You Deserve A Break Today . . .  Owners introduced a new franchise of America’s-, and probably the world’s most popular fast food chain in Hawthorne on August 30th, this year. Lucky residents of the Ingledale Acres Tract (more popularly, the “Ramona Tract”) now have the full menu of McDonald’s within easy reach at 13324 S. Inglewood Ave – at most, just a few blocks away. Since easy access by automobile has always been an important part of McDonald’s business plan, it is certain that residents and visitors throughout our City will be headed to the new outlet for that tasty, classic sandwich that is as much a part of American cuisine as, well, . . . apple pie. A few years ago, we noted that the origins of the hamburger – even its association with the venerable German seaport – are still a matter of continuing debate. By the 1890s, we Americans had transformed it into an East Coast workers’ lunch wagon favorite and by 1904, it was a big hit at the St. Louis World’s Fair {Louisiana Purchase Exposition} with word about it spreading nationwide. Marrying it to pommes frites (French fries) and milkshakes was an inevitable consequence of our “melting pot” culture. The history of McDonald’s is so familiar a part of American folklore that school children can probably recite it at intermural quiz competitions. Holding ourselves to a humbler standard, let’s recall some of the events that made a drive-in into a multinational mega corporation: 1937 – The McDonald family operated an orange juice stand on Route 66 in Monrovia, CA (see our May 20, 2025