Most interesting person to have dinner with...

[hurtlocker99]

If you could spend a couple of hours at dinner with anyone- past or present- who would it be and what topic would you like to discuss?

My choice would be Albert Einstein and I'd like to discuss anything and everything he wants to tell me about. Spending a couple of hours in his presence would be fascinating.

[Black Dynamite]

I think Hunter S. Thompson would be a great dinner guest.

We could talk about anything. I would just love to listen.

[gorcee]

Churchill. Even with vast records, we often underestimate the gravity of the world situation at that time. The people who lived through that era kind of treat it like it was no big thing, but could you imagine if that was happening in the world today?

[mako13]

I'd have to go with Theodore Roosevelt, that man lived one hell of a life. I'd be down for listening to anything about his expeditions/explorations and any bits of wisdom he'd be willing to pass on.

Also I'd want to hear him say "Bully!" in context somewhere in the conversation.

[Carlington]

Assuming the presence of a translator/some other thing to break the language barrier, I'd like to have dinner with Kim Il-sung. I just want to know what went on in his head, how he justified his actions.

[curtis95112]

Abraham (Assuming translation, oh and assuming he existed)
I have a hunch that what he says will be rather interesting.

[Proginoskes]

Nah. I wouldn't choose any of those people, because they're all dead. Dinner would only be exciting if the other person were alive.

Getting a chance to play The Parsley Game with Penn or Teller would be interesting ... (Yes, I re-read How to Play with Your Food recently.)

[folkhero]

Robert McNamara. Few people have done more, known more, and made bigger mistakes than McNamara, I'm sure he could tell some stories.

[pyronius]

Around the time i turned 17 kurt vonnegut died... shortly afterward i sort of came to the startling realization that famous people were still real people and you could in fact meet them. i didnt know he was dead but i suddenly had the strong desire to meet him in the hopes he would inspire me to write something interesting. same thing with douglas adams but i was a slight bit later in that regard. needless to say, when i discovered how recently both had died in the grand scheme of things i was rather upset.

Not sure either one qualifies as the MOST interesting person to meet, but nevertheless they are the two i would most enjoy sitting down to dinner with for a brief discussion on their techniques, inspirations, and methods. They're kind of my heroes.

[Kewangji]

A moderately educated woman from Egypt circa 2000BC, assuming translation. Without translation, Karin Boye.

[roband]

Relevant to my interests, Andy McNab would be very interesting.

Growing up I read a lot of his books and I'm fascinated by the SAS in general (or rather, I was. I don't get much time to read the books anymore) and would love to chat about things like that.

[TheOtherCheek]

Oscar Wilde. That man was in a league all his own. I find his witty social commentary to be poignant and hilarious, even by today's standards.

[UniqueScreenname]

Abraham (Assuming translation, oh and assuming he existed)
I have a hunch that what he says will be rather interesting.

Similarly, Job. I really wanna figure out his motivation to endure. I would not have been able to.

[Dark Avorian]

Well, given that everyone's picking biblical figures...God? Or an apostle...maybe Judas...?

[felltir]

Hannibal Lecter.

Failing that, Brigid Tenenbaum.

You said interesting. Not nice.

[Djehutynakht]

So many people... hm...

Providing translation, I have to say it's a tough choice between Ramses II and Hitler.

On one hand... Ramses II was amazing, and I think it would be interesting to find out more about him.

On the other hand... who in our modern world can truly say they understand Hitler and how he worked? We say a ton (overwhelmingly negative) about Hitler, but get rid of all that which everyone says... and what's really left there?

With Hitler though, only under the assumption that he would not be contemptuous of me as non-German.

[Menacing Spike]

Some kind of hyperintelligent intergalactic lifeform, that would be in the mood (or whatever passes for mood in it's pan-omniintellect) to cooperate with me.

[Thesh]

Not really sure. It would have to be someone intelligent with radically different viewpoints than me.

[Vieto]

Hmmm... Well, I think I would go with either Nikola Tesla, or Thomas Jefferson.

[Proginoskes]

Well, given that everyone's picking biblical figures...God? Or an apostle...maybe Judas...?

Two out of twelve respondants does not imply that "everyone" would choose a biblical figure.

Judas was "in on the act" ... If Judas hadn't betrayed Jesus, Jesus wouldn't have been crucified, and Christianity would never have gotten off the ground. In fact, Jesus told Judas to betray him.

[pyronius]

Judas was "in on the act" ... If Judas hadn't betrayed Jesus, Jesus wouldn't have been crucified, and Christianity would never have gotten off the ground. In fact, Jesus told Judas to betray him.

No no no. You're reading it all wrong. It's the worlds most misinterpreted psychological thriller. All the characters represent different aspects of one man's personality. Judas is a sort of superego character while Jesus is the narcissistic ego (god incarnate? How are y'all missing this?) and as such judas kills Jesus the keep the whole being balanced. Nobody really died though because they're the same person. He wasn't "in on the act because there was no act. The whole story is actually just a manifestation of Joel's mind caused by having his memories erased while learning a valuable lesson about love.

[meridian]

Hatshepsut. That meal would be awesome.

[jasc15]

Richard Feynman. Although I fear he would be bored to tears talking with me. He has said himself that he has no desire to talk with dilettantes, only with people who's passion for a subject has led them to the cutting edge of it and have new things to say. Similar to pyronius's reaction, after reading his bio I felt this insatiable need to meet him (even though he was dead long before I ever heard of him), which was made worse by the fact that the town he grew up in was about 15 miles from where I grew up.

[Jorpho]

I dunno. David Brin, so I could ask him to finally get around to writing more novels. Before he dies.

[Proginoskes]

Richard Feynman. Although I fear he would be bored to tears talking with me.

Nothing in the OP says that your dinnermate has to be interested in YOU as well.

[Roĝer]

Either a famous general/statesman (Bismarck, Napoleon, Genghis Khan) or Richard Feynman.

[Hyphe]

Hatshepsut. That meal would be awesome.

Agreed.

Second choice would be either the Marquis de Sade, or Sylvia Pankhurst, depending on what sort of mood I was in.

[Annihilist]

Past, I'd have to say Marilyn Manson any time before 2001. Either we'd have really interesting talks about lots of different things like culture and music and religion and philosophy, or we'd just get fucked up on drugs. Either way, it would make for good times.

Less so now though.

[Djehutynakht]

I was just thinking....


Pliny the Elder. That dinner would be tremendously entertaining.

Hm... maybe Cicero...

I couldn't do dinner with the Buddha though... he and food don't mix well...