By Greg Evans

There is a restaurant in NYC, Bice, where they offer “Luxury spaghetti” at $2,000 a plate. That sounds extravagant and far out if the ball park for the average person who cringes over having to spend $35 for a medium cheese pizza with no toppings. So, what exactly goes into this dish that can cost as much as a computer?

Lobster - This sea creature, once referred to as the poor man’s food, today is the quintessential definition of fine dining cuisine. Despite what people say, lobsters’ expensive price comes down to regulatory harvesting restrictions most likely because people are psychotic and would hunt them to extinction because that is what people do. So, this is a man-made cost. That is all that makes them special. Lobster is a preference and I truly believe there are people that love the taste of it, however, I think most just order lobster because it is expensive.

Truffles - A truffle is nothing more than a fungus, a mushroom. But according to food geeks they aren’t just any ordinary mushroom, they are seasonal, difficult to grow and take a long time to mature. They only thrive in specific areas and once harvested they spoil quickly therefore making them “rare,” and as with anything with the adjective “rare” attached to it, you can charge exorbitant prices and get away with it. According to some reports, Wikipedia, these edibles that resemble skat, can go for $2,000 euros per kilogram translating to $2,239.89 per 2.205 pounds and that is before the modern menu price tag is attached to it.

Truffles are an acquired taste. Some people find them delightful, earthy and aromatic, with a bitter and slightly peppery flavor that once cooked, is to die for, while others not so much and would prefer a smash burger from Sonic. Humans have been enjoying truffles since the fell out of a spacecraft that crashed to earth in 40,000 B.C in the “Mecca” of truffle cultivation, Sarrión.

Caviar - The favorite meal of Tsar Nicholas II, caviar are the eggs of the wild surgeon, an endangered species because people hunted them to near extinction because people are psychotic. Due then to their “man-made” rareness, and the fact that it takes a female sturgeon up to 18 years to mature, and produce eggs, they are expensive. If you like sea-salty food they are palatable, at least on a cracker.

Gold leaf - Not sure exactly what kind rush people get from consuming a heavy metal, but gold has always been considered rare because it is rare. In fact, it is rare throughout the entire universe. This is because, gold has special properties that are nearly impossible for nature to create. Gold consists of 79 protons and 118 neutrons. Even in the intense heat and pressure of the “chemical forges” from the supernovae and neutron star merging the production of gold is rare and might not even occur. Supernovae and neutron star merges are part of the dying phase of stars. Imagine that, gold is created by the deaths of giant stars. Now you know why people want to eat this stuff, it’s practically magical and older than you can fathom. Interestingly, if gold isn’t formed, neutron star merges can also result in the formation of a black hole. Blackholes and gold are both the consequence of two of the ways stars end their lives. Chew on that fat for while.

Don’t think you are the first to have gold fever. It has been part of the human condition forever. The Spanish conquistadors in South America and the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incanas before them, Custer traipsing through the black hills, you ordering a $2,000 plate of spaghetti for your date hoping to get lucky. It is what it is.

Spaghetti noodles - At $3.68 a pound in the grocery store. I do think the cost of spaghetti has become somewhat outrageous. And for this I am horrified.

In conclusion, I see nothing particularly wrong with a $2,000 plate in today’s world. I’d be more surprised if there wasn’t.