In addition to the nice things you said, I've found out about lots of incredible ethnic food I never would have heard about otherwise. A ride with a Tajik drive

In addition to the nice things you said, I've found out about lots of incredible ethnic food I never would have heard about otherwise. A ride with a Tajik driver led to an incredible Afghan restaurant (which is apparently as close as the Bay Area gets to Tajikistan's cousine). Drivers in general are in one of those very interesting roles that interacts with a broad swatch of the population. Even aside from their own background, they are one of the stirring sticks that mixes a place's cultures together.