. Vite Vinifera De Vino's Blog: OK The Price Is Right...Or Not

Thursday, March 15, 2007

OK The Price Is Right...Or Not

In today's news, we read of the city's most expensive pizza, worth $ 1000, which is now served for the most sensitive palates in Manhattan.
Wow. 1G for a pizza. I understand that it is topped with caviar and lobster tail but geez... isn't that just a little too much to charge for a pizza?
Now if I have to go deeper into the matter - I wonder; would it be better to buy $ 800 worth of caviar and lobsters, invest the rest in wine (possibly Champagne, a bottle of Salon 1985 would be just perfect), and have it with blinies at your house instead over a warm pizza?
Now I'm sure there is a market for that kind of pizza in NYC, just like there is a waiting list for Boulud's wine storage facility in the Upper West Side ($ 15000 per year for 36 bottles), or for the $ 100 burger, or the $ 8000 for an average German wine with Hitler's picture on it, but are we ever going to have a limit or a line of discretion in the field of expensive novelties?
I believe that if you can afford it, you can spend your money on whatever you like - even if it's a $250m soccer player with waning skills. but what ever happened to taste and conscious buying?
I remember back in Italy that the richest people were the most conscious buyers, checking every little aspect of the product, especially if they were about to drop a significant amount of money on it. I really can't see caviar tasting better on a pizza, I doubt that the Fuhrerwein 1943 is actually drinkable, and David Beckham... well, let's just say that that kind of salary would be exorbetant, even for a great soccer player. So why spend a ridiculous amount of money on these things with questionable value?
Buona Bevuta a Tutti

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Caro Gabrio,
some months ago I read about the most expensive pizza, made by an Italian chef working in UK.

And guess who bought it (hit: nor an english football player, neither a nouveau riche from Western Europe, Far East)

Well, look at the solution:

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/63668
(English)

or

http://www.deluxeblog.it/post/2720/intervista-a-domenico-crolla-ideatore-della-pizza-royale (Italian)

I'm sorry (and I think you are too) but we can't say we cant' give a good example from the other side from overseas...

Ciao Gabrio!

De Vino said...

Hey federico,
the answer is a Roman Lawyer :)
At least Salmon and lobster should taste better than caviar...
3 thoughts on the article:
1 I guess the guys I was talking about were considered the "old money" so i guess as usual it depends on how you were educated and not geography :)
2 The Pizza Royale puts the caviar pizza at shame price wise
3 I guess lawyers are paid way too much...
ciao Federico

Anonymous said...

Agree the 3 points from your comment...

Sometimes isn't that easy to explain concepts using a foreign language (but al this 2.0 is about participate and conversate and we must do this way, nah?)

:-)))

Ciao!

Tracie P. said...

why indeed.

DiNitro said...

It amazes me as well that people will pay soooo much for soooo little or for something so stupid as a $1000 pizza. Now I must admit that I would gladly spend a few thousand on a bottle of wine from the mid-1850s, but that of course is a priceless gem and worth the money. But it all falls back to what we want. I would not buy a real Rolex for say $3-5k when a Timex for $20 will tell time just as well. If the Rolex gave me sex, then maybe I would reconsider it, but alas they won't.

The absurdity of excessive spending is clearly linked more to new money and in all likelihood a lack of maturity - not unlike Gabrio's comment of old Italian money. Of course lawyers work outside the realm of normal humans and so do not fit into our neat picture above.

Anonymous said...

Hi , I'm Domenico Crolla- the creator of Pizza Royale 007.
People do not understand the reason behind this expensive pizza.
It was cooked up for charity- an excuse to allow generous people to part with their money in a way that amuses them, yet the money all goes to a good cause.dON'T LOSE TOO MUCH SLEEP OVER WHETHER IT IS WORTH IT OR NOT!