Pete Jordan has written a book about trying to wash dishes in every state. It’s an entertaining book, but is it true? “Jordan operates out of the medium-tall-tale tradition, using truth as bone structure and fantasy as flesh. It may not all be true, but it’s true enough. Few will doubt his claim that his favorite American city is Portland. He loitered from time to time in Seattle but thrived in Portland: ‘Even before arriving, I pretty much knew it was a pro-dishwasher town’.”