“If I could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, I would want them to be alive”

A popular question is asks, “If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose?” Typical answers include one’s parents, Jesus, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. However, a popular joke answer is:
 
“If I could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, there is no question. I would want them to be alive.”
 
The answer “I can’t eat with dead people at the table” was cited in print in 1994.
 
     
Google Groups: alt.society.generation-x
Metathread. Was Re: THE BOOK IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
6/10/94
Sue Irvin writes:
(...)
>2.  If you could pick one person, dead or alive, who would
>you pick to have dinner with?
 
I can’t eat with dead people at the table.
   
Google Groups: alt.fifty-plus.friends
If You Could #1
MAEVE56
3/19/01
Dans l’article <3AB56107…@ewol.com>, Butterkup

a écrit :
>TexGal wrote:
>>
>> Have dinner with 3 people (living or dead) .. who would they be?
>>
>> Donna
 
Well who would want to eat at a table with dead people yuk Maeve
 
Comedy Central—Stand-Up
B.J. NOVAK - DOUBLE MAJOR
NOVAK, RAWLINGS, LAWLESS, LIBERMAN SEASON 7, EP 5 12/26/2003
B.J. Novak learned nothing in college. (3:23)
2:20:
“If I could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, I think I would choose alive.”
   
Google News Archive
8 February 2007, Moville (IA) Record, “Senior Spotlight: Lexie Cope” by Alyssa VandePol, pg. 2, col. 3:
When Lexie was asked if she could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, she stated that she would choose an “alive person because that would just be weird if you had dinner with a dead dude.”
 
Twitter
Lucas Qualls
‏@lukenova
“I think if i could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, i think i would choose alive”
7:24 AM - 29 Nov 2007
 
Twitter
Smith, Brian
‏@BrianSm_th
If you could eat dinner with any person, dead or alive, wh… — I’m not eating dinner with dead people. That’s Weird. http://4ms.me/aXDGl4
8:27 PM - 13 Oct 2010
 
Twitter
Mike Cecconi
‏@Cecconi140
If I could have dinner with anyone living or dead I would definitely choose living. Dead would be weird.
11:29 PM - 29 Nov 2014
 
Facebook
Gold Bars
July 13, 2015
If I could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, I would want to be alive, no doubt.
 
Twitter
New Funny Tweets
‏@New_Fun_Tweets
If I could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, there is no question. I would want them to be alive.
3:23 PM - 21 Oct 2015