h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Tony Blair, obviously, so that I could have a good long chat with him about stuff, possibly the plot of Animal Farm for a start. I'd ask if he was any relation to the author and if he had any remote idea what the story was about.
I'd need some humour too, and that might exclude many actual comediens as they are more likely to be depressed in real life. So I'd go for a wit and that would have to be our Douglas (although I suspect he might be busy at everyone elses' dinner party)
Leonardo Da vinci , so that we could all get into a good philosophical debate and find out all that Mona Lisa mystery stuff.
Jesus might be interesting too. Now I'd mix this up and invite Ruby Wax, because she comes up with the most interesting uninhibiting questions and she can be so beautifully sychophantic whilst shoving the knife in sideways. I'd get the outside catereers in and ask them to suggest a themed lunch based on the personalities invited.
So that would probably be something like five loaves and two fishes, served with a chilled Pangalactic Gargleblaster (or a nice cup of tea) A roast loin of pork, with a bottle of Chianti and bagels and Sherry trifle for Tony.

My house is going to be moved to a different lot this month, and I hope to have a couple of housewarming parties once I get everything set back up the way I want them. So, this is a more or less realistic exercise, not a theoretical one. I will give *two* answers, one for each of the dinner parties:

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I would invite an old college friend (I've known him almost 40 years)
and his wife.

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Something that could be fixed in one pot on the top of the stove. I
specialize in this kind of cooking anyway, so I have hundreds of recipes, ranging from minestrone to paella to chili. I would bake something yummy for dessert, too. There was a chicken tetrazini recipe (from a Paul Prud'homme book) that they liked very much when I served it some years ago. I can do coq au vin, cassoulet, or couscouse, too (my friend's wife is French, so I might lean toward something French).

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In my house, so I could show off the fact that it is finally clean and well-organized after so many years of clutter....

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I could always sing. I could play my electronic keyboard. I also have a radio. My friends are fond of videos, so I could play a video for them, or they could bring one of their own that they like.

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I'm trying to decide on a dinnerware pattern to use. Probably Pfaltzgraff's Amalfi pattern, since I have 8 place settings of it. Or, I might go with Friendly Village, since I have five "Old schoolhouse" dinnerplates to work with. For that matter, they would coordinate with "Old schoolhouse" salad plates, of which I have 4.



The second party, for family:

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I'd love to invite my grandmother, but she died in 1978. Okay, only living relatives, which might run to about 8 people.

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I haven't had the whole family here since 1980 (for Thanksgiving), so
I may have to give this a lot of thought. My parents eat very simply--some stewed chicken or beef, a bowl of boiled potatoes, a side dish of vegetables, and bread and butter. I can certainly cook that kind of meal. If my sister's younger son is there, I won't be able to serve poultry, as he thinks it disagrees with him. My brother's son isn't fond of green vegetables (nor is my brother, for that matter ). I will have to inquire of my siblings what kinds of vegetables their children will eat, even if not terribly enthusiastically. It goes without saying that I will bake a very nice dessert.

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In my house, at its new location. I may have to shift a lot of stuff from the living room into the bedroom remporarily, so people will have room to move around. I will also have to buy more folding chairs so everyone can sit down.

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With a family of 8 to 12 in a small space? Are you kidding? My parents are 84, and my brother's son is 10; What kind of music would appeal to all of them? Of course, if I sing and play the keyboard, they might listen....for 5 minutes. No, some soft background music ("Sheherezade," or Joplin rags or Strauss waltzes, maybe) would be about all that would go over.

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Well, for starters, my little dining table doesn't sit more than 4 people. I would need to come up with one large table, or a second table that seats 4 to 8. I will make arrangements for that after I find out how many people will be able to make it. Choosing a dinnerware pattern will be tricky, as I have only have two patterns that can accommodate 8 or more people: Amalfi, and Friendly Village.
An interesting alternative would be to give each person a p0lace setting in a different pattern. If the party is at Christmas time, I could manage that, as I have ten different Christmas patterns.