Chicago Meetup Reminder

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Beans but not bean on Devon Ave, I know.

There will be a meetup this Saturday, 2PM at Udupi Palace on Devon Ave.

I’m really looking forward to meeting our midwestern readers this Saturday! We shifted the date from last saturday to accommodate both Diwali and people’s schedules. I really hope this date works for people since I am shlepping my kundi a reasonable distance in the hope of meeting y’all.

Gamemaster-G9, Ravi, Ashvin, Dasichist, Chicago Brownie, Chi-Diva, Masale.Wallah, Ravneet, Windy City, “new to chicago” and others – I expect to see you all there, especially if you said this was the better time for you.

This is going to be our first meetup that isn’t on one of the coasts. A healthy turnout will ensure future Chicago meetups, which hopefully is a good thing

Everybody is welcome, commentors, lurkers, people who are just curious … whatever!

Please RSVP by Friday Noon in the comments (Chicago time, of course) so that I can make reservations!

Previous posts: Chicago meetup 10/28? [Was 10/21]

113 thoughts on “Chicago Meetup Reminder”

  1. HA! There is no way you middle of the country red state folks can even come close to topping the BEST SM Meetup EVER that we had in Los Angeles last month. Ms. Pac Man? 40+ mutineers? The best post-meetup pancakes ever?

    Yeah, what? That’s a challenge. I’d like to see you all try to top that! 😉

    And don’t forget to take pictures!

  2. C’mon Taz – Chicago has the second largest desi population in the USA! O’Hare airport should be renamed “Om Hari” airport there are so many brown faces there. And that doesn’t count students. People indicated that the 28th was the better day for them – I’m sure there will be a HUGE turnout.

  3. Just wait ’till the next Chocolate City meetup, y’all.

  4. Taz, 40 plus, bas ?! All one needs to do is post a little something about the meetup on the desi students’ mailing lists for the schools in town and there’ll be line to get into Udupi on Saturday. And hwo can you even begin to compare pancakes to dosas?

    By the way, you have to see Devon on a weekend! Ennis is not kidding about the desi population in Chicago…

  5. Taz, 40 plus, bas ?! All one needs to do is post a little something about the meetup on the desi students’ mailing lists for the schools in town and there’ll be line to get into Udupi on Saturday. And hwo can you even begin to compare pancakes to dosas?

    Bring it. 😉

  6. HA! There is no way you middle of the country red state folks can even come close to topping the BEST SM Meetup EVER that we had in Los Angeles last month. Ms. Pac Man? 40+ mutineers? The best post-meetup pancakes ever?

    Illinois is a blue state, and we were smart enough not to elect Commando as governor.

    I would love to come to this but I’m swamped and I can’t make the 2+ hour trek to Chicago. Next time…

  7. The best post-meetup pancakes ever?

    After that, he took us in the house, and made us pancakes.

  8. Can’t make it, but hope it goes well. Does Udupi still have the Russian waitstaff?

    By the way, you have to see Devon on a weekend! Ennis is not kidding about the desi population in Chicago…

    Who knows, you may be dining with Musharaff’s brother, who lives in suburban Oak Brook.

  9. Bring it. 😉

    Oh.. it’s brought!!

    Umm.. Ennis, can I add that there will be free food (paid obviously from the SM promotion budget!) for those who show up and stay long enough to be photographed?? 🙂

    P.S. And please consider this my R.S.V.P for the meetup. I’m looking forward to it, plus I’m all out of achaar.

  10. but you guys don’t have the ‘bean’ in presence nor yo mom and yo dad from the dc meetup in march ;)..too bad, so sad… (HAVE A GREAT TIME Y’ALL!)

  11. I want to come to the meetup, but saturday afternoon I have another appointment.

    Ennis, can you move the meeting to the evening (7pm-ish) ?

  12. Chi-diva,

    I’m afraid that’s not logistically possible for me this Saturday. This is why I asked people last week about what times worked and which ones didn’t.

  15. dude, i’d go just to see if ennis really looks like that grainy picture from our sidebar. 😉 AREN’T YOU PEOPLE CURIOUS??? 😀 he’s our sikh-ret agent man; the only way to ever see his face is if you go to a meetup. ask our nyc readers, they’ll tell you. his right eyebrown alone is sooo worth it. 😉

  16. i celebrate the dosa, and i hope you do too. though from humble beginnings it makes for a regal meal and pleasures all senses.

    The tongue does rejoice upon the taste of the peppered masala enveloped in crunchy shell dipped in the chutney and drenched in the sambhar.

    the eye delights upon view of the long brown shell carried across the hall uncontained by boundary holding all in thrall.

    a decadent feast it is and yet says hairy_d it is light on the pocket and fills the belly. i rejoice because i am cheapo.

  17. I agree with A N N A, meeting Ennis is worth the trek (although, unfortunately, I cannot make it to the Windy City, as I will be in that city for 24 hours on an undoubtedly frigid Friday in November). He made a non-Grecco, sans A N N A SF meetup a blast!

  18. I second Anna & Brimful. Ennis is worth the trek. But if you’re a petite, like me, wear heels and be prepared to crane your neck–he’s tall!

  23. Our erudite sikh-ret agent unwittingly revealed his real identity earlier today and I’m all the more eager to meet the man in person now. Ennis, with a fan base such as this, you’re definitely in the wrong profession!

  24. Ah..now that comment kinda makes sense, ANNA. Without that link, I’d have been wary of you, had you shown up for this meetup!

  25. Without that link, I’d have been wary of you, had you shown up for this meetup!

    You have nothing to fear. I stay away from flyover country and unless more of you RSVP for this shindig, I’m totally going to be vindicated for doing so. 😉 NYC/DC/SF meetups uber-alles, b!tches! (Kindly note that I omitted LA, even though it, too, is left coast– I’d much rather attend a Chicago meetup than one there. I keed, I keed!) 😀

  27. Can we have our next LA meetup in browntown (aka – cerritos?

    More specifically, Artesia. And instead of going for pancakes afterwards, can we go see a Hindi film at NAS? Ok, maybe pancakes after THAT.

  31. Ennis:

    Something came up for me at 2pm Saturday. I will definitely be at the next one.

  33. why are people leaving/running away from the meetup!!!!

    Perhaps it’s time to scour the old comment threads and email the people who were asking for the meetup. They seemed really enthusiastic at the time.

  34. I’ll try to make it to the next chicago meetup.

    For now, I’ll settle for the pictures, unless you are guys are still going to be hanging around in the evening.

    How long does the meetup usually last?

  35. Something came up for me at 2pm Saturday. I will definitely be at the next one.

    The Mutiny has never had a weak meetup, ever, and it will never have two weak meetups in the same place. That is, if via some bizarre series of coincidences there is poor turnout at a meetup (which has never happened) that place usually wont see a second one.

  38. The Mutiny has never had a weak meetup, ever, and it will never have two weak meetups in the same place. That is, if via some bizarre series of coincidences there is poor turnout at a meetup (which has never happened) that place usually wont see a second one.

    For good reason: meetups take time, effort, MONEY (I’ve spent $$$ on buses, trains and cabs to get to/from/around in NYC) and a non-trivial amount of preparation– if you beseeched Ennis for a sepia-sponsored event in the past (and a google search of our site shows up dozens of such requests), either show up or, well, in the future, shut up. Sorry to be so vicious but this is vexing me a smidge.

    Almost every meetup thread I’ve ever written for MY cities ends up attracting some level of “Why can’t Chicago have one, too?”-whining; there has never been more begging for a meetup from any other city.

    Midwestern mutineers finally get what they supposedly wanted, dates and times are changed in an attempt to be helpful and look at this…a potential turnout so paltry, we might close the Chicago bureau. In order to even host this, Ennis has a bit of a drive to deal with…I hope he’s not wasting his time. Blogging here occasionally feels thankless, I don’t want our much-loved/enjoyed meetups to start feeling the same way. 🙁

  39. As much as I enjoyed participating in the BEST SM Meetup EVER! (Copyright Taz), yo Chicago peeps, you gotta represent! I may be all west coast right now, but my heart is all midwestern, Chicago, and Skokie!

    Seriously folks, just go. It is fun. I was double fisting beers at a point and saying cheers to anyone that was unfortune to cross my path. Multiple times. And yet everyone as cool and nice.

    Just go. EAT. FOOD IS GOOD. Get your directions (just not from Abhi) and haul your asses over.

  40. you chicago people are weak if you don’t come out for the meetup…

    my dear ennis is working hard to get there..and so should you..

    represent your midwest love…

  41. Ive never been to one of these meetups. are they cool? next time one is in NY i might pop by….

  42. meetups are great! you can put a face to a ‘handle’… and meet interesting and fun readers and lurkers of SM… (maybe it’s just me who likes to meet random people ;)).. the dc meetup was fantastic where i had the lovely chance of meeting anna, barmaid, sriram, prasad, cinnamon rani, mayur, chai… just to name A FEW! i’ve only heard of good things.. i mean.. come on…ennis is super cool… who would not want to meet him?

  43. This is a very “chicago” problem.

    I think sometimes people don’t understand that the Midwest is much more of a non-urban wasteland than the coasts are… so you get much more locked into your area. It’s a part of how the Midwest is configured. It’s not only cultural but geographical. It’s hard to get people together in Chicago, period. So don’t dis us please! Midwesterners have unique issues when it comes to being spread out and lacking proper quick transportation.

  45. Can one acertain whether a meetup was successful or not only by the number of the attendees? I think not! No matter how many people show up, I’m sure it’ll be a success (whatever that might mean). And Ennis, you can go ahead and order for me already. I’m that certain of showing up!!

  46. yeti:

    i managed to throw a super shindig in chicago this past july with over 200 brown people in attendance (and i don’t even live there)… no, it’s not hard to get people together…and it’s definitely not a chicago geographical problem… but where the heck are all those SM readers who have been asking for a meetup? jeez louise…

  47. So don’t dis us please! Midwesterners have unique issues when it comes to being spread out and lacking proper quick transportation.

    We aren’t dissing, per say. We just teasing that y’all are a lot of talk with this whole “wanting a meetup” thing, and when you finally get one, no one follows through! If y’all know you have ‘unique issues’ then don’t be asking for us to throw y’all a party-! It’s like the guy that wants to go on a date, but is anti-committal about the ask- it’s kind of frustrating to plan around it.

    I’m just sayin’… LA. BEST Meetup EVER.

  48. Masale.Wallah,

    Are you hot and single? I think this may turn into a Sepia Destiny one on one date between you and Ennis. I’m just sayin’… when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade… 😉

  49. a lot of talk with this whole “wanting a meetup” thing, and when you finally get one, no one follows through! If y’all know you have ‘unique issues’ then don’t be asking for us to throw y’all a party-!

    word.

  50. Taz,

    when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade…

    Either you’re a fan of Two and a Half Men just like I am, or you’re actually quoting something I keep saying here on SM !

    Either way, it’s a good approach to life 😉