Impoverished Cookery

A thread in the (unofficial) Reed group on Facebook brought up the continuing existence and availability of Jay Rosenberg’s wonderful Impoverished Students’ Book of Cookery, Drinkery, and Housekeepery (a classic piece of Reediana that seems due for a profile in Reed magazine). It’s a wonderful (if somewhat dated) book that covers some inexpensive recipes, some home- brewing basics, multiple-household budgeting, and more. It is still available for a mere $10 per book in the Reed bookstore, with $4.40 from each sale going to the Jay Rosenberg Cookbook Scholarship Fund. My first exposure to the book was when I received it as a high school graduation present, and I invite the readers of Reed magazine to join me in making commitment to include a copy of this book in every high school and college graduation and housewarming present we give. If we do this, in addition to whatever charitable contribution we make to the college (whether specifically to the financial aid fund or untethered), we can give a useful (and entertaining) book to those who might find it useful while helping Reed edge slightly closer to being able to adopt a need-blind admissions policy.

—Ray Wells ’94

Ellensburg, Washington