Rituals Build Community

Aristology. The Art of Dining

The cornerstone of Highland City Club's philosophy is built on the notion that rituals create community, not the other way around. We define community as a group of people engaged in working, socializing, and dining together in a supportive and non-judgmental way.

At the most fundamental level, human rituals, whether they be religious, national, or cultural, are based on food. From the Jewish tradition of the Shabbat meal to the Thanksgiving turkey feast, from the junk food we consume during the Super Bowl to the barbeque dinner preceding the Fourth of July fireworks display, food plays a pivotal role in building community.

Last year, I shared a vision for the future of our community and the important role food plays in it. Our main goals for 2024 include the expansion of our food program, the promotion of more social activities, and an increase in the size of our membership, all aimed at building a more diverse and sustainable community.

While the radical effects of the pandemic on the way Americans work have become abundantly obvious, the consequences of inflation on the way we eat and the effects of food on our health are less clear. Our response to these challenges is to make proactive changes, such as tripling the size of Highland’s kitchen, extending our service hours, and committing to the continued use of the healthiest ingredients available. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will see a list of our planned offerings.

City Club operates under the assumption that food and community are vital factors for good health, longevity, and an overall sense of optimism, all acting as an antidote to the pandemic of deaths of despair, substance abuse, depression, and suicide. We strive to play a major role in our members’ lives by building an ideal community that combines Aristology, the art of dining, with Jeffersonian dialog in a Securus Locus to create the ideal container in which to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of one another.

Thanks to the loyalty and commitment of our members, in the past eighteen years, City Club has not only survived and thrived despite the 2008 Great Recession and the Pandemic, but has managed to expand throughout the entire historic Highland building as its membership has climbed to 300. We are more confident than ever that our plans for the year ahead will result in further strengthening and expansion of our community.

Thank you for your continued moral and financial support, and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year ahead.

— Sina.