Eating club

File:CutleryUSDA.jpg

Collegiate Eating Clubs (USA)

An eating club is an elite social club found in some American universities.

History

Pulitizer prize-winning author Booth Tarkington was a member of two eating clubs: Purdue University's Morley Club and Princeton University's Ivy Club

Eating clubs typically date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are intended to allow college students the opportunity to enjoy fine dining and pleasant discourse. Some clubs are referred to as bicker clubs, due to the admissions process of "bickering" members in. .

Replaced largely by the modern fraternity and sorority system, eating clubs are now limited to a few universities in the United States. Purdue University's most distinguished is the Morley Club, which included such notable figures as Booth Tarkington. However, it is perhaps Princeton University that is most recognized for its time-honored eating clubs, with that university's oldest being the Ivy club.

See also

• Eating clubs at Princeton University
• Final clubs

External links

• Discussion on "What are eating clubs"
• Article from The Princeton Companion on formation of Princeton's eating clubs
• Historical article on Princeton's eating clubs