Conversation is an under-appreciated art in a society more concerned with who can fire off a better 140 character text in Twitter (answer: Fat City can.) But Twitter won't get you far on a first date or a dinner party with strangers. What is needed in these scenarios is that fine art of jokes, anecdotes and witty facts.
But where does one obtain such information? Why, from Dinner Party Downloads, a 15-minute podcast and radio show in Southern California that bills itself as "a fast and funny "booster shot" of unconventional news, cuisine and culture to help you win this weekend's dinner party."
Each week's show starts off with an icebreaker joke.
This is the icebreaker from a few weeks ago, paraphrased and perfect for
the next party involving fish: Two old friends are out fishing when one
says, "We've been fishing a long time together and I figure we're best
friends. Do you think if, while you were fishing, I went off and fooled
with your missus, that'd make us kin?" The reply: "No,
that'd make us even."
The joke is followed by the two hosts Rico
Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newman summarizing news stories your
fellow dinner guests are sure not to have heard about. Forget Bernie
Madoff. Did you know that college kids made up courses to show how easy it was to get
nursing credits? These stories are followed by an interview, usually
with a celebrity who told the joke at the beginning of the show. And
most shows also feature "A History Lesson with Booze," with a cocktail
recipe tied in with a history lesson.
So you've got a joke, a
drink recipe, some interesting off-beat stories and a historical fact,
all within the 15 minutes it takes you to drive to the dinner party.
Dinner Party Downloads is available on iTunes. There's also a
one-page cheat sheet on the show's Web site.
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