Keeping it Real on US Route 6

When did authentic turn into "branded."   When did bartenders become "mixologists" and annual crops become "sustainable agriculture?" Who invented the first "gastropub" and why has it proliferated?

Part of the reason I'm taking Route 6 through the heartland of America is to find authentic farmers and authentic bartenders.  Authentic, plainspoken men and women of the Plains.   Outdoorsy, unpretentious gals and guys out West.  Not everything has to be superlative, awesome, "viral."  Often, "keeping it real" is just right.  I'm hoping to discover the real people of US Route 6.