills look alike: greenish oblongs with a dead bloke on one side and a spooky pyramid on the other. Poorly manicured hand on heart, that’s the reason I keep putting down ones instead of twenties at the supermarket.

Kaisa: Ruth, how true until one gets the hang of it…been there, done it.

9 Moaning about missing curry and Marks and Spencer.

Wherever you are in the U.S., there’s wonderful food just waiting to be snaffled, but I guarantee it won’t be a fragrant chicken dansak or a dreamy M&S steak and ale pie. My US friends are sick of hearing about the curry and pie-shaped hole in my life and stomach.

Kaisa: Think most Europeans/expats are guilty of this..at least to some extent! For me it is rye bread, lingonberry, cloudberry..

10 Your lack of interest in health

Doctors are for wimps. Much better to ignore that pulsating lump in your abdomen and go to the pub. This is not the American way. Here, if you’re not having regular swabs, scans or biopsies, you’re doing something wrong, and your American friends won’t hesitate to stick a pin in your bravado.

Kaisa: provocative but I’d say there are more Finns as well who are like this including myself. Many Americans who CAN afford health care are over-medicated and the tens of millions who can not afford health care are not taken care of at all. I have seen statistics that a staggering number of prescribed medications are completely unnecessary…they are given so the patient feels they are taken seriously (placebo affect).

New York – Jun 12 2012

Join us at the hip brand new venue Bishops and Barons for our summer kick off party. With its red velvet couches great drinks and yummy eats this is an event not to be missed! There will be Eurotini’s on Special throughout the evening for $11.

We hope you can join us for a fun night out at this new venue with delicious drinks and yummy food!

Our featured co-host for the evening: Ana Lita, PHD, Romania
Dr. Lita is the executive and founding director of the Global Bioethics Initiative, an international not-for-profit organization.

About the venue:
The team behind by Macao Trading Co., Employees Only and The Gates create a restaurant and cocktail lounge that celebrates the days of showgirls, movie star gangsters and supper clubs Cocktails by Dushan Zaric – cuisine by Kevin Chun – ambiance by Patrick Fahey In the back, a small semi-private chamber is waiting, outfitted like a showgirl’s dressing room.

A soft and sexy feel accented with vintage black-and-white photographs, antique mirrors and a zebra rug complete the look. Guests booking this VIP area can request their own private bartender to complete the experience. Jetsetters, villagers and foodies alike will be treated to scrumptious small bites from Executive Chef Kevin Chun, whose imaginative cooking style is heavily influenced by his ten years of travels, apprenticeships and his Hawaiian-Chinese heritage.

Atlanta – Jun 05 2012

Photos © Eurocircle. For privacy reasons we ask you not to copy these to Facebook or other social networks

Tuesday, June 5 2012 at 7:30 pm W Hotel Downtown Atlanta 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard / Atlanta 30308

Hello everyone!!!

We will have our next monthly EuroCircle get-together at the W-Downtown Hotel on Tuesday, June 5th, located at 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard / Atlanta 30308.

We will meet upstairs at the pool / pool bar area, start time 7:30 pm as usual.
$6 wine and specialty drinks will be offered and valet parking is free (with a minimum drink tab of $20) or you can park across the hotel for a flat $5.

We anticipate a great turn-out for this event, so please RSVP.

On a side note, since our photographer and good friend Leonardo Meirelles moved to New York, we have had a few volunteer photographers, but we once again need some consistency. So if anyone is interested in taking a few quality pictures for our monthly get-togehters (to be posted on the eurocircle website), please contact Randall or myself or speak to one of us at the upcoming June event.

Hope to see everyone soon,

Salutations – Your Atlanta EuroCircle Team!!!
(Randall & David)