A new place can rise or fall in your mind based on what you eat. Which is why, when it’s meal time abroad, I’ve often relied on a technique I once learned from economist Tyler Cowen. The eateries that guide books recommend are usually flooded with tourists, which by definition means they’re often devoted more to speed and ambiance than to good food.

So Cowen recommends buddying up to a local, someone forced to spend time with you and whose interests are aligned with yours—someone who doesn’t care to pay exorbitant prices for food, or hang out with visiting tourists. Who better than a taxi driver?

When I arrived in Berlin, I walked out to the curb for a taxi. Selecting a