# I'm thinking of having a toga party. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696 "2002-05-31T05:55:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/1 "2002-05-31T05:55:27Z")
I was thinking of a sushi party but that seems so boring. Then I thought maybe I could have another poker party but I did that last year and it’s a PITA to organize because we play for charity and I have to rent tables, chairs, chips, yadda yadda. My friend jokingly suggested a toga party the other day and the more I thought about it, the more it sounded like a good idea. I guess I’m worried about the way it will look to my circle of friends though. Hubby and I are…well, quintessential yuppies. I’ll leave it at that. Plus he works in a fairly conservative field (accounting, though he’s not an accountant) as do a lot of the people I would be inviting to this shindig. Most of our friends are professional, white-collar, well-educated people. I’m a member of the Junior League, there would be some of those invited too. On the other hand, we live in California, home of the original weirdo. We’re sort of known for being partiers and typically we get great attendance at any party we throw. I guess I could also throw in the fact that my husband is very close to the top of his field…in all of Silicon Valley and SF there are really only 3 or 4 people that are peers of his…meaning that it’s not like he’d be criticized by a boss or anything. As for the party itself, I’d definitely stay away from the college-type toga party with kegs, cheap snacks and jello shooters. I’m thinking along the lines of tzaziki, spinach pie, melitzanosalata, hummus, taramosalata (my fave!), stuffed grape leaves, souvlaki skewers, lots of olives, lots of wine, etc. So. I guess my questions are these: 1. Do you think this idea will fly? 2. Would YOU come to a party like this? 3. Do you think I should invite kids (I’d get some kiddie wranglers and a bouncy house to amuse them, I suppose.)? 4. Do you have any ideas for me? (Please stay away from puking troughs, public baths, sodomy and headless/armless nekkid women.) ---
**Author:** ![Watermelon\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/22d042/32.png) [@Watermelon\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Watermelon_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/2 "2002-05-31T11:28:56Z")
You know what? I believe you have the **ideal** crowd to throw a toga party among. I am pretty sure these people **have** attended a toga party or two in their college years, and haven’t been to one since then! You could really have a blast! And since this kind of a “tried and true” formula is on hand, I wouldn’t suggest a very original idea that would carry the risk of “not being all that enthusiastically accepted.” Would I come to the party? Hmmm… Is that an invitation? I don’t know…8,000 miles is a long way…😉 But hey, no one can prepare better tzaziki than your good old Watermelon Man!!! ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/3 "2002-05-31T11:49:22Z")
I agree that it would work for your crowd. But I wouldn’t go, because it’s not _my_ crowd. I do think y’all would have as much fun as a bunch of lame folks can have, though. [sub][Chortling to self][/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/4 "2002-05-31T12:18:03Z")
If you invite kids, you might want to keep the wine down a bit, togas do tend to slip here and there. 😉 Sounds really wonderful, actually. Bowls of grapes on ice everywhere, lots of cool drinks, and that 6 hour tape loop I have in the garage of “Louie Louie” should make it a smashing success. Just tell me where to show up !!! Have a lot of fun with it, and by all means, tell us how it goes??? Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/5 "2002-05-31T12:21:10Z")
1. I think you would get a great turnout. Most yuppies I knew in CA were toga types, given the opportunity. 2. I’ll always come to a toga party. There’s something about togas that loosen people up, (something most yuppies need to do more of) and many times, toga parties wind up being nekkid parties. 3. Your house, your rules. Are you going for a toga dinner party, or a toga party where some occasional Roman orgy play will be allowed/encouraged? Do most of your friends have kids? If they do, then consider allowing kids. Personally, I wouldn’t have kids around for a toga party, but I don’t even want my own kids around me all that much:) 4. Cool head decorations that you can get for cheap at most party stores. Prizes for best and worst togas. Have a mini Olympics (races where people push olives across the floor with their noses, mini javelin with cocktail skewers, the grape-put, etc… ) which is always a lot of fun. Wish I was out there! ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/6 "2002-05-31T13:06:58Z")
Go to one? I threw one! We had a toga party for New Year’s Eve. While the number of partiers not in togas outnumbered those who were in togas, it was still a blast. We sent instructions on creating a toga along with the invitations (don’t use a sheet, buying three yards of cheap fabric works much better), and encouraged people to choose a fabric that suited them best, with prizes for the most creative, the most reflective of the wearer’s personality, etc. It was a blast! As it was cold, most people wore short and t-shirts under their getup, so “slippage” was not an issue. We gave a little Caeser-style headware to each guest, made of gold stars and wire rather than laurel leaves, for New Years. Tips: Have **lots** of extra safety pins on hand. **Send out instructions on how to make/wear a toga.** And let people know that they can wear something underneath, be it a bathing suit, shorts and a t-shirt, or a parka and snowpants if they want. A lot of people were squeamish on the idea until that point was made. Prizes encourage people to actually wear them, and don’t to be anything remotely spectacular - a bottle of wine, or gag gifts work. It’s the thrill of victory that gets them 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/7 "2002-05-31T13:09:04Z")
Also, if you need help with toga ideas, try [here](http://www.howtomakeatoga.com/). Email it out to your friends too. A lot of good pics of people with some really nice togas. Send him some pics of your party so we can see how it went! ---
**Author:** ![JustPlainBryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JustPlainBryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustPlainBryan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/8 "2002-05-31T15:25:02Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Do you think this idea will fly? Yes > [@](#): > > 1. Would YOU come to a party like this? Throw in a triclinium, and I would have no choice but to go. Are you suggesting a mini-dopefest? > [@](#): > > 1. Do you think I should invite kids (I’d get some kiddie wranglers and a bouncy house to amuse them, I suppose.)? My gut reaction is no, but if all your invitees are family people, you may want to reconsider. > [@](#): > > 1. Do you have any ideas for me? (Please stay away from puking troughs, public baths, sodomy and headless/armless nekkid women.) Triclinium, triclinium, [triclinium.](http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA%2A/Triclinium.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/9 "2002-06-01T00:22:09Z")
Ok. I would come. A gorup of friends and I had a toga party not long ago. Picture the looks of our parents when their 15-16 year old kid comes up and says they are going to a toga party and watching Animal House. We watched Animal House, played Risk, played darts, and went for a walk in the freezing cold Janurary weather. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/10 "2002-06-01T01:19:46Z")
With the theme and the menu, maybe you should hire a belly dancer. (Ok, so I am moderately obsessive) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-having-a-toga-party/111696/11 "2002-06-01T04:52:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you have any ideas for me? (Please stay away from puking troughs, public baths, sodomy and headless/armless nekkid women.) Well, with that attitude, I suppose gladiatorial combat is out too. So I dunno, Pig Latin word games maybe?