The blogger who came to dinner

February 5, 2005 9:36 PM

If you were going to invite 10 bloggers for dinner, whom would you invite? John, of J-Walk Blog decided to start this new parlor game for bloggers. I tripped across it in the 1/31/05 post on Reality Carnival. It's a pretty good way to find the bloggers that the most fascinating bloggers find most fascinating. (Did that make sense?) The best bloggers define their own personal Best of the Web. [Warning- proceed only if you have several hours to kill!]
posted by Doohickie (26 comments total)

jodic and I would stay busy enough to compensate for the other eight that never got invited.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:50 PM on February 5, 2005

This is tough, because many people come across as much more interesting on their website than they actually are in real life. When you read, you imagine what the person sounds like, looks like, etc. You fill in the blanks, but if it's a site you read often, you more likely than not subconsciously make the blogger into more than he or she really is.

Also, many bloggers blog for the very reason that they want to present their lives as more interesting than they really are, living vicariously through their blogs and creating the illusion that, because they have a blog, their lives are automatically more interesting. Of course, sometimes this translates into genuinely more interesting lives, but not necessarily.

See also: Me.

I personally have given up on trying to imagine what bloggers are like in real life, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just have one dinner and find out.
posted by Poagao at 10:05 PM on February 5, 2005

Blog will eat itself.
posted by neckro23 at 10:48 PM on February 5, 2005

A far more exciting exercise would be: "Which 10 MeFites would you invite for dinner, and why?"
posted by Lush at 11:08 PM on February 5, 2005

1/31/05? That is SO five days ago.
posted by telstar at 11:20 PM on February 5, 2005

Further evidence that the blogosphere (oh man, I'm using their lingo -- how unsanitary) models itself after the social structure of your average American high school.

Next week: Which 10 bloggers would you ask out to the prom?
posted by ori at 1:15 AM on February 6, 2005

People who are interesting primarily because they blog probably are not interesting company. I would not want to eat with them and be reduced to talk about blogging all night.

People who do other things, interesting things, and perhaps write about what they do, could be interesting dinner company. Name some people who do (or just are) something interesting, something that would be just as interesting if they never wrote about it. They are the ten people to invite. Think about stock characters in some old drama: an explorer, an artist, a poet, a sinister man, a playboy, a workingman, a mother, a musician, a woman with a past, a saint, a soldier, an artist, a beauty, a scientist, a slut. To avoid the run-of-the-mill, make sure at least half are not from your country. Now find a blogger to match each.
posted by pracowity at 3:06 AM on February 6, 2005

Why invite anyone who was too stupid and lazy to update a website the old way?
posted by HTuttle at 3:26 AM on February 6, 2005

A far more exciting exercise would be: "Which 10 MeFites would you invite for dinner, and why?"

Hey, mr.marx and I played that game just last night! :)
posted by soundofsuburbia at 5:45 AM on February 6, 2005

Not me!
posted by joeclark at 7:06 AM on February 6, 2005

... to update a website the old way?

(Because, of course, if you ever want to make something simpler, you must be a lazy, worthless slacker.)

[eye-roll /]
posted by lodurr at 7:44 AM on February 6, 2005

Next meme: The 10 Bloggers You Most Want To Kill
posted by briank at 8:31 AM on February 6, 2005

I would like to eat at pracowity's table.

*finds a spot between the woman with a past and the scientist*
posted by rxreed at 8:52 AM on February 6, 2005

I would invite MetaFilter, although not her cranky sister MetaTalk.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:32 AM on February 6, 2005

an explorer, an artist, a poet, a sinister man, a playboy, a workingman, a mother, a musician, a woman with a past, a saint, a soldier, an artist, a beauty, a scientist, a slut.

Ok, I'll take the artist and the explorer but no saints, thank you. And slut? Ummm not so much, not if she is, say, a Paris Hilton or Courtney Love-type slut. Does it have to be a sinister man? Could it be a sinister woman, or a scheming devious woman?

Workingman? Depends. A fiftyish, railroad worker with no hobbies other than drinking beer and watching TV might be dull.

The same goes for the mother. If she is a full time mother with little kids, probably she will have little to talk about except her kids. I've been there-- it is Mommy Tunnel Vision.

And this Beauty. Does she do anything? Can she talk about anything other than what it takes to make herself beautiful?

People I would add: Local Politician, Hollywood or Book Publishing Insider, Chef, and possibly a Cop (If s/he knows lots of good stories.)
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:34 AM on February 6, 2005

I would invite MetaFilter, although not her cranky sister MetaTalk.

I had a similar idea but in my head I envisioned a food fight moderated by Jerry Springer or Vince McMahon. Could be fun, could require safety equipment but I would make the spandex wrestling tights optional attire.
posted by squeak at 11:07 AM on February 6, 2005

I realize most of you have been too shy to admit that you wanted me to come over and eat dinner. Don't worry, I'll show up around 7PM anyways, and won't be offended if you don't offer your best wine.
posted by drezdn at 11:14 AM on February 6, 2005

I don't know who, but the dinner would definitely be a potlatch (pot luck). And there would be a ten minute speaking limit.
posted by anthill at 11:25 AM on February 6, 2005

So.... then Etherial Bligh isn't on your list, right?
posted by Doohickie at 12:32 PM on February 6, 2005

And this Beauty. Does she do anything? Can she talk about anything other than what it takes to make herself beautiful?

This beauty could be a man and has only to be beautiful and have decent table manners.

Ok, I'll take the artist and the explorer but no saints, thank you...

Well, if I'm having a dinner party specifically to have an interesting conversation and not just to feed people, I would want a mix. A saint seated between a slut and a cowboy could be interesting. Three geeks who blog about CSS or Macs or Google are going to make me fall on a steak knife before the party's over.

So, for instance, here is a blogger, but it's not his blog that's interesting. Among many other things, Holger Czukay "set fire to a russian soldier camp - escaped to the american zone in germany" and "studie[d] under karlheinz stockhausen" and made "several collaborations with jah wobble, the edge, eurythmics, david sylvian, conny planck, eno, phew..."

That's who you need at a dinner party.
posted by pracowity at 12:36 PM on February 6, 2005

"I'm so sorry: it looks like you've gone to such an amazing effort with all this food, and the wine, I guess you didn't know I'm lactose intolerant - it's in my blog, the Christmas Day 2004 post, but I suppose you don't have the time to read every entry..."
posted by runkelfinker at 12:55 PM on February 6, 2005

... for dinner, whom would you invite?

Yes, but more imporatntly what would you serve.

As anthill suggested, potluck might be good. Or hot dogs.
posted by milovoo at 3:41 PM on February 6, 2005

Is this a trick question?
posted by PuppyCat at 6:47 PM on February 6, 2005

My vote would be on LanguageHat firstly.
posted by taursir at 8:24 PM on February 6, 2005

Yes, but more imporantly what would you serve.

Perhaps poisoned vino, The Last Supper style?
posted by Lush at 11:41 PM on February 6, 2005

I got some "fan mail" from a couple of the bloggers when they noticed they were posted to MeFi. It was nice bein' noticed fer a change.

</eeyore>
posted by Doohickie at 6:30 PM on February 8, 2005