8.25.2008

Cocktails at 7, Dinner at 8

mindbump
"If you could have a dinner party for 10 guests...dead or alive who would you invite, what would you serve, how would you entertain the guests and what kind of discussions would take place?"


Hmmmm. Alrighty then.

After tinkering with this for most of today, in lieu of doing other ultimately more important tasks (such as laundry. Damn those clothes for not washing themselves.) here’s what I finally settled upon:

Guest List: The Ladies
Sprezzatura ~ my BFF and sister from another mother. Would never dream of having such a shindig without her.

Elizabeth I ~ Wouldn’t you love to know what made her tick...

Katherine Graham ~ A female newspaper publisher who oversaw the groundbreaking coverage of the Watergate incident. Don’t you know she would have some stories to tell...

Carole Lombard ~ She has always seemed like someone with whom I would want to be friends. Irreverent and blisteringly witty. Died way too soon, sadly.

Me. Duh.

Guest List: The Gents
My maternal grandfather, known to me as Daddy Pete. He died when Mama was five, so I never knew him -- and I suspect he and I are a lot alike, from what I’ve read in letters and such.

The Apostle Peter ~ My Biblical kindred spirit.

George Clooney ~ A man who seems at ease in any situation and would be an asset to any dinner conversation. Plus, well, it’s Clooney, for heaven’s sake. Mmmmmm.

Red Auerbach ~ The architect and mythical guiding presence of my favorite professional sports team of all time -- the Boston Celtics. *makes note to have ashtray at Red’s place setting for his ever-present cigar*

F. Scott Fitzgerald ~ The Jazz Age. The Lost Generation. “There are no second acts in American lives.” J’adore.

Antonio Carlos Jobim ~ The father of bossa nova. Enough said.

Menu
I’d go with something evocative of my personal style -- not too formal, not too casual. A little sassy. Just right. With a Cuban theme, since I’m Cuban by desire. ;-) And because my Daddy Pete spent a lot of time in Havana in the ‘20s. This one’s really for him.

Tapas appetizers
Gazpacho (using Sprezz’s recipe!)
Big green salad
Arroz con Pollo
Fried plantains
Cuban bread -- homemade, dontcha know
Flan
Sangria. Lots and lots of sangria.

Entertainment
I think with this crowd, the conversation will be entertaining all on its own. No shrinking violets in the bunch. Although I might just sit back and soak it all in... and encourage Jobim to play us a song or two if the moment allows. I'd even be happy to sing the Astrud Gilberto part on "Garota de Ipanema..."

Whew. This is one of those cliché-tinged questions that everyone has some sort of an answer to kicking around in their head. So. What does your guest list look like... do tell.

And PS: I’ll be happy to cater your shindig -- as long as I can listen into the conversation from the kitchen. Never let it be said that I’m not enterprising....

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's all in the concept and presentation. Can't argue with any of the guests, or the menu, or the entertainment; who am I to do so anyway?. That said, you could swap out any and all of the components, and it would still be TOTALLY classy.

I love the way this dame thinks.

Anonymous said...

Nice list and menu. We have parallel tastes. I would have gone with Vicki I. That was a dame with a plan. I would have swapped the bossa nova dude for Weird Al and added Helen Thomas.

Anonymous said...

But.... but... I wanna go.... (can you see my vibrating lip?) How about if I serve dinner?? ;)

Great list!

Anonymous said...

Would love a job serving your guests....just so I can eavesdrop on the conversations! :)

I have thought about using this mindbump a time or two, but your list is much better than the one I had in mind!

Unknown said...

I'd have to add Dorothy Parker on the female side.   She was a fantastic writer and had a sarcastic sense of humor that would put mine to shame.  The rest of the women would have to be totally ugly so I would be the most beautiful woman there if Clooney were attending.  Sorry, I have my priorities.

janey jay said...

'80s queen -- I ADORE Dorothy Parker, and almost included her, but went with Carole Lombard instead, just to shake things up a bit and be slightly different.

Jen said...

Ooo... I just came from another great meme on Anno's blog. Guess it's a good day for that. This was fabulous!

And speaking of fabulous, I left you a little something for your fabulous blog a couple of days ago. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I am very sad I didn't make the guest list. Don't you know how much I love Tapas, Sangria and George Clooney. But it's not too late, I can be over in half an hour!

Sprezzatura said...

Considering you are using my gazpacho recipe, I call dibs on the chair next to F. Scott.

'Cause you know how Sprezz loves her some authors...

April said...

I'll serve the sangria!