Hold the Caviar, It Looks Bad

Not a moment too soon, banks are reining in their lavish lifestyle to avoid offending their new bosses—the rest of us. And more modest catering for holiday parties is among the first sign the new austerity is beginning to bite. “Everyone is very conscious of the fact that while Rome is burning, we shouldn’t be having a great time,” Sean Driscoll, a partner in Glorious Food caterers, tells The New York Times. “Nobody’s ordering caviar as a first course.” Good to see that someone on Wall Street is making a sacrifice in these troubled times. Marie-Antoinette would have felt their pain.