Party Parameters: Planning a Specific Dinner
Dear Punchbowl:
I have been asked to put on a 5-course dinner for 40 couples. I also need to find 5 famous women in modern history to honor during each course. What suggestions would you give for the five courses (the only requirement for the main course is a surf and turf) and where can I find a list of famous women who are politically correct (not too religious or political) and would be fairly well known to the men as well.
Marcus
NH
Dear Marcus-
What a great party question. First, here’s a link to a moderately sized list of influential women in history. If you don’t find what you need there, there’s plenty of information on this subject all over the Internet.
I’ve taken the liberty of narrowing it down to a possible selection of five American women for you to honor during your dinner party: a judge, an author, an activist, and athlete and an actress. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Toni Morrison is a revolutionary author, Eleanor Roosevelt fought for the rights of the underprivileged in America, Billie Jean King proved that men are not always better at sports than women and Katharine Hepburn played strong female roles onstage on onscreen when it was considered professionally risky to do so. These women should all be recognizable to both male and female party guests, and should fit the bill for not too divisive politically or religiously.
In terms of what food to serve, I would suggest that you avoid trying to tie the women honored during each course in with the food served for each course. Instead, stick to simple and classic meal that underlines the sophistication and achievements of the women being honored.
If you do choose to go with a list of American women, one subtle way to tie the meal and the honorees together would be to serve classically American dishes for each of your five courses. I think that Surf and Turf would definitely qualify as an American entrée, don’t you? For the other courses, you could begin with Champagne Melon soup, then move to the classic American salad of Iceberg wedges with blue cheese and bacon. Next comes your Surf and Turf (the classic steak and lobster?), and then Peach Cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert. As the final course, I would do an American take on the cheese course and serve a variety of cheddars with some fresh fruit.
No matter who you decide to honor, I think your party planning goal is a great one and I’m sure the dinner will be delicious.
Enjoy Planning.
Punchbowl
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