Those Who Host #1: Joanne Xu, Green Tile Social Club
"The mahjong table is a natural equalizer — everyone’s at the same eye level. It satiated our desire for an environment where you could really get to know someone, and also our yearning to lower the barriers to feeling closer to our culture."
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In a world that’s becoming increasingly isolated, some people slow down to bring others together. “Those Who Host” is a series highlighting NYC’s community builders - those creating connection, conversation, and belonging in their own way, one gathering at a time.
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Tell us about yourself and the story behind what you/your organization hosts today.
My name is Joanne, but you can call me Jo. I am a cofounder and now CEO (that title feels so corporate) of Green Tile Social Club, a NYC-based community and creative brand bringing Asian Americans together through the game of mahjong.
Sarah, Ernie, Grace and I are all originally from or raised in Texas, and we all went to UT Austin for our undergrad years. Though the four of us didn’t meet until we’d all moved to NYC, we did have varying degrees of connection before GTSC — Ernie and Sarah were childhood family friends, Ernie and Grace were in the same advertising program. Me and Grace didn’t know each other at all.
6 months after I moved to NYC in October 2021, Sarah DMed me looking for a fourth mahjong player for an impromptu sesh that night. She was only a five minute walk away from me at the time, so I decided why not. That night was the first night we all met and played mahjong together. We started running that Sunday mahjong night every week, and eventually friends from all corners of our personal networks were DMing us wanting in. Sarah’s LES apartment got too small, so we decided to host outdoors at NYC’s public parks, and then later indoors to our first Asian-owned venues. That’s how the Green Tile Social Club y’all know today was born.
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What inspired you to start hosting? Was it tied to a specific memory or a specific moment when you realized people needed this kind of gathering?
We always say that something about that first night playing mahjong together made us realize the lack of Asian American-centered third spaces we had access to growing up. And even the lack in a diverse city like New York. Playing together felt so natural, even as complete strangers who had each become estranged from the game (and our heritage, if you want to get deep with it) through the course of growing up.
I think the tactile nature of mahjong acted as a social lubricant that made us have deeper conversations. I always say that the mahjong table is like a natural equalizer — everyone’s at the same eye level. It satiated our desire for an environment where you could really get to know someone, and also our yearning to lower the barriers to feeling closer to our culture.
It was a feeling that we knew deserved to be shared, and we felt like we may be the right people to do it.
What does “a good host” mean to you? and what role do food and drinks play in setting the tone?
A good host knows that the best kinds of events are where the production of it all goes almost unrecognized by the guest. That means you’ve done your part in creating an environment where the conversations, the connections, the relationships take center stage.
Food + drink is so critical to completing that sensory experience that makes people feel delighted and seen. In our club, we only ever work with Asian chefs, mixologists, brands, etc. In our culture, food is the ultimate love language.
What’s the least glamorous part of hosting that people don’t see?
All the sleepless nights trying to budget for an event. Hundreds of emails back and forth with every single vendor, schlepping inventory back and forth in a car-less New York … It takes two massive storage units, several team members, and countless Uber XXLs (not even an XL will do it these days) for us to get from point A to point B.
Most of event production is deeply unglamorous — it’s just those few hours of actually hosting the damn thing that makes it all worth it.
Has anything you’ve hosted ever gone wrong in a memorable way?
When we first hosted mahjong in the park, we had to scrub the outdoor chess tables with paper towels to get rid of all the caked-on bird poop… it was the most unsexy thing ever and a really humbling moment. We’ve also had vendors cancel 30 minutes before doors open, furniture/tables not arriving, numerous clerical errors on our part, but that stuff happens all the time. Part of being a good host is knowing how to ride that wave!
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What keeps you doing this when it gets hard or draining?
It goes back to the gift of witnessing relationships form. In my three and a half years of doing this, I’ve witnessed people shake hands at a mahjong table for the first time, come back to a later event and dab each other. Oftentimes they let us know they started hosting their own neighborhood mahjong nights between GTSC events! It’s so beautiful to see these relationships blossom. There are full on friend groups who have traveled the world together or attended each others’ weddings because they met through Green Tile. I’ve watched a Chinese adoptee find the courage to go on her homecoming trip to China because she started playing mahjong. It’s just crazy.
How has hosting changed your relationship with the city?
Hosting has unlocked for me an appreciation and understanding of the local experience. We consider ourselves part of the “back of house” hospitality community now in New York. Yes our community are the mahjong players that form Green Tile, but they’re also the business owners, restaurant owners, nonprofit organizers, artists, and creatives we get to work with to make Green Tile events happen. That newfound perspective has changed my relationship to the city in ways that I’ll cherish forever.
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Let's wrap up with some rapid fire Q's.
Hosting is ___________ ?
Delightful.
A good gathering always has ________?
Vibes.
Best convo you heard while hosting?
There were once two family members that didn’t know they were both living in the city until they saw each other [at Green Tile].
Your 1-3 hosting essentials or must-haves?
A hand truck, a good sound system, and a portable battery.
What is one tip/hosting hack you’d give to aspiring hosts? Is there anything you'd do differently starting out?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Build it with your people. It’s a fallacy that you’ve got to do everything on your own in order to provide an experience. Community works both ways! And there’s nothing I would do differently — [Green Tile Social Club] is so special because it started organically, so there’s no way I can regret or want to change that!
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What’s coming up for you or GTSC? How can interested folks get involved?
We’re going through a lot of internal “professionalizing” right now. GTSC’s growing up! We’re expanding the team, making sure everyone can get paid. For the community, you can expect more events and more cool partnerships this year. We’re trying to make our way through every museum.
Follow us on Instagram at @greentilesocialclub to keep up with upcoming events — our seasonal calendar is always pinned to the top of the grid.
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Photos: Sarah Teng
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