Haute cupcakes — and ramen
soup?
What happens when common foods
meets haute cuisine? The newest
gastronomic trend seems to be
repackaging everyday foods such as
ramen, burgers, and even bottled water
into gilded treats that can cost
hundreds of times more than a common
bowl of soup or dash of H20. What
drives people to pay more than their
month’s salaries for something that
they’ll gobble up in minutes? One
motivation: the experience itself. Katy
Casbarian, owner of Arnaud’s
Restaurant in Louisiana in the US, said
it’s less a matter of money than it is
about celebrating milestones in a
unique and memorable way. The one-
of-a-kind experience of proposing
marriage with the world’s most
expensive dessert, or challenging your
taste buds with rare ingredients, is,
well, priceless for some people. Chef
Angelito Araneta Jr, creator of the
Guinness World Record’s most
expensive sushi (it costs a wallet-
lightening $1,980) agrees. “Life isn’t
just measured by wealth,” said Araneta.
“It is gauged by the ability of someone
to spend their time [in a meaningful
way]. Most of our clients are the 1%
who knows this key to… life.” For
others, the chance to experience luxury
is the real draw. “Anything like gold
gets people’s attention,” said Chef
Jasper Mirabile, owner of Jasper’s
Restaurant in Kansas City. “I mean,
seriously, who doesn't want to eat gold
once in your life?” Inspired by a list of
the world’s most expensive dishes, BBC
Capital went on a mission to find the
priciest things you can consume. Scroll
through the images above to see 10 of
the world’s most expensive food and
drinks.
1. The golden cannoli
Cost: $26,000 with a diamond necklace
and Champagne In 2011, Chef Jasper
Mirabile enlisted the help of baker
Carey Iennaccaro, owner of Kansas
City’s Sprinkled with Sugar bakery, to
create the world’s most expensive
cannoli. Having declared September
“National Cannoli Month,” Chef Mirabile
added this gilded treat to his menu as a
limited offer. Adding to the allure, an
Italian diamond necklace and bottle of
1999 Louis Roederer Cristal
Champagne were included. Today, the
gilded cannoli can be purchased for
$50 without the necklace by contacting
Jasper’s Restaurant in Kansas City in
the US.
2.Meat without the ‘moo’
Cost: $332,000 You’ve eaten
vegetables grown from genetically
modified seeds. Now is your chance to
sample the latest in technologically
advanced beef. Professor Mark Post
from Maastricht University in the
Netherlands grew this hamburger patty
from stem cells in a laboratory. But
don’t grab your wallet quite yet. Right
now, this special burger isn’t available
for sale. Instead, it was created as part
of a research project on
environmentally sustainable food in
2013, funded by Google Chief
Executive Officer Sergey Brin. Should it
go on sale, the price for the burger is
estimated at $332,000. The taste? Close
to meat, but not as juicy, critics said.
3.Stunning noodles… are stunningly
expensive
Cost: 10,000 yen ($110) This bowl of
ramen may appear as simple as any
other noodle restaurant budget dish,
but don’t be fooled. It includes more
than 20 ingredients and Chinese stock,
though the specifics weren’t disclosed
by the restaurant. Chef Shoichi
Fujimaki claims the dish holds 25 years
of experience distilled in a bowl. Does
this reflect in the ramen’s taste? Try it
for yourself at the Fujimaki Gekijyo
restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.
4.Glacier water included
Cost: $60,000 If you think $2 is
expensive for a bottle of water, how
would you feel about paying the
equivalent of year’s salary for one?
Paolo di Verachi created this $60,000
blend using spring water from Fiji
Islands, France, and Iceland glacier
water, mixed with 5mg of gold dust.
The Acqua di Cristallo bottle, also
designed by di Verachi, is made of 24k
gold and is based on a sculpture by
Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. The
creation was awarded a Guinness World
Record for the most-expensive bottle of
water. A replica can be purchased
online for $3,600. Water included.
5.The sweetest marriage proposal
Cost: $3.95m This particular
Strawberries Arnaud is famous for more
than its Louisiana-grown fruit. Topped
with a 7.09 carat pink-diamond ring,
this cream and strawberry confection
will make a marriage proposal
especially sweet. Arnaud’s restaurant,
located in New Orleans, said the dessert
was created after a customer asked to
place a diamond collar on a turkey for a
special Thanksgiving Day proposal. If
the multimillion dollar price tag is too
much, bring your own ring to the
restaurant. Strawberries Arnaud can be
enjoyed for as little as $8 without the
jewellry.
For more expensive gastrointestinal pleasures check out:
www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140801-your-noodles-cost-how-much