A perquisite of my bruising corporate life were certain creature comforts, especially long stays in posh foreign hotels. One took no notice of stratospheric prices, paying no mind to the preposterous expense reports I submitted. In my first decade with GE Capital, the company made so much money, bean counters didn’t bother to look at such documents - the cost wasn’t big enough to bother with. I know that sounds crazy, but it was true. When a new regime was installed, I got audited over a pricy bottle of French wine I had with room service one December night in Stockholm and it didn’t go well. My defense - that there was a terrible snow storm - was not deemed exculpatory. My favorite moments of these long stays were proper English breakfasts in swank London hostelries. I came to love their scrambled eggs, which are nothing like the desiccated building material you get in an American diner. Here’s what I learned.
© 2024 John Oliver
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