If You Have A Spare $500K, Why Not Get Dinner On A Space Balloon?
If you happen to have half of $1 million to drop on one dinner, then do we have the adventure for you. The company Space Perspective is teaming up with the innovative (though some would say overrated) Michelin-starred restaurant Alchemist to give a few lucky people the experience of a lifetime, according to the South China Morning Post. Set to take place in 2025, the experience's X factor likely won't be the food, but the location, as those in attendance will dine in a balloon hovering 19 miles above the Earth. The meal, while it's meant to be a dinner, will be timed so that participants can watch the sun rise over Florida, although it's hard to pinpoint the time of day once you've left the planet and time zones are no longer applicable.
A ticket to ride and dine on Space Perspective's Spaceship Neptune costs $495,000, per Robb Report. Even at this price, it seems as though more than enough folks are willing to pay for one of the balloon's six seats — there's even a decently sized waitlist. If all goes well, this will be the first of many such flights, and fortunately for us non-billionaires, the price is expected to drop somewhat. Still, don't let your hopes get too high — even with a 90% discount, the meal would still cost about what you'd pay for a mid-sized luxury sedan.
What kind of meal will you get for your money?
If you subtract the cost of the balloon ride — Space Perspective typically charges $150,000 for such a ride sans snacks — the meal itself will run you almost $350,000. For this price, though, you'll also score a custom-tailored space suit made by high-end skiwear manufacturer Ogier. You may even be able to deduct the meal's cost from your taxes, as profits from ticket sales will go to the Space Prize, a project promoting gender equality in the space industry.
The meal itself will be catered by Alchemist's head chef, Rasmus Munk. The food at the Copenhagen establishment typically consists of 50 courses (or "impressions," as the website calls them) for a total price of over $700, although big spenders can drop $2,175 for a meal with a curated wine list and constantly hovering sommeliers (no, the profession hasn't entirely disappeared).
The restaurant's website fails to share what actual food it offers, though a 2023 Food & Wine review mentions such delights as sheep brains with cherry sauce and pig's blood ice cream. While the menu Munk will be serving aboard Spaceship Neptune has yet to be announced, the chef has said it will be "innovative like the journey itself," per the South China Morning Post.