Who Would You Have Dinner With?

[+ Avalon]

One on one. Common topic. No doubt been discussed many times. I was watching the recent episode of "A Million Little Things". Back story four guys become friends when trapped in an elevator. They ask each other who would they have dinner with. My answer has changed over time but currently I'd choose the centaur Chiron. He had so many students spanning generations; like he taught both Achilles and his father Peleus. Chiron was friends with Hercules. Achilles met Patroclus while at Chiron's school.

 

Saint Augustine of Hippo said when he was a boy that he wept when reading in the "Aeneid" of Aeneas deserting Dido. I'm not fond of Achilles. Imo the noble Hector is the real hero in the Trojan War. But the grief that young Achilles showed when Chiron was dying is most touching. Chiron was a much better father to Achilles than Peleus ever was!

 

I recently got the Loeb Classic edition of Ovid's "Fasti". Latin on one page and English on the opposite. For 3 May it tells of the dying centaur and Achilles.

 

https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html

 

Theoi is one of my favorite sites for mythology.

[+ WilliamM]

Dan Rather and Kim Novak

[+ Avalon]

Dan Rather and Kim Novak

 

I had a friend who was such a Kim Novak fan that he named his daughter Kim. His favorite movie was "Vertigo".

[rvwnsd]

Susan Stamberg, Benjamin Franklin, Queen Elizabeth, and Jesus Christ.

[MikeBiDude]

Ernest Hemingway

[+ g56whiz]

French historian Marc Bloch.

[Epigonos]

Byzantine Empress Theodora 500 A.D. to 548 A.D. (reigned from 8/9/527 - 6/28/548).

[Rudynate]

The only person of note I have ever wanted to meet is George Clooney.

[Gvtire]

Golda Meir, Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Luther King

[+ Charlie]

Golda Meir, Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Luther King

I never met Golda Meir or Elizabeth Taylor, but I did have dinner with Martin Luther King, though not one on one.

[+ Avalon]

I was one invited to dine with the King of Egypt. Years ago I used to belong to some British monarchist group and one year at their annual banquet the guest of honor would be the person if Egypt had a monarch he would be the King.

[Bearofdistinction]

Katherine Hepburn - Alexander the Great - Ben Franklin - Mary Todd Linoln

[Rudynate]

I was one invited to dine with the King of Egypt. Years ago I used to belong to some British monarchist group and one year at their annual banquet the guest of honor would be the person if Egypt had a monarch he would be the King.

 

 

I met a guy once who told me he was the Crown Prince of Poland. It was in the mens' bar at the Mont Royal Hotel in Montreal, which was sort of gay on the DL. It was a hangout for closeted businessmen. So this tall old guy started chatting me up and he told me he was the Crown prince of Poland and was involved in a lawsuit against the Canadian government because they were holding the Polish crown jewels, which had been removed from Poland by the Canadian Forces during WWII to keep them safe from the Nazis. He said, as the heir to the Polish throne, he was entitled to possession of the crown jewels.

 

Even at the tender of 18, the story sounded spurious, but he was pleasant and he kept buying me drinks. But I also thought, "Why couldn't he be the Crown Prince of Poland?" This was during the Viet Nam war and a lot of draft dodgers were moving to Canada. He told me if I wanted to move to Canada to get out of the draft, I could stay with him.

 

I talked with him for a couple of hours. He wanted to stay in touch, so I gave him my address and I got a couple of notes or cards from him.

[+ Avalon]

The last Kings of Poland were the Tsars of Russia. Before that the ruler of Saxony. Before that it was an elective monarchy. Whoever that person was he might have been the descendant of one of the elected monarchs but he had no real actual legitimate claim to the Polish Throne.

 

Btw one of the 88 constellations is named to honor a Polish King.

 

http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Scutum.htm

[Rudynate]

The last Kings of Poland were the Tsars of Russia. Before that the ruler of Saxony. Before that it was an elective monarchy. Whoever that person was he might have been the descendant of one of the elected monarchs but he had no real actual legitimate claim to the Polish Throne.

 

Btw one of the 88 constellations is named to honor a Polish King.

 

http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Scutum.htm

 

There was a kernel of truth to his story. In fact, the Polish National Treasures were turned over to the Canadian government for safekeeping at some point during the war, but they were returned to Poland in the early 60s.

[+ Avalon]

There was a kernel of truth to his story. In fact, the Polish National Treasures were turned over to the Canadian government for safekeeping at some point during the war, but they were returned to Poland in the early 60s.

 

Sadly to the Communist regime. Just like Carter gave the Hungarian Crown Jewels to Communist Hungary.

[Rudynate]

Sadly to the Communist regime. Just like Carter gave the Hungarian Crown Jewels to Communist Hungary.

 

 

Who should have gotten them - the government-in-exile?

[+ Avalon]

Who should have gotten them - the government-in-exile?

 

In Poland I would have waited until the Communist regime fell. Though at the time no one would know when that would happen.

 

And Hungary - I'd give them to the Hapsburg claimant to the Throne.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Habsburg

 

Interesting that Franco offered him the Throne of Spain.

[+ WilliamM]

There was a kernel of truth to his story. In fact, the Polish National Treasures were turned over to the Canadian government for safekeeping at some point during the war, but they were returned to Poland in the early 60s.

 

I had similar experience with an older man who claimed to have written the lyrics for several Broadway musicals that later were films. One was Kismet.

 

All true when I looked up Kismet.

 

I believe you abou the jewels.

[Whitman]

Susan Stamberg, Benjamin Franklin, Queen Elizabeth, and Jesus Christ.

Would the dinner be on Thanksgiving at Susan's house and feature her mother-in-law's cranberry relish?

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/11/16/666296027/cranberry-relish-the-npr-recipe-that-divides-thanksgiving-tables

[+ WilliamM]

Hedder Hopper, @Avalon and Lucille Ball

 

To clear up whether Hedda's son was gay. He was major co-star on the show, Perry Mason.

[rvwnsd]

Would the dinner be on Thanksgiving at Susan's house and feature her mother-in-law's cranberry relish?

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/11/16/666296027/cranberry-relish-the-npr-recipe-that-divides-thanksgiving-tables

HA! I've had it (a friend insisted we make it one Thanksgiving). Not my cup of tea.

[Rudynate]

HA! I've had it (a friend insisted we make it one Thanksgiving). Not my cup of tea.

 

 

I think I would like it, but on general principles, would not serve it because of the sour cream. Thanksgiving dinner is already groaningly rich without adding in yet more sour cream.

[+ tassojunior]

Sadly to the Communist regime. Just like Carter gave the Hungarian Crown Jewels to Communist Hungary.

 

Avalon ! It's not like the communists hocked them to buy guns. They went in the national museum.

[Ajac]

It is hard because meeting your heroes can be a disappointment leading to a broken pedestal where they once resided. I would love to have met Phil Hartman though and discuss his career as an illustrator before he was on SNL. Now there is another scenario of dinner guests unaware of the poison I have slipped into their meals I can think of a few dictators and one wannabe dictator who will be left un-named. Just kidding I would never really do that...or would I Mwha ha ha. (evil laugh).