I have a thing about taxi drivers – I always seem to find ones with interesting life stories (or perhaps it’s just part of the dynamic of brief encounters between human beings when one of them – the taxi driver – is accustomed to the transience of the transaction). Maybe I’m just receptive to whatever is out there to be discovered.

Following an experience I had in Montreal last week, when I arrived late at night – and very hungry – I have discovered a new way of making the taxi driver interaction even more interesting. I asked him to take me to my guest house via a takeaway stop, which I accepted was going to be a Burger King, because that was the path of least resistance from a communication point of view. However, once I established that he was from Lebanon I asked him to take me to a Lebanese takeaway, and picked up the most delicious schwarma with a side order of falafel and hummus.

Given that most taxi drivers in Europe and North America are immigrants, the range of food choices could be extremely interesting!