There were tense moments in a recent meeting between Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and Hollywood megastar actor Sean Penn over the dinner the two had at Chavez's home.
Chavez had suggested the "house specialty" of a "Super Duper Sundae" for dessert, while Penn preferred to have the chocolate pudding. Chavez retorted that the pudding wasn't a dessert truly fit for such a momentus occasion, and that perhaps Penn wasn't as "enlightened as he thought." Penn retorted that if Chavez didn't like it he could close down the kitchen, like he "did that particular TV station."
While Penn meant it as a joke, Chavez seemed somewhat angry about the comment and the mood was icy for several minutes afterwards. Penn then went out of his way to calm the waters, ultimately ordering the sundae and praising the dessert repeatedly, calling it "scrumptious" and rubbing his stomach several times while eating it.
Chavez seemed calmed but not completely satisfied with Penn's conduct.
The two men are known for having strong opinions about sweets. One Hollywood insider was quoted saying "Penn's a sweetheart of a guy, but he once almost came to blows with Keving Spacey over which was better, Captain Crunch or Count Chocula."
Chavez is known for his fanaticism about sundaes, and has been known to close down ice cream parlors for serving "inferior jimmies" or "chocolate sauce not befitting of the world's leading dictator."
Penn later stated that he and Chavez were "fine with everything" and reiterated that the sundae really was "delicious."
For his part, Hugo stated that "Everything is cool beans between us. Sometimes I get a little crazy about my ice cream. I even list all my favorite flavors on my Myspace page, where Sean is listed as my very best friend!"
