Catherine and I were chatting the other day about planning a fantasy dinner party.
Here’s the premise, if you could invite 8-12 people, alive or dead to a dinner party who would it be? How would you start the dinner? Would you lead the conversation, or just sit back and enjoy what they all had to say? What would you ask people if you were seated next to them?
If you are so inclined tell us what you’d serve them.
My invitation list would be:
Eleanor Roosevelt, I’d want to know what the early UN was like.
Coretta Scott King, I’d be very interested to know what her suggestions would be for building a community now-with all the new tools.
Tallulaha Bankhead, I’d love to hear her describe what it was like to be a liberal Democrat in Alabama in the 1930’s.
Anne Richards, I wouldn’t ask her a thing-I’d just want to hear her tell some of her famous stories!
Viggo Mortensen, because really who wouldn’t want a poet, author, politically engaged actor who thinks critically over to dinner-plus he’s totally hot.
Dante Alighieri, every dinner party needs a 12th century Florentine poet, friend of Pope Boniface, political pawn and deep thinker. What question couldn’t you ask him!
Rosalynn Carter, we have so much to learn from her.
My father, who didn’t always like the idea of going to parties, but always had a great time when he got there. He was incredibly curious and he’d ask all the good questions I’d forget to.
I’d ask Anthony Bourdain to make us a roast chicken-plus I think he’d be a great guest too.
We’d drink a lot of wine.
How do I think the evening would turnout?
Well Eleanor and Coretta would sit together and solve all the problems of the world-but no one would listen to them. My father would ask Rosalynn all about her family, living in the south and traveling the world-then offer to take her dancing. Anthony Bourdain and Anne Richards would be in the kitchen telling stories and entertaining each other, then Anne would grab Dante for a ride on her motorcycle-we wouldn’t see them for days. Tony and I would argue about who had the best hot dogs in New Jersey ( Callahans vs. Hirams) Tallulaha would jump Viggo, and he’d like it.
Looking for a conversation starter at Thanksgiving, well now you have one.
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