Summary

The article "Shall We Dine?" is a response to a challenge on choosing dinner guests, where the author imaginatively selects deceased individuals for their intellectual and humorous qualities, planning a pescatarian meal and activities to facilitate deep conversation.

Abstract

In the whimsical piece "Shall We Dine?" the author enthusiastically participates in a social media challenge to select ideal dinner guests. Choosing figures from literature, philosophy, and comedy who have passed away, the author invites Douglas Adams, Penelope Lively, Alan Watts, and George Carlin to a dinner where the conversation is the main course. The guests, all renowned for their wit and intellectual contributions, are envisioned at the peak of their intellectual prowess, between the ages of 40 and 45. The menu is carefully curated to be pescatarian, ensuring a light yet protein-rich fare conducive to stimulating dialogue. The author also plans pre-dinner and post-dinner activities, including a lakeside walk and terrace discussions over aperitifs, to maximize interaction and conversation. The article concludes with an invitation to others to join in the imaginative exercise and a nod to previous iterations of the challenge.

Opinions

The author values intellectual conversation and humor above all else in a dinner setting.
The choice of guests reflects a preference for individuals who combine humor with profound insights in their respective fields.
The author believes that the age range of 40 to 45 for the guests will capture them at their most intellectually vibrant stage of life.
A pescatarian menu is preferred to maintain a light atmosphere and avoid potential conflicts that might arise from the strong personalities of the guests.
The author takes a playful approach to the challenge, considering the potential for disagreement and even the premature 'murder' of a guest in jest.
The article suggests that the setting and activities are as important as the guests and food in creating an environment for meaningful exchange.
There is an underlying desire to create a utopian space where humor and poetry reign, as hinted by the author's vision of a new world founded by the dinner guests.

Shall We Dine?

In response to the challenge on choice of dinner guests

Thanks to the challenge founded by B. A. Cumberlidge., tagged to me by Timothy Key, and extended by Eli Snow and Uchechi Obasi (who else did I miss?), I am joyfully here too, with my list of dinner must-haves.

I do realize most of mine are dead.

Since that is so, I shall also choose their age — because well, why not? Each of my guests will be somewhere between 40 and 45 when they grace my dinner table.

So, who will I call, what will we eat, and what shall we do?

Let me at the very outset confess that my dinner invitations are motivated by one thing and one thing only — I am greedy for their conversation. So, everything that I do in preparation will be to heighten the art and science of conversation between the guests (and me).

Guests:

1) My first guest is Douglas Adams. Author of the famous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Imagineer Extremus. His paragraph on the whale plummeting to earth, and the levels of conscious thought it goes through, is absolute genius. A perfect blend of humor and imagination.

2) My second guest is Penelope Lively. Earlier in 2020 she replaced #1 on my list of favorite authors, when she felled me with her Moon Tiger. It made me swoon. Grit, courage, take-no-prisoners. Penelope is 87 and still alive.

3) My third guest is Alan Watts. He is the only one I know who artfully blends concepts of eastern and western philosophy and religion, with a strong grounding in science. I love listening to his Youtube videos and talks. They are delivered with humor and humility, a wonderful combination.

4) My fourth guest is George Carlin. For his humor and irreverent delivery. For that matter, I see that all my guests (including yours truly) has this in common — irreverence. I think by the end of dinner we shall be ready to talk about founding a new world. Ruled by humor and poetry.

Activities:

Before dinner, we shall take a walk by the lake. (I picture the day to be warm, but not hot).

Why walk, you ask?

Well, walks are designed to offer optimal opportunities for conversation. Various permutations of people come together and drift apart during a walk — so I would have the pleasure of talking to my guests individually, two at a time, three at a time, and so on.

After the walk, we would return indoors for dinner. Post dinner we would enjoy the outdoor terrace, with a selection of aperitifs, cigars and smokes, coffee and tea. Needless to say, more conversation shall ensue.

Now, all I have to do is find that lakeside house with an outdoor terrace, in the right geography. Airbnb, here I come.

And then planchette to bring my guests over.

Care to add yours, Daniel G. Clark, Zachary Burres, Tree Langdon ♾️, R Tsambounieri Talarantas ?

Shall We Dine?

Guests:

Menu:

Activities:

For Whom the Dinner Bell Tolls

Who is that at the door?

When the Dinner Bell Rings, Who Will be at Your Table?

If you could choose anyone, dead or alive?

The Dinner List

Réspondez s’il vous plaît