Johnson, Ronald, Simple Fare: Rediscovering The Pleasures Of Real Food Poet, caterer, and chef, Johnson is also author of the classic The American Table ( LJ 8/84) and two Southwest cookbooks. This book is the result of his quest for the "best simple dishes," those that will feed family and friends "at least expense, with most joy." Here he celebrates such homey dishes as scrambled eggs, poached mackerel, and others that may not be stylish but are always good food. Johnson's musings on culinary history and food philosophy, an integral part of the book, are reminiscent of M.F.K. Fisher's writings or John Thorne's Simple Cooking ( LJ 9/15/87), but just as surely his own. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.