Product Description

Dishwasher is the true story of a man on a mission: to clean dirty dishes professionally in every state in America. Part adventure, part parody, and part miraculous journey of self-discovery, it is the unforgettable account of Pete 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154054 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
For 12 years, Jordan (aka Dishwasher Pete) tramped about the U.S. washing dishes. Despite a survey of 740 occupations in which "dishwasher ranked #735," Jordan, then in his mid-30s, sees the inherent benefits of the job: downtime in between meals, free food (and beer), being able to quit at a moment's notice and an abundance of similar opportunities all over the country. The writing is lucid and earnest, and Jordan's passion for dishwashing and, even more so, for blowing-in-the-wind traveling, is infectious. As his quest extends from one year to the next, and he questions the worthiness of his goal to "bust suds" in all 50 states, he demonstrates an ability to convey his deepest fears without losing the upbeat, fun tone that pervades the entire memoir. What does hurt this rather lengthy book's pacing is that every dishwashing job (save a few) is pretty much the same, and the descriptions can get as repetitive as a wash cycle. Still, Jordan's knowledge of famous dishwashers (Gerald Ford, Little Richard, etc.) and dishwashers' roles in creating unions adds a substance that juxtaposes nicely with the author's slacker lifestyle. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Jordan, sometimes known as "Dishwasher Pete," serves up one of the most entertaining memoirs to appear in quite awhile. The kind of guy who liked drifting from job to job and place to place, Jordan found his calling in the late 1980s: washing dishes. Surprisingly, he thought the work was fun; it was easy to get a job (restaurants were always looking for dishwashers); and it was no problem moving around a lot. Soon he had his brilliant idea: he would wash dishes in all 50 states. His quest took him from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, to a fish cannery in Alaska, to a commune in Missouri (and a whole lot of diners, restaurants, and cafeterias in between). Somewhere along the way, he became a cult celebrity: Dishwasher Pete, publisher of an offbeat newsletter, radio personality, and, in one of the book's many high points, a scheduled guest on David Letterman's show (although he never actually appeared on the program). The book's exploration of the dishwashing subculture is fascinating (it even has its own terminology, like "bus tub buffet"), and the author, who now lives in Amsterdam, is an engaging and lighthearted storyteller. Imaginative marketing, from author appearances to radio ads and postcard mailings, should drum up substantial interest in this delightfully offbeat book. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
""Dishwasher" may not raise your opinion of the average dish dog, but it will help you understand why not." (New York Times Book Review )

"This memoir has it all -- humor, insight, pathos, adventure, travel and piles of dirty dishes." (Sacramento Bee )

"...a slacker's idyll." (New York Times )

"...one of the most entertaining memoirs...in quite a while...The book's exploration of the dishwashing subculture is fascinating." (Booklist (starred review) )

"[An] enjoyable manifesto celebrating rootless irresponsibility, with rueful acknowledgment of the pitfalls therein." (Kirkus Reviews )

".highly entertaining." (The Oregonian (Portland) )

"...a (casual) rallying cry for those disinclined toward the nine-to-five." (Chicago Reader )

"The writing is lucid and earnest...Jordan's passion for dishwashing and...blowing-in-the-wind traveling is infectious." (Publishers Weekly )

".a humorous page-turner." (Playboy.com )

".[An] amusing memoir..." (People, 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars )

PRAISE FOR DISHWASHER PETE:"[Dishwasher Pete's] writing and storytelling skills command attention." (Boston Globe )

"[A] good story, well told...ironic...worth reading." (San Francisco Chronicle )

"...a fun graduation gift for your favorite smart aleck (Charlotte Observer )

"Dishwasher is an instant American classic. " (San Francisco Bay Guardian )

"[Jordan has]...a knack for storytelling," (New York Post )

"Warmly recommended..." (Library Journal )

"Pete is the Lone Ranger of dishwashers, the troubadour of soap and water." (Christian Science Monitor )

"...everyone has a story; some people's are just more interesting than others. Such is the case with Pete Jordan." (Chicagoist )

Customer Reviews

The dishwasher philosopher
Its hard to believe that someone can write 350 pages about dishwashing but here you have it. The guy was on a quest, to dishwash in all 50 states and got to 33. Most of his stories are amusing and I suppose, philosophical, because how does an intelligent guy spend ten years of his life pursuing an occupation that is almost totally mindless. He discusses techniques but that would hardly fit a page and probably be best communicated Ikea-style with illustrations. No, Pete found meaning as a dishwasher which is a lesson we can all learn because, no matter the job, it becomes tedious with years and continuous repetition. If Pete can do it, so can we. Granted, a major attraction of the job was the ability to quit and start again whenever and wherever he felt the impulse. He could relocate with ease if he got tired of the location or took a dislike with the people with whom he was working. As an inspiration to us all, Pete demonstrates that he has acquired a meaning to life separate from the pursuit of affluence and prestige and the general keeping up with the Joness that we all get trapped in. That said, I did get tired of reading about the dishwashing and so gave his book a rest for a couple of days in same way Pete gave his job numerous holidays over the ten years he called it his life.

Quirky Memoir
It was the subtitle of this book that grabbed me. "One man's quest to wash dishes in all fifty states" How could you not be intrigued by this premise?

"For twelve 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" Pete Jordan

I was captured - I had to know more about this guy and his adventures

Jordan as a teen has no great ambitions. He gets into trouble with the nuns in school for listing house painter as his career objective. He falls into dishwashing by accident. At Jack in the Box, he fails as a fry cook, is no better at cashier and is 'punished' by being sent to do the dishes. Jordan discovers that this is far from punishment - he's left alone, has a radio, lots of eats. (Although I did find myself gagging as describes the Bus Tub Buffet - let your imagination fill in the blanks) Thus, Dishwasher Pete is born. Jordan does what we've all thought of. If the job has served it's purpose (enough money to travel to the next state) or he's just had enough,he quits -with no notice.

The book is peppered with references to dishwasher facts and lore. Did you know that George Orwell was a dishwasher in Paris? Along the way, Jordan starts a 'zine' - "Dishwasher" and his name starts to spread in the dishwasher world. Word of his 50 state goal spreads and soon CNN, journalists, even David Letterman, are trying to track him down to interview him. Dishwasher Pete isn't interested and continues on his journey.

He washes dishes in many different environments - cafeterias, restaurants, fishing canneries, oil rigs and the list goes on. The book never bogs down - each tale of every job and the people he meets are fresh. We see glimpses of a yearning for something more - the house prices in Kansas ($12,000!) give him pause. Maybe he could save enough to buy one and have a home base. That pull gets stronger and a blue rimmed plate that keeps showing up in the dishwasher with the plain white ones provides an epiphany for Dishwasher Pete.