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Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes…
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Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States (P.S.) (edition 2007)

by Pete Jordan

Series: Dishwasher (book)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3772267,689 (3.58)12
Dishwasher is Public Radio favorite and underground celebrity Pete Jordan's amusing memoir of his dishwashing extravaganza. Part adventure, part parody, and part miraculous journey of self-discovery, it is the unforgettable account of Jordan's transformation from itinerant seeker into "Dishwasher Pete"--unlikely folk hero, writer, publisher of his own cult zine, and the ultimate professional dish dog--and how he gave it all up for love. "For 12 years, I was the most prolific dishlicker of them all. From 1989 to 2001, I dished my way around the country, unwittingly searching for direction. From a bagel joint in New Mexico to a Mexican joint in Brooklyn; from a dinner train in Rhode Island to the Lawrence Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri; from an upper-crust ladies' club to a crusty hippie commune--I washed the nation's dishes. Whether it was a gig so lousy that I walked out within an hour or one where I toiled 120 hours a week, I remained a man on a mission: to bust suds in every state in the union."--Pete Jordan A smart, funny, and surprising look at life, Dishwasher is sure to appeal to fans of Nick Hornby and Tom Perotta.… (more)
Member:kate.librarian
Title:Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States (P.S.)
Authors:Pete Jordan
Info:Harper Perennial (2007), Paperback, 384 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
Tags:entertaining, light, vacuous

Work Information

Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States by Pete Jordan

  1. 10
    Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (Othemts)
    Othemts: A pair of books that show the conditions for the worker in America's least desirable jobs.
  2. 00
    The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs (gtown)
    gtown: Two men, two quests. One to clutter the mind in a room, one to clean the dishes across the country.
  3. 00
    All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley (Othemts)
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» See also 12 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 22 (next | show all)
A really good read...totally entertaining and fun! ( )
  ShanLand | Feb 28, 2022 |
As the rating says, the book was pretty much ok. After a while, I did just scan some parts. The book is really a mixed bag. There are some moments that are interesting in terms of the places his travels and the look at how food service work operates. But on the other hand, there are moments as well you may not want to eat out again given the condition of some places he has worked at (though that is not so bad). What can be grinding is the fact that basically the author is a lazy slacker with minimal motivation (I will leave it to the readers to find out if he finishes quest or not). And to be honest, he does have some degree of dubious ethics that can make one wonder if all dishwashers are that way, or just the other slackers he worked with in his travels.

As for this book falling in the category of "stunt books" (books where someone does something quirky, odd, unusual, so on for some period of time, often a year), this is likely not the best example. I think in terms of appeal, this may appeal to readers who have read books by authors like Anthony Bourdain, except Bourdain has a much better way with words. Jordan is a fairly average writer to put it nicely. So, overall, this is a book to borrow, not buy. ( )
  bloodravenlib | Aug 17, 2020 |
A mediocre ode to chronic quitting. It's been reviewed favorably, I'm not familiar with the author's zine, and didn't find the humor in it. ( )
  Sandydog1 | Apr 3, 2020 |
Very repetitious. I gave up about half way through. ( )
  MarthaJeanne | Aug 18, 2019 |
It was ok. The style wasn't bad, and it was kinda interesting, I guess I just didn't get into it. It never grabbed me. ( )
  Floyd3345 | Jun 15, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 22 (next | show all)
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Dishwasher is Public Radio favorite and underground celebrity Pete Jordan's amusing memoir of his dishwashing extravaganza. Part adventure, part parody, and part miraculous journey of self-discovery, it is the unforgettable account of Jordan's transformation from itinerant seeker into "Dishwasher Pete"--unlikely folk hero, writer, publisher of his own cult zine, and the ultimate professional dish dog--and how he gave it all up for love. "For 12 years, I was the most prolific dishlicker of them all. From 1989 to 2001, I dished my way around the country, unwittingly searching for direction. From a bagel joint in New Mexico to a Mexican joint in Brooklyn; from a dinner train in Rhode Island to the Lawrence Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri; from an upper-crust ladies' club to a crusty hippie commune--I washed the nation's dishes. Whether it was a gig so lousy that I walked out within an hour or one where I toiled 120 hours a week, I remained a man on a mission: to bust suds in every state in the union."--Pete Jordan A smart, funny, and surprising look at life, Dishwasher is sure to appeal to fans of Nick Hornby and Tom Perotta.

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