Jean Johnson

[November 5th, 2008]

You really should read: Cooking Beyond Measure

When’s the last time your read a cookbook with a sociopolitical agenda (aside from The Bush Family Cookbook)? Portlander Jean Johnson is waging a one-woman crusade against the insidious forces of measuring cups. And, it turns out, people (and by people I mean The Washington Post, Miami Herald and a slew of other hungry publications) are starting to listen up. The author, cultural historian and gardener argues that recipes, with all their rules and regulations, pretty much kill all the fun in cooking. And with her recent book, Cooking Beyond Measure, she damn well means to get you thinking—and eating—again. Sounds tasty. KELLY CLARKE. 1 pm Sunday, Nov. 9. Northwest Writers Stage.