Tuesday thoughts and links, starting with the upcoming Amish Mafia (reality? fiction?) show: “Amish mafiosi” keeping code of silence? The much-discussed “Amish Mafia” premieres tomorrow, but the “sneak peek” is on tonight. Some reporters have been asking Amish experts what they think of the idea of an Amish mafia. Donald Kraybill calls it fiction, and David Weaver-Zercher says he first thought it was a parody sketch…
The short answer is yes. I’m sending out my Christmas cards this week, and will include a number to Amish friends across the country. Amish don’t do Santa, so I try to choose “neutral” ones, though have sent some with a Christmas tree before. You can see Christmas cards displayed in Amish homes. One family I regularly visit hangs them from a string, which is…
At any given moment there is an auction going on or about to happen somewhere in Amish America. Amish auctions are social events, fundraisers, and a chance to buy goods at a decent price–and often all three rolled into one. Amish auctions are plugged in various ways–in local publications, Amish newspapers, flyers, word-of-mouth. If you’ve ever been to an Amish auction, you know the festive…
A reader shares a photo of an Amish-owned business in the Shipshewana area of northern Indiana. Is paintball popular among young people in this community? I’ve heard of paintball guns being used by Amish youth before, notably in a tragic incident involving Amish teen pranksters in Ohio. This isn’t the only sports facility owned by an Amish person. The 850 Center is another notable one in…
How do Amish families eat? I want to thank reader Lattice for sharing her experience eating with Amish friends, in response to Slightly-handled-Order-Man’s question (“how do Amish families serve their food on a day-to-day basis?). I am reposting Lattice’s comments here with a few of my own thoughts: I would be happy to tell you how it goes with my Amish friends. There is a…
I must say Pennsylvania Dutch tickles my ears. Listening to the language is like hearing two tongues spliced together–one I understand, one I most surely do not. You’ll catch a good bit of that even in the first five minutes of this video tour of Schrock’s of Walnut Creek. Numerous English words trickle out from amongst the Deitsch as Schrock’s Marvin Miller takes you through…
We started the week with Amish GPS but now head in the opposite direction, technologically speaking. Brenda shares photos today from the Carroll County, Tennessee Amish settlement, of an old Maytag washing machine. Brenda has previously shared photos from Amish wash day in this settlement, so this makes a good follow-up. Amish are known to use old-fashioned machines but this one seems more venerable than the norm. You…
A reader in Illinois shares a photo of 3 spreads given by an Amish neighbor, along with a loaf of bread and a thank-you note. I have eaten 2 of these 3 (tasty). Do you know what they are, and when they’re usually eaten? Ever had some yourself? Update: Below, a larger photo of the note with reference to the spreads: The peanut butter (right) and…
I got an email this morning from Linda raising the question: …have you heard, too, the idea that Amish could be an ethnicity or ethnic group. People that have an Amish heritage may not be Amish any more, but they might think in Amish ways, or be ethnically Amish? I’m not sure I agree, because the lifestyle and beliefs are much intertwined. In the secular…
We’ve had comments on other posts about “Amish Mafia” and request for a thread on the upcoming show, so here it is. The Discovery Channel program doesn’t premiere until Dec. 12. I don’t really have much comment as far as the substance behind it. I will say that I am not surprised following the success of recent Amish-themed TV shows. When it comes to public…