Eating on the Edge: Chris Porter grew up in a slice of American culture where home meals were prepared from scratch. The Mountlake Terrace boy who was cooking his own pies by age 10 grew up to go into TV journalism and the PR profession before launching a brand new pie baking venture in Seattle.
The slow motion unfolding of disaster had a long buildup, as the influence of Big Oil shaped decisions that left everyone unprepared for a catastrophe. Much the same influence is at work here, where BP has a large presence and the inland waters, Olympic Coast and Columbia River are at risk.
In 'American Junkie,' Seattle's Tom Hansen tells of his descent into heroin addiction and his climb back from near-death, which meant relearning to walk.