DRIVING HUNGRY

Building on the success of her blog, Taxi Gourmet, Mosler recounts the story of her transcontinental search for a vocation, which propelled the author into dancing in tango clubs in Buenos Aires, becoming a cab driver in New York City, and falling in love with the city of Berlin.

Initially, the author’s love of food led her to believe her destiny involved running a restaurant. But while working on the line at a San Francisco French-Asian fusion restaurant, Mosler faced the fact that her competence in the kitchen wasn’t up to the requirements of her dream job. Yet as her friends began settling down and buying homes, Mosler embarked on a different track. The author departed for Buenos Aires, intent on writing about food from a different perspective while indulging her love of Latin dance, especially the tango. After a disastrous night on the dance floor, Mosler flagged down one of the thousands of taxis trolling the city and requested the driver take her to his favorite restaurant. At first, her desire sprang from a growling stomach and the embarrassing tango episode. However, following the charming gustatory experience, Mosler pondered the idea of repeating the experience: “What if I hopped into a random cab every week and asked the taxista to take me to his favorite place to eat?” Soon, the author was blogging about her taxi-culinary adventures for family and friends, and her ask-the-driver technique provided her with a unique route into the life of the city, its foodways, and its people. Mosler delightfully conveys her nervousness and other feelings she experienced during her excursions—e.g., during the first days of driving her own cab or her surprise at the success of her Kickstarter campaign funding her move to Berlin.

Mosler’s lively and accessible writing style joyfully captures the satisfaction gained by trusting your instincts and seeking out new places, food, and people.