Dick and many other players, coaches, parents, and supporters have been sharing their delicious recipes through the years at ARC’s clubhouse. Cooking and eating at the ARC clubhouse keeps on playing a crucial role in bringing people together, building a sense of unity, and creating financial wealth for the ARC community.
One of the ways eating and cooking at the club contributes to bringing people together is through community building. While sharing a meal, people talk to each other in a relaxed manner: that alone, creating dialogical bridges between different members. Businesses, relationships and meaningless events are shared during the food that can be discussed and shared, giving it new meanings, and socialization, bonding, and forming of connections is the result.
In addition to providing a social outlet, sharing food also serves as a way to resolve conflicts. Players, coaches, parents and other community members coming together for dinner, break bread and engage in dialogue. This provides a relaxed and informal setting for ARC’ers to discuss their differences and find common ground. When people sit down to a meal together, they are able to connect on a human level, which can help to break down barriers and ease tensions.
Besides consolidating shared realities, sharing meals can help connect with their own and other’s culture and heritage. In that way, ARC’ers are able to form a stronger sense of self and feel proud of their multicultural community. In turn, the increased understanding reduces prejudice. By recognizing and appreciating the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those around us, we are able to build bridges of communication and cooperation.
Finally, eating at the club has the potential to bring economic benefits to the club. By showcasing the home-made cuisine and cultural traditions, the canteen can sell drinks, that bring in much-needed resources the club uses to pay for the current fixed expenditures as well as to grow into an even bigger community.