*Entre - Yabbies in Pernod, served on a bed of rice with a salad of beetroot leaves, red onion, semi-dried tomatoes, and rocket,*

Sheesh, I dunno about the guests, but at least the man knows about
tasty food :)

Thank you, Forrest, I feel most privileged!

I can see your dinner plans are well under control. You obviously pay the same careful attention to detail as a host that you do as a writer!

With Foxy's permission, I’d like to give her OLO dinner party a little kick-along.

Her kind invitation is yet to be taken up by all. So far, Pelican, Romany, Fractelle. Col, CJ and I have accepted, which along with Foxy accounts for half the places at the table.

The others may not know they’ve been invited. If we can’t alert them and they miss the RSVP date, perhaps their places might be filled by other OLO volunteers or nominees.

But this is Foxy’s night and I don’t want to interfere with her arrangements. Her hosting skills are after all in her own words second to none. And I for one don’t doubt that for a moment, having witnessed her unique talent at creating harmony amongst even the most difficult of OLOers!

I will leave it up to Foxy to set the scene and get the ball rolling. But personally, I think this night has the potential for some wonderfully creative and imaginative story telling. Past experience on other threads has clearly demonstrated that we have some very talented writers amongst us who could really give this virtual dinner party a life of its own!

I propose, with Foxy’s approval, that we all get involved as we feel inspired and add a paragraph or a chapter to the story of the evening as it unfolds.

The wise words of Pelican and Col would need to be heeded - plenty of humour and goodwill, and no ‘comeuppance’, well at least nothing too nasty!

Lots to be done - menus, drinks, seating, music, entertainment, atmospherics, and much more I’m sure. Feel free to delegate, won’t you, Foxy.

It’s over to you!

My apologies for a late response, Foxy.

I had skimmed the thread a little too quickly before Bronwyn just now prompted me to check it again. I was focussing upon the extra-OLO invitees on different posters' lists.

Yes, I would be virtually pleased to attend as per your kind invitation extended in your post of Thursday, 11 December 2008 1:20:12 PM, the 35th in the thread.

Q&A

"Meat eaters only are invited to dinner parties."

That means you and your other guests miss out on about a third of the world's most interesting people, including Hitler, Ghandi, Socrates, Plato, Bertrand Russell, GB Shaw, John Cleese, Charlotte Bronte, Franz Kafka, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Albert Schweitzer, Brad Pitt, Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffmann, Charles Darwin, Peter Singer, the Dalai Lama, Confucius, Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci,

Forrest Gumpp,

"So vegetarians can eat 13 out of the 15 ingredients listed, or let them eat cake!"

And when Hitler visited him for his 75th birthday in Finland what did Mannerheim give Hitler to eat?

As for your dinner party list, I like the gender balance and the mix of OLO thinkers with international guests. GG Bryce as ex-Commissioner for Human Rights might raise the topic of vego-discrimination.

However, I think your list a bit top heavy with writers. Despite your obvious vested interest in an alter ego, I'd eliminate Winston Groom and balance Mark Shuttleworth with the late inclusion of Steve Jobs. Mind you, as host you'd have to work mighty hard to keep those egos under control.

Good luck. I never go to parties unless the host is prepared to go out of their way to cater for vegetarians.

Spikey,

Thank you for your response as to which of my guests you found most interesting. I have to infer that it was C.G.E. Mannerheim, although any inference that he was a dictator would be misleading. Such an inference could perhaps be drawn, or guilt by association projected, as a consequence of the way you phrased your question "And when Hitler visited him for his 75th birthday in Finland what did Mannerheim give Hitler to eat?". The omission of just one word and two commas between 'him' and 'for' does the damage. That word was ", uninvited,".

I am honoured that you think I may be able to fill the apparent gap in your seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the guest that tops your list, Adolph Hitler (may Godwin forgive), as to what Mannerheim gave him to eat. The authoritative answer is "nothing": Mannerheim was not the host, President Ryti held that distinction, on that secret occasion at the railway siding near Immola. There was a meal served, and as to what Hitler ate, I suggest it was stuffed smoked mushrooms. The Finns are good at keeping things in the dark, and feeding them on bullsh!t. That would have made Hitler a mushroom person. He was certainly eventually Immolated.

Why do I think the mushrooms were smoked? This link explains: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustaf_Emil_Mannerheim . Scroll half way down the page, and read the section headed 'Visit by Adolf Hitler'.

I know this is a bit wikied of me, Spikey, but I have to observe that you didn't tell me WHY you found Mannerheim to be my most interesting guest. Is it because of the opportunity ..... No. That would be a cheap shot. You find dictators interesting. That's OK.

Rest assured, had you been invited, and I had known your dietary preferences (which I probably would have if I had gone through your posting history), I certainly would have gone out of my way to unobtrusively accommodate them. Not out of any sense of guilt or obligation, mind you. Just for fun.

Spikey - I do commiserate with you regarding the placement of vegetarian needs at the top of any menu planning. Well sort of...

Forrest

The menu and the venue sounds sensational. Now what to wear?

This? http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/1548606248_2e803bd0a5.jpg?v=0

or maybe I should just be prepared for anything? http://images.forbiddenplanet.com/image/detail/1570458.jpg