Dinner Part Meme

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Amel has tagged me to do this meme. The rules as set out by Graham (the originator of this meme) are:

The idea is to work your way through the eight phases of the dinner party, answering all of the questions on the way - being as honest and creative as you wish. Once your homework has been completed, please nominate any bloggers who's "virtual" dinner party you would love to hear about.

1) The Dinner Party Theme: You have decided to hold a dinner party. When writing the invites you clearly state that fancy dress must be worn. Assuming that cost is no issue, who or what would you dress up as, and why?

I would pick a Halloween theme since we never celebrated Halloween in Africa and it always sounded good fun. Halloween is also my dad's birthday so we could really make it a BIG celebration!

If I'm cooking and being the hostess.. I'd go for not wearing a fancy dress costume. I have a tendency to be "accident prone". I am the one who puts her elbow in the butter or dips her sleeve edges into the gravy. I am the girl who got her shoe heel stuck in her dress hem and fell down stairs into the lap of a stranger at a disco.. so any costume would have to have no dangly bits, no sticky-outy bits and nothing I could accidentally trip on! I think I'd rather go for wearing something simple in black and add Halloween make-up. The full "dead vampire princess" look… maybe vampire teeth. * evil toothy grin*

2) The Invitations: This dinner party is for 6 people (including yourself), you are allowed to invite any 5 other people (either past, present, real or fictional), who would you invite and why?

Like Amel all I can say is.. "Only six? NOOOOOO!!!!! I have too many blogger friends to invite and I wanna invite 'em all and I wanna invite my WHOLE family too"

and.. Like Amel, I'm cheating and inviting all my extended family and internet/blog friends and THEN picking five "special" people. I'm picking people who are alive and dead.. since it is a Halloween party I figure I can add some ghosts. :-)


1. Leonard Nimoy
because I loved him as Mr Spock, but then was amazed at his poetry and then later even MORE amazed at his photography. I'd love to ask him about his photos.

2. M Night Shyamalan
Because I find his movies fascinating and think he'd be interesting to talk to.

3. The Dalai Lama
because he's wise and adorable. :-)

4. Jane Austen
I love all her books and her gentle feminine humour would be a nice addition to the table, I think.

5. My spirit-guide Sol
I figure he's been dead 500 years.. the guy could do with a good meal! Plus he's got a great sense of humour (he has to being stuck with me!) and I'd love to be able to literally hear and see him for one evening.

3) The Starter: You are preparing the menu, which dish(es) would you choose as the starter, and why?

For Halloween? it should be pumpkin soup! I'll cheat and get my orange colour with carrot and orange soup. It's not as rich as pumpkin and more refreshing.

4) The Main Course: Okay, now for the main course? and what drink would you serve with it?

Oh boy.. I hate choosing food for others. There's always a vegetarian, or someone with an allergy, or someone who hates whatever everyone else loves. If I was cooking purely for myself… I'd go for tender Scottish lamb stew with mustard dumplings. Served with brown rice and fresh vegetables.
Drinks? I'd have a good South African red wine for those that drink alcohol and a choice of fruit juices for those who don't. Probably red grape juice, apple and cranberry.

5) The Sweet: Finally, the sweet. Which would you choose, and why?

Full cream vanilla ice cream (they make wonderful real cream ice cream here!) and a choice of sauces and sprinkles. That way every guest can be creative and find something they'd like.

Sprinkles: dark and light chocolate, fudge "bits", diced fresh fruit, and toasted nuts.

Sauces: chocolate, caramel, strawberry, black cherry, Scottish heather liqueur (Hubby's favourite), Coffee liqueur (dad's favourite) and loads of whipped cream.

6) The Entertainment: The dinner party has gone swimmingly, everybody has had fun, conversation and drinks have been flowing all evening. At the end of the meal you announce that everybody should perform their 'party piece' (no matter how strange or pointless). What party piece would you perform?

Oh what a horrible thought! I'd much rather my guests all enjoyed laughing and talking than force them to do something that might make them, and me, feel stressed. No-one should feel stressed at a party, but.. since it is a Halloween theme.. I'd ask each guest to tell their favourite "scary story", preferably something from their own lives.


7) The End Of The Evening: The party is over, everybody has gone home, the house suddenly feels empty and quiet. Your eyes fix on the hi-fi in the corner of the room. You search though your CD collection to put on some music as you want to listen to one more track before your retire to bed. Which track would you play?

Dancing in the Moonlight, by Toploader. I love the song and it seems to fit the Halloween theme.

8) The Dinner Party Nightmares: Okay, so the "virtual" dinner party is over. Now for the real thing. Have you ever been to or hosted a dinner party during which something has gone wrong (either with the food, a guest or something else)?

I went to a New Year's dinner party with my parents when I was a teenager. This family friend had made a sweet of marinated grapefruit segments. I stuck a piece into my mouth and.. YEOW! It was unbelievably bitter. We were sat around a smallish round table so there was no way I could spit it out. I ended up swallowing it whole… fast. It was just horrible!

Tagging..
I'm not tagging anyone in particular. If you are reading this and want to join in, go ahead. :-)