Best Answers to the Age-Old Question of Eating with Anyone Living or Dead

We’ve all been there. You’re at your latest job interview, college interview, or parole hearing, and you get that infamous question. The question that all of us dread. The question that basically means, “I don’t feel like asking any questions that will tell me anything, so here’s a random sack of crap for you to mull over.” You know what I’m talking about.

“If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would it be?”

Yes, we’ve all answered it, and yes, none of us truly have any idea what an appropriate answer to this question would be. And also, what does the interviewer learn about the interviewee in this process?

In my opinion, there is very little to gain from answering such a question. Let’s presume you spit out the boilerplate “Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Ghandi, and Albert Einstein.” Let’s see, what does this say about your character and moral fiber...hmmm....well, you hate racism, that’s good, and you also love independence (or hate food, that’s up to the interviewer’s discretion), um, what else, oh, and you think the universe is important. Thank you, Mr. Interviewer, you’ve really nailed down who gets that latest mail room job, that spot at Brown, or is let loose back onto the streets to pee in more mailboxes.

It seems that with this question, you have nowhere to go but down. Let’s presume you’re asked this question, and you really don’t want this job because it’s the position of alligator wrangler. Therefore, you don’t really want to shine on this question. Let’s say you chose, “Ted Kaczinsky, Pol Pot, and Saddam Hussein.” Not exactly a shining line-up. Chances are, you won’t be wranglin’ any alligators anytime soon.

With this in mind, I think it’s high time somebody categorized this question, provided the highlights and the lowlights so next time you’re eyeing up that window wiper at the local car wash, you can really nail it on this question.

Good Answers:

See? EVERYBODY has eaten with Jesus. Booring.

Credit: Leonardo Da Vinci

Copyright: Public Domain