Meal time at construction site

When I was working in Manhattan as a management consultant (this was years before "bailout" and "financial crisis" entered into quotidian small talk), swanky restaurants and elaborate dinners were part of the regular "team-building" and "client meeting" routines.

After I moved over to an investment bank, the meals got better and more frequent. With the help of corporate expense accounts, my taste buds blossomed into a thousand little discerning and fickle things.

My personal spending also elevated to match my corporate entertainment lifestyle. The "Dining Out" portion of my monthly household expense report consistently grew. At the peak of the Asian equity bubble two years ago, I didn't blink twice when I charged 200 euros on brunch for just moi at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris.