Upon its opening in 1855, the Parker House Hotel quickly became a favorite of natives and visitors alike.  Its most notable patrons were the members of the Saturday Club, a group of literary geniuses which included philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and editor James Russell Lowell, poets John Greenleaf Whittier and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and authors Oliver Wendell Holmes and Nathaniel Hawthorne.   Their monthly gatherings were infamous for spirited intellectual exchanges, lively readings and an abundance of food and spirits.  The hotel’s proximity to the State House made it a natural watering hole for politicians such as John F. Kennedy (who proposed to Jackie here), Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill and legendary mayor James Michael Curley.  Notoriety was not limited to the hotel’s clientele – Malcolm X was employed as a waiter on the property and Ho Chi Minh worked in the hotel’s bakery during his time as a student at M.I.T.  Throughout its long history, the Parker House has laid claim to many firsts, including being the first hotel in the city to have running water and an elevator.  It was also here that Charles Dickens gave the first reading of his classic tale, “A Christmas Carol.”  But perhaps it is the hotel’s culinary tradition that is most closely linked to America.  In addition to its famous creations, the hotel has helped to hone the skills of chefs such as Jasper White and Emeril Lagasse.