Fine dining is more of an 'experience' than a meal. It's like going to the theatre or watching an orchestra perform. You're not paying for the food you receiv

Fine dining is more of an 'experience' than a meal. It's like going to the theatre or watching an orchestra perform. You're not paying for the food you receive per se, you're paying for the room, all the staff buzzing around to provide you with the experience, all the cooks required to give you 10 courses of something interesting and well-made, etc... It's a cultural experience. And the culture you're experiencing ranges from very old cuisine to very new cuisine, local culture to something very foreign, etc... Also for anyone who thinks they're not 'fancy' enough to enjoy it, consider that cooks, chefs and servers are pretty much the definition of 'working class'. And the food is (usually anyway) delicious and interesting.