>Dinner is bribery? it very well could be. I know plenty of people that could be persuaded to do things by the mere chance to meet someone that they adore. '

>Dinner is bribery? it very well could be. I know plenty of people that could be persuaded to do things by the mere chance to meet someone that they adore. 'Dinner' is often just code for "let me introduce you to X business associate", which has definite real-world persuasive power for people that need to make those connections. It would be unsurprising for an oil-tycoon to try to purchase a plate at a dinner with lots of oil-state-politicians. This isn't for the sake of good company, it's to further business interests.