Amy Pietz quotes:

Half of Wisconsinites are considered alcoholics. It's part of the culture of Wisconsin... if self-deprecation is their survival instinct, alcohol is their coping mechanism.

Farming, from an outside perspective, can be viewed as a romantic, free and off-the-grid life, but the constant work of it means a routine you must follow or everyone dies.

When you're trapped in a small town, the only excitement is the booze.

I think the biggest survival instinct that Midwesterners possess is self deprecation, it's almost a Buddha-like sense of humor in anything that is difficult to get through. They would prefer to laugh at difficulties, show their mettle through that, and toughen up and have a beer afterward. That's definitely the characteristic I've carried through me, and hope to never lose.