If you could have Dinner with any One Person

[nyfirepatrolchef]

And nypatrolchef, All Quiet on the Western Front - Kat. The first book ever in my life that made me stop over and over again because of the tears blurring my eyes. I know that sounds trite - but it ain't. I'd never had that experience before. Nothing brought home the power of books and language like that book. Having to set it down because I was sobbing to hard. I mean this was paper, ink. Only "real" people had been able to do that to me before. If you're like Kat, I want to have dinner with you.

There is almost nothing I fear about adulthood as much as I fear the loss of my parents. I hope you're doing okay.

Lamb~

Im sincerely sorry about the loss of your father.

Talk to people about it....when you want and need to...it helps.

India~

I used to make myself nutz over worrying what Id be like once either of my parents died. Try not to do that to yourself...sooner or later....its gonna happen. It wont be easy when it does...but why give yourself grief ahead of time.

And ironically...I recently became more like Kat. A shifting of manpower on my Group at work resulted in me being the senior man on back of the truck. So...Live Bait....7PM when?

Edited April 15, 2003 by nyfirepatrolchef (log)

[lamb]

Thanks for those kind words - to all.

Our family is doing OK with the loss - but we miss him. Humor is a great reliever and we use it freely.

Giving the "who would you have dinner with" some more thought...

Some of my high school girlfriends. It's been almost 30 years and we have lost touch. I'd like to find out what became of them. Being freed from the confines of all-girl Catholic school can do mighty strange things.

[J Acord]

Real person - Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, I really liked his works De occulta philosphia libri tres, a real renaissance man.

Fictional - Cthulhu (from the works of H.P. Lovecraft) just to see how he would manage to eat politely with all those tentacles (then again he may just not care and end up eating the waiting staff instead )

[joler]

Pat Conroy, author of my favorite book "The Prince of Tides" and also a lover of seafood.

If he was unavailable, I'd settle for some New England Lobsters with John Irving.

[coastcat]

Fictional: Anne Eliot (from Jane Austen's Persuasion)

Non-living: Thomas Jefferson. He had failings as a man, but at least he was serious about food.

Living: Calvin Trillin, in NYC's Chinatown

[Nick]

hmmm  JD Salinger just for the scandal though he doesn't seem like alot of fun

....actually I think Tom Robbins would be an insane dinner companion so I think I chose him

Salinger is just about the least fun person I've ever met. An egocentric, cold-hearted SOB would be an apt description.

Maxfield Parrish, on the other hand, was about as delightful a person as one could ever hope to meet. Dining with Maxfield would be about as good as it gets.

I think Tim (did you mean Tim?) Robbins would be great to have dinner with too. Though the food would have to be light as the talk would probably tend toward the heavy side.

[vengroff]

Bill Clinton. How amusing would it be to sit him down in front of a big plate of BBQ and a bucket of long necks and listen to him shoot the shit.

[vengroff]

Sushi with Ichiro Suzuki would also be great.

[Suzanne F]

NickN: You've actually met Salinger? But I believe your assessment.

There IS a Tom Robbins: author, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Skinny Legs and All, and others I can't recall. I'll bet he would be fun.

[guajolote]

My brother-in-law has dined with Tom Robbins. I believe the dinner was mostly of the liquid variety.

I would like dine with Jerry Butler. He went to cooking school before his singing (and political) career. He was the most popular of the perfromers on the Chitlin Circuit because he would cook for everyone in between shows.

[Elissa]

Duke Ellington.

In his 1944 NYer article the Hot Bach Richard Boyer reports:

"After work, Ellington and Strayhorn are likely to go to some Negro all-night spot...Duke, who is always worrying about keeping his weight hown, may announce that he intends to have nothing but Shredded Wheat and black tea. When his order arrives, he looks at it glumly, then bows his head and says grace. After he has finished his snack, his expression of virtuous determination slowly dissolves into wistfulness as he watches Strayhorn eat a steak. Duke's resolution about not overeating frequently collapses at this point. When it does, he orders a steak, and after finishing it he engages in another moral struggle for about five minutes. Then he really begins to eat. He has another steak smothered in onions, a double portion of fried potatoes, a salad, a bowl of sliced tomatoes, a giant lobster and melted butter, coffee and an Ellington dessert - perhaps a combination of pie, cake, ice cream, custard, pastry, jello, fruit and cheese. His appetite really whetted, he may order ham and eggs, a half-dozen pancakes, waffles and syrup, and some hot biscuits. Then, determined to get back on his diet, he will finish, as he began, with Shredded Wheat and black tea."

in The Duke Ellington reader, p. 224

Edited April 19, 2003 by lissome (log)

[jhlurie]

Unrealistic, but real -- The wacky Iraqi Information minister, Comical Ali (as opposed to Chemical Ali, the not-so-wacky general). I'd like to ask him if he really believed what he was saying, or whether he saw the humor in those comments too.

Real, but still somewhat twilight zonish -- Woody Allen, and for the same reason many people WOULDN'T want to eat with him--to see how weird he really is (or isn't). Mind you I wouldn't try the same with Michael Jackson.

Realistic -- Tommy. Wait, I HAVE had dinner with Tommy. Never mind.

Dead, and therefore even less realistic -- Isaac Asimov, who'd probably always have something interesting to talk about during dinner.

I'd have picked some supermodel or Playboy bunny type as well, but they keep chaging them every few years. Is Yasmeen Bleeth or Camen Elecktra still considered hot, or have we progressed on to other "hot chicks" yet? I've really got to start buying Maxim and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue again to keep up.

[cakewalk]

hmmm  JD Salinger just for the scandal though he doesn't seem like alot of fun

....actually I think Tom Robbins would be an insane dinner companion so I think I chose him

Salinger is just about the least fun person I've ever met. An egocentric, cold-hearted SOB would be an apt description.

Never mind Salinger. But I'd love to have dinner with any of the Glass children. An amusing bunch. Salinger gets credit for creating them, but he's not invited to dinner.

[Christopher]

Johnny Cash.

[elyse]

Never mind Salinger. But I'd love to have dinner with any of the Glass children. An amusing bunch. Salinger gets credit for creating them, but he's not invited to dinner. 

Which Glass?

[NeroW]

Steven Colbert.

P.S.: thanks, FritzBrenner.

[fresco]

Mark Twain. Besides being a man of considerable parts (itinerant printer, reporter, gold miner, Mississippi steamboat captain) after returning from the overseas expedition that resulted in An Innocent Abroad, he compiled a list of all of the foodstuffs from his homeland that he'd missed, which still makes me drool thinking about it. In addition to which, he wrote Huckleberry Finn.

[Suzanne F]

Lissome, you made a great choice. If only because no matter how one (of the female persuasion) looked, he would have made his companion feel beautiful.

I think finally I have picked my choice: Lillian Russell. The goddess of zaftig. That girl could pack it in, almost as much as her buddy Diamond Jim. But I think unlike him, she did drink alcohol -- probably Champagne?? Anyway, I'm just in awe of both of them.

[Elissa]

Suzanne: "You make that dress look so beautiful" was one of Duke's standard lines...

[janebono]

Hands down my choice would be Sean Connery. Missed a chance to say "Hi Mate," a couple of years ago at a Trattoria by Carneige Hall. Ships passing in the night..Oh well

Jane

[cakewalk]

Never mind Salinger. But I'd love to have dinner with any of the Glass children. An amusing bunch. Salinger gets credit for creating them, but he's not invited to dinner. 

Which Glass?

Seymour would definitely be first choice. I idolize him as much as his siblings do. (And I want to ask him about those bananafish.) Next would be Boo Boo Tanenbaum's son. I'd love to see how that kid grew up (hint to Salinger for another tale).

[twoshoes4u]

I once saw a quite obese gentleman, dining alone, order two dinners. I would loved to have dined with him. How about them Roman Folk who used to lull about on cushions supping for hours. Oh yeah, I would like to have dined and lulled with them. (What greater pleasure than to eat pizza in bed while watching TV.)

[Nick]

NickN: You've actually met Salinger? 

Yep. He lived in the next town over (Cornish, NH) and came to Plainfield for gas and supplies. Most people didn't care much for him. After the kids were grown Salinger's wife left him and moved away. He then bought the old Ed Day farm in the late sixties, built a new house on the property up on the hilltop, and let the barn and farm machinery fall into serious disrepair. One day Samuel Kayman (later co-founder of Stoneyfield Yogurt) stopped at the farm to look at the barn and machinery and Salinger came down from his perch and yelled at Samuel, "What right do you have to be on my property?" Samuel shot back, "What right do you have to let things go to hell like this?"

Maxfield Parrish, the artist, that I'd also mentioned in my post was as well-liked as Salinger was disliked. He was a true gentleman who was always friendly with whoever he happened to be talking with. A happy man with an agreeable eye that had made his mark on the world with some of his work and yet was as happy talking with a local farmer as I'm sure he was the elite of NYC.

Around town, Salinger was refered to as Salinger. Maxfield was refered to as Mr. Parrish.

[awbrig]

I bumped into John Malkovich going into Gibsons on Friday night (not really bumping - although he was right in front of me checking in with the hostess) and thought that he would be a really great dinner guest!

Edited April 23, 2003 by awbrig (log)

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I bumped into John Malkovich going into Gibsons on Friday night (not really - although he was right in front of me checking in with the hostess) and thought I he would be a really great dinner guest!

Man, I loved John Malkovich, till the guy did Con Air.

oh, just so this relates to food for the moderators....FOOD!

Edited April 23, 2003 by Chef/Writer Spencer (log)