It's the spring of 1973 and Hank Morgan, a recently discharged Vietnam veteran, is bored. Looking to fill some time, he applies for a job cutting the grass at a country club. "We don't need any more groundskeepers," he's told, "but we do need a waiter."

Hank tells the club manager he has no experience in that line of work. He's a working-class kid from Chicago, who grew up eating meat and potatoes and little else. As he often says, "pizza was exotic fare in our house." His favorite restaurants were hot dog stands and diners.

"We'll train you."

And with that, Monkey Dish, a novel with a dash of cookbook and a generous helping of humor, follows Hank as he works his way through the restaurant world of the 1970s and 80s.