The Happy Hopper

I enjoyed your Food section entitled “Hops in Pots” (Feb. 18). The articles have given me a new insight into cooking and a craving to spend more time in the kitchen. As a college student--and a beer drinker at that--the idea of using beer instead of wine as a cooking ingredient appeals to me. What more can a guy ask for? To satisfy two desires at once, eating and drinking. Your article led me to open my own cookbook, where I found a recipe that was a hit with my roommates and neighbors alike. It must be the beer that gives it such a unique taste that everyone likes. Besides, for a starving college student, wine is just too expensive.

--ERIC M. KEYES

La Jolla