In the Disney movie Aladdin, when our charming hero steps into the Cave of Wonders, he’s gobsmacked by the sheer physical volume of the wealth inside. Piles of riches five times his height spill onto the cave floor. “Wouldja look at that?” the young rapscallion remarks to his pet monkey. While most people now keep their money in the bank rather than in subterranean desert caverns, there is a modern experience equivalent to Aladdin’s fantastical first glimpse into the Cave of Wonders: the buffet. 

Today’s buffet displays run the gamut from the chic platters of pomegranate-studded grain salads at Ottolenghi in North London to the cheap and cheerful $9.99 all-you-can-eat weekday spread at Angie’s Buffet in Heber Springs, Arkansas. 

All are characterized by an ungodly amount o...