Synopsis
Have you ever had to plant explosives to mine your own coal to heat your house? Climb up some posts to keep your neighborhood’s phone lines up and running? How about dig your own well or cut ice out of a river to cool your food? Kill, skin, dry, and can animals to feed your family? You never know. In a post-apocalyptic world like the one in the HUNGER GAMES (or the one we may face in the future) this is information you might want to know. Believe it or not, there are people living in the modern world today who do know how to do these things. Ray Schmidt is one of them. While growing up on a farm in western North Dakota, Schmidt experienced the hardships of the Great Depression firsthand. Like his parents, he became a farmer. Then in the 1960s, he took a chance on the next big thing: fast food. FROM THE FARM TO FAST FOOD: MY ADVENTURES DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND BEYOND is a compilation of stories about the funny and fascinating events Schmidt experienced. Like no history book could do, it explains in a humorous and lively way how people really lived. The following are what readers’ are saying about the book: • “From the Farm to Fast Food is one of a kind.”— Debbie S. • “This book should be required reading in every school.” — Robert M. • “Ray Schmidt really knows how to tell a good story. That’s a lost art.” —Kathi D.
About the Author
Ray Schmidt was born the eldest son of German-speaking farmers in 1922 in western North Dakota. While growing up, he and his family experienced the hardships of the Great Depression firsthand. Like most young people, Ray embarked on various professions initially, including the music business. An accomplished self-taught accordionist who plays by ear, he and one of his bands, the Blue Flames, cut a polka record in the early 1940s. Eventually Ray got into the farming business himself in North Dakota. Then, in 1964, he and his wife, Marie, decided to take a chance on the next big thing: fast food. Their venture led them to Miles City, Montana, a dusty cattle town, where they purchased a small Dairy Queen. With the help of Marie and their eight children, the Schmidts were able to make the business a huge success. It became one of the largest and top-performing Dairy Queens in Montana. He and his son, Ray Schmidt, Jr., later went on to launch and operate a number of restaurants in Montana and Utah. Today, Ray and Marie live in Richland, Washington, near three of their daughters whom Ray regales with funny stories and harasses endlessly with political debates.
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