The Ultimate Dinner Guests

When I began writing again in 2006, I did a couple of rounds of election questioning for a local website. One of my favorite questions, always, has been: "If you could have any 3 (or 4) people living or dead to dinner, who and why?" It's a good question, because it reveals the person, given they answer honestly.

But I've never asked myself that one. I'd be more obsessed over what to serve than who to pick, for one thing. So my mind zooms over to menu design and I don't get back to the original. But I've taken a very-needed down day and have entertained myself by staring into space and thinking useless things.

Starting with process of elimination, I narrowed it down to fairly modern times. I know I'd hate all the ancients if I actually met them so that threw a lot right out. I wouldn't want others there at all for some people- Leif Erikson or any of ELP or Zep or William Wallace or even JFK, for example- so there went out a bunch more. So who to mix?

Dorothy Parker in her 40s. Stephen Fry right now. Billy Bragg at whatever age he chooses (though he qualifies for the alone-withs, too). And my grandmother Nana. She was a social activist, a NYPD Captain in1922, a writer and poet, and had 6 children, of whom 3 died. That would be a table of conversation I'd love to hear.

And I'd make a big family dinner and liquor everyone up.