How far is too far to fly for dinner?

Speaking on this exact topic at a recent VSBM congress, Scott St. Louis, our technical editor offered the following advice to the long distance diner.

Never fly against the clock. Avoid traveling east - very counterproductive if one is looking to eat an early dinner. Go west. If you are in NYC, eat in Tokyo [but be aware of the international date line when diarizing events].

The quality of the dining establishment. One should never fly for anything less than three Michelin’s stars. If the establishment offers rare or endangered food on the menu, add a bonus hour to one’s estimated journey time. And if one is looking to eat exotic food, go to it’s place of origin. For example Xoloitzquintli [Mexican hairless dog] should only be eaten, as the Aztecs intended, in Mexico.

Be aware of the capabilities of one’s aircraft. It’s simple, if one has missed dinner then one has travelled too far. However for those unavoidable last minute affairs, Scott recommended the addition of a Luxury MiG 21 to one’s fleet - the perfect way to make London to Moscow in less than two hours. However do inform NATO of one’s intentions to break the sound barrier over North America or Europe. There’s nothing worse than having to outrun a Tomahawk heat-seeker while trying to not crease one’s eveningwear.

Location. Ultimately, the distance one flies to dinner is very reliant on where one is lunching. As a social creature, one can often find oneself put out because of a casual lunch in Paris followed by dinner in Dubai. So it becomes important to rank one’s social engagements. Is lunch with a Parisian socialite worth missing dinner with Arabian Royalty?

Well, one could say it is a question of who is offering the best dessert.