A recommendation

Cab drivers love to pull up next to another cab and say something. What results is a mini exchange between two people of the same profession; then you move along.

Last Thursday I had a little time before picking up my regular customer Luc, and I hadn't eaten yet. I got a salad from Mixt Greens and then ate it in the car near Luc's location. I parked in a yellow zone on Clay between Kearny and Montgomery and put on my hazard lights. Even cabs aren't allowed to park in yellow zones, but if we turn on the hazard lights we might get away with it because the meter maids might think that we are loading, i.e. waiting for an order to come out of a building.

I noticed that a Yellow Cab was parked behind me, also in the yellow zone, also with hazard lights on. I also noticed a new Indian restaurant to my right. I decided that I wanted to eat there soon.

After a while of sitting there eating, a man came out of the Indian restaurant and got into the Yellow Cab behind me. He pulled out of the parking spot, and when he was next to me--I think both of our windows were already rolled down--he said

"If you like Indian food, you should try this place sometime."

"I love Indian food! I will definitely try it."

"Good. A friend of mine just opened it."

So today, Monday, I went there for lunch. I didn't park in the yellow zone this time because it feels too risky when you don't stay in the car. Instead I parked a couple of blocks away, on Washington and Montgomery. When I walked up to the restaurant, I noticed another Yellow Cab in the yellow zone with the hazard lights on and the trunk open. "Looks like they're loading," I thought.

Inside the restaurant I ordered Paneer Tikka Masala and sat down. And that's when none other than the cab driver from last Thursday walked by.

"You came to try it!"

"Yes, I did."

"Thank you. Have some tea."

I found out that the owner of the restaurant is his best friend.