Writing about growing up in a bad part of town reminded me of a summer experience.

I had the opportunity for a summer in Paris after my first year in college. I couldn’t afford to stay without some income, but didn’t speak enough French to do much. I searched as long as I could until my money was about to run out — probably about a week — then took a fast food job to avoid having to come home. I worked in the Burger King by the Georges V stop on the Champs-Elysees. I don’t know if it’s still there or not.

Now that I think of it, I stopped eating meat the school year after, so seeing the operation from the inside may have influenced my eating meat.

I happened to work the day Greg LeMond came from behind 50 seconds to win the 1989 Tour de France by 8 seconds, one of the great sporting achievements of all time (assuming they didn’t use drugs, which seems unlikely for professional cycling).

In any case, the job kept me in Paris, where I went to live a again for a year a year later, as opposed to going home.

Anyway, not a big leadership post, just some background and a cool anecdote.

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