Sunday, December 3, 2006
dinner talk
Several blogs and news outlets are chattering about Gwyneth Paltrow's recent comments about enjoying dinner conversations in Britain. I wasn't going to weigh in but really have to. I'm a huge fan of dinner table conversation. In fact, the only thing I like better than good conversation while eating a good dinner is reading a good book while eating a good dinner. One of my all-time favorite films is Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre (I wonder if Paltrow knows it?!). Some reactions have it that Paltrow prefers dinner in Britain because of political agreement there and disagreement here. But I don't think that has to be the case, having read her remarks and having lived there for a few months a few different times. My experience was that almost all Brits will discuss books and plays and even philosophical ideas willingly and with interest. Their willingness to express intellectual curiosity doesn't seem to depend on education or profession as much as it does here. Remember I'm only speaking from personal experience, but clearly many Americans know and read more than enough to have the same discussions and yet few do so except one-on-one. There's a cultural aversion in this country to being thought a "geek", as demonstrated in literature and movies such as "Brilliant Mind" where smart people are always a bit "off". Sometimes I try to do my part but with little success. You should have heard the fuss it caused at a recent dinner when I mentioned Xeno's paradox as an example of thought construction versus practical fact.
Labels: huh?
Post a Comment