There are a number of things I’ve wanted to post about, and since tomorrow I shove off for a 9-day visit to Pennsylvania (where the kero-net can be a little sketchy), I wanted to make sure I got them in today. So here goes, some links, news, and thoughts:
Step into a visitor’s shoes for a play-by-play account of a visit to the Dover, Delaware Amish community, and the sleep-inducing power of horse’s rear ends.
I picked up some pies recently at Shady Maple, a well-known (and colossal) eating establishment in East Earl in Lancaster County. Gauging the crowds and lines, I’ve never had the courage to do more than buy occasional items to-go here. Abe and Sarah and I once tried to visit for dinner but the general vibe of the place scared us all off to the Oregon Dairy instead. Anyone been to Shady Maple?
For anyone within range of Elizabethtown College, I’ll be giving a talk on the Amish entrepreneur this Thursday, April 15th at 730 pm at the Young Center’s Bucher Meetinghouse. The Lancaster Sunday News ran a nice review of my book (no longer online) and an announcement of the talk yesterday.
Calculator in an Amish shop
Taxing times call for extraordinary measures. Which is why I’m filing an extension on my taxes this year. Not that they’re particularly difficult, but I need to access some paperwork in Poland which I haven’t yet been able to do. One of the myths concerning Amish is that they do not pay taxes.
They do, and like any other true-blooded Americans, they also complain about paying them, especially property taxes, which, with large acreage, can be high. They do not participate in Social Security, however, which they view as a form of insurance. Brad examines this issue, one which I touched on in a post on the Amish and health insurance.
And in one bit of non-Amish commentary: as some readers might know, I reside in Poland for part of the year and am a citizen of Poland as well as America. This Saturday’s air disaster in which the Polish president was killed along with his wife and dozens of other leaders including the head of the national bank and the army was the country’s worst since World War II.
To make an analogy, I’d heard it compared to the hypothetical situation of the US losing its vice-president (the Polish president, while holding an important position, wields less power than the prime minister, and maintains some symbolic duties) along with numerous government Department heads, all in one fell swoop.
I appreciate the comments from well-wishers and as something of a naturalized Pole am probably not as impacted as a born-and-bred citizen of Poland would be. Nonetheless, it was a shock and an event which gave me an oddly chilling emotional reminder of the terrorist attacks of September 11. Not that terrorism was involved here, but in the sense of loss and disaster of the day.
I shared the news with Abe in Lancaster when we spoke on Saturday on the phone. He had not heard yet. We discussed how even though this kind of disaster is not like losing a member of the family or person you know, if does affect people on a certain level.
True to form Abe gave me typically wise counsel: you never know when the last time you’ll see a person will be. So always make sure you take the time–even when you think you don’t have the time. I thought this a worthwhile something to keep in mind.
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Hey Erik,
Looking forward to reading your book. I think you sold books with my wife…Erin Brooks.
What a facinating topic…I’ve recently made friends with a beautiful Amish Family that left the farm and lives just outside of Raleigh.
I think you went to Carolina so let us know if you are in the area.
Neal
Hi Neal, yes I definitely do remember–great to hear from you. Would love to catch up sometime with you and Erin. Just saw some old friends from those days yesterday, as a matter of fact.
Hey Erik,
Interesting post! Actually my family and I have had dinner at the Shady Maple a few times in the past. Haven’t been there in some time though, the crowds seem to scare us off also. But the food is always amazing, as well as the service. I would definitely tell people to eat there, but get there extra early because the crowds come in droves.
Hi Emma, you know, I bet the food must be fantastic. I’ve only really had the take-away desserts like pies and some things from the store. So I’m definitely not knocking it from that aspect–it just seems to be one size too large for me. But I bet if you go at the right time, it is not as big an issue.
Well, I think I’ve only really been there once when it wasn’t totally packed. But every other time it was really hard to enjoy the food because of all the people around us. In fact we had to sit in the room in the way way back, in like the last table; which meant that we had to walk past everyone just to get to the food, and I almost spilled my coffee on some guys head. It was definitley an experience for us.
I was going to comment on Shady Maple, but then realized that I didn’t have much to say about it that was good. They’re baking is okay though, and at least it provides a central location for all the tourists.
I enjoy reading your website. I lived in Delaware for quite a few years not far from Dover. Shady Maple is definitely a unique experience.
I appreciate it Jess. Will need to dive in to the full Shady Maple one day just to say I’ve done it!
Erik,
You should try Shady just to say you have. It’s something to be experienced. Food is a little better than OK and it fills me up too quick, but still, you need it for your Lancaster County passport 😉 Go for lunch around 10:45, you won’t have to wait and it’s cheaper.
Adrian, you are probably right, I ought to get that stamp. Thanks for giving me the strategy, I’ll have to apply it on my next visit 😉
Shady Maple
Erik,
I stumbled across your page just now doing a search to find out about any Amish living in Delaware. I wasn’t aware there was a community by Dover. I live in north Delaware, Hockessin area, literally a short walk from the PA border. My aunt recently moved down to Middletown, which is about a 45 min drive. There is a farmers market by her house with Amish vendors (open Thurs, Fri, Sat). I picked up some delicious and reasonably priced rotisserie style chicken legs there the other week. Anyway, my aunt mentioned that these Amish come all the way down from Lancaster, which I find even more surprising since there is apparently a community even closer. I wonder if this information could have been wrong?
My family has been going to Shady Maple for years, although it must have been some time since we’d gone, since I had quite a surprise at the size of the new building when we went last year! The menu changes by day, but I noticed Tuesday and Friday nights they have seafood. If you go during the week or at the end of the lunch hour, the crowds aren’t that bad. We went on Mother’s day this year, and by dinner the line was all the way out the door and around the building! I don’t like big crowds much, or over stuffing myself at a buffet, but there’s plenty of delicious food to choose from. Though I was won over last time when they had some delicious coconut shrimp. ..Just.. best to go before the hoards arrive for dinner, though the menu is probably better after 3pm..
Middletown Delaware Amish market
Melissa yes those are likely Lancaster Amish. It’s actually quite reachable from southern Lancaster County, only about an hour drive which isn’t too bad by market commute standards (some go 1.5-2 hours). I see “Stoltzfus BBQ” is a business name there, which is a Lancaster name. Amish in the sole Delaware community near Dover generally don’t carry the name Stoltzfus and though it is closer I’m not sure how involved the Dover people are in market businesses, while it is quite big for Lancaster people. The market you have in Hockessin also looks like Lancaster people.
https://amishamerica.com/delaware-amish/
I’ve only been to Shady Maple for breakfast, when it wasn’t nearly so crowded. I tried to take Amish friends there once for dinner, but we were scared off by the crowds.
Hockessin?? No, no. That’s where *I* live. Maybe I confused you a bit with too much information?
I know the drive isn’t that bad from up here.. but to get down to Middletown where this market is, that would add close to to 45 minutes, making the drive between 1.5 – 2 hours, and I heard they come up every morning and go home every afternoon. But if you typically travel by buggy, maybe it’s not that different from any other usual length of commute.
Melissa check my comment again, including the title 🙂 First part was all about Middletown, in the last line I wrote Hockessin *also* looks like Lancaster people.
You would know the drive better, Google maps told me that from Kirkwood PA it is about an hour to Middletown DE.
Okay, I see
It was just this one sentence that threw me off and made me think I had been unclear, “The market you have in Hockessin also looks like Lancaster people.”
In any case, thank you for your responses!