That’s right brown boys and girls…for the first time in months– and for the first time ever in the mitten state of MICHIGAN, Sepia Mutiny will host a meetup!

This weekend, I will be speaking at the SAAN conference which is going down at Abhi’s alma mater, the University of Maize and Blue; since our Sugi lives in Ann Arbor, it seemed apposite to host a raging party while I’m there, and by raging party we mean eating Masala Dosa, Idli and Vada until we have to be rolled, still ghee-covered and burping happily, out of a restaurant.

I’m still not over the loss of my beloved Amma Vegetarian in Georgetown– side eye to the person who closed it– and worse than that, it’s been ages since I had a nice dosa. The thought of proper Southie food makes me giddy, so when I think of how I’ll get to nom some of that AND squeal at Sugi AND potentially meet some of our loyal Midwestern readers, lurkers and trolls…well, I feel faint from such excitement. Remember: all are welcome at meetups. Even if you’ve never commented before, feel free to stop by– Sugi and I would love to meet you!

I’ve heard great things about Madras Masala; not only is the food supposed to be good (It’s auntie-tested, uncle-approved), it’s well-located, which is helpful since neither Sugi nor I have cars. Let’s meet there at 6pm on Saturday— which is after the SAAN conference. I’ve been warned that they may not have enough space, so if you could let us know in the comments if you’re going to join us, that would be a great help.

Oh, and D.C.? You’re up next. 🙂 Look for a post on THAT, soon. Continue reading →

The wonderful city of Denver, Colorado is exactly 5280 feet above sea level. (And you thought we were talking about something else? Chhi!) We’re holding our first meetup in the Mile High City this coming Thursday the 23rd. Sepia’s web wizard Kunjan will be in Denver this week, and though it’s a school night, I promised him I’d drive an hour north on I-25 to see him.

Date: THURSDAY, September 23rd, 2010

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Place: Indiä’s Restaurant

We’ll be meeting at Indiä’s Restaurant because it satisfies some minimum requirements: decent food, easy access from I-25, plenty of parking, and a respectfully stocked bar.

I was half hoping that one person would join us and then go next door for a 2.5-hour Hindi/Telegu/Tamil cinematic extravaganza— so we could crown that person the brownest person in the room, but it doesn’t look as if anything is playing that night. We’ll still take nominations though. I’m rooting for the person who figures out why our restaurant has an umlaut, which means that it should be pronounced “Indi-yehs.” (But maybe it’s more like Häagen Dasz).

When I first moved to Colorado, I thought it was the whitest place I had ever been. Then I got stuck in the airport at Salt Lake City. Now that I have lived here a while, I know there are many of you around. I’ve met a fair number of South Asian American 2nd-gens like me in Colorado, but I’ve also met people from every single South Asian country (including the Maldives) except Bhutan– though I know you’re around too.

Come on out, and say hi! If you can join us, let us know by leaving a comment, and I can book a table for all of us before we arrive. Continue reading →

Oh Philadelphia, did you think we could forget you? This year mutineers have partied in Boston and LA, but now we’re bringing you a meetup in the City of Brother Love itself. Amardeep and I decided to mark the release from our respective academic bastions with a meetup with you, our lovely Philadelphia-area readers.

Guess what that means? It means you Jersey, Delaware, New York and Philly readers need to ditch the post- apocalypse that is your holiday celebration and come hang out with us. So after you’ve demolished your mom’s figgy pudding and russ malai and returned that ugly sweater your auntie gave you, head down to Philadelphia’s Chinatown section and join us at Penang, for some delicious Malyasian Indian cuisine.

Here’s what we can’t promise: Bill Cosby/cheesesteaks/an Eagles win.

Here’s what we can promise: scintillating conversation/beautiful people/good food.

Place: Penang, 117 N. 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 1910

Time: 7:00 PM

Dress: Casual

Reservations: We need an accurate headcount to reserve a table. If you’re coming, please email Amardeep at amardeep [at] sepiamutiny.com.

Hope to see some of you there!

[Photo: GPTMC] Continue reading →

It’s winter here in Los Angeles. My umbrella had to be dusted off for the few days of rain, a hoodie was pulled out for the 50 degree cold weather, and Christmas lights are wrapped up around the tall palm trees all across the Southland. Truly winter-time in Southern California.

I think it’s the perfect weather for a Sepia Mutiny meetup.

This will be a special one – Abhi has decided to unlock the ball and chain to one of our fantastic webmasters to join us for his first meetup in five years. Rajni the monkey has gone wild in anticipation. Webmaster extraordinaire Kunjan will be joining us for the meetup.

Date: SUNDAY, December 20th, 2009

Time: 4pm – 7pm

Place: Annapurna Cuisine in Culver City (open to suggestions)

If you can make it, please RSVP in the comments. We can hold it somewhere else if anyone has a better suggestion – I would have preferred something on the east side, but Anupurna was the only one I could thing of right now. It’s been too long – meetups are open to bloggers, lurkers, or just friends of sepia mutineers. Please come! Continue reading →

“Epic” is such an overused word. Thinking back on last night’s mutineer meetup in Boston, however, it’s the only word that comes to mind. Because what else do you get when 30 plus Bostonian mutineers take over the better part of Harvard Square’s Finale dessert restaurant? Perhaps I’m still buzzing from the combination of chocolate martinis and scintillating conversations, but I have to say my first meetup ever already has me awaiting the next one.

I was blown away by the diverse backgrounds that were represented by our Boston peeps. During the course of the evening, I met a mutineer originally from a Southern state, who told our table about his experiences growing up South Asian in the same town in which Emmett Till was killed, and how united the Asians in his small town – whether they were Pakistani or Chinese – were. (“I grew up being physically and verbally abused every day – and that was just by my parents.”) I was thrilled to be able to talk punk rock with Michael Muhammad Knight, author of The Taqwacores and Basim Usmani, lead singer of The Kominas. (Not that I know anything about punk rock, but no matter.)

Continue reading →

As several of us will be in town for a wedding-shedding, come enjoy a joint Ultrabrown + Sepia Mutiny meetup Aug. 16. We’ll hold it at our usual spot, Verlaine in Lower East Side, the place with $5 lychee martinis and a comfy sitting area. From 5pm on. Mark your gCalendars!

Joint meetup, Sun Aug. 16, 5-8pm at Verlaine, 110 Rivington St. between Essex/Ludlow. Take F,J,M,Z to Essex/Delancey, walk north 1 block.

p.s. special guest: Manish’s mustache!

Continue reading →

Guess what? Ennis and I are going to hang out and we want you to come.

When: 5-7 p.m. Sunday, July 5 Where: Leela Lounge

Come one, come all. Lurkers, commenters, friends, associates…

There will be a special surprise attendee. Continue reading →