Conventional Wisdom

That’s not an exaggeration in the first panel, it actually cost that much. See, none of the Dealer’s Room guys were selling any snacks (I assume because the native vendors at the Convention Center had exclusive contracts), so you had to go to the official BCC food booths, where the prices are roughly the same as a barrel of oil.

(Historical Note: This is why, even a decade later, I still live off of food I bring with me as much as possible)