William Woys Weaver is a food historian who has written extensively on Pennsylvania Dutch food and culture.  He’s written a new book called As American As Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine.  From an NPR article on the subject: News flash: Whoopie pies are not indigenous Pennsylvania Dutch food, no matter what the tourist traps say. Nor are the seafood bisque, chili, roast…
While in Belle Center, Ohio a few months back, I had dinner with Mark Curtis and a young couple in his community. One of my favorite moments came after Mark said something in Pennsylvania German which seemed to baffle the three other “native Amish” at the table. The man of the house, grappling with the fact that no one could put a finger on the…
You might remember a previous post on July 4th buggy races in the Elkhart-Lagrange Amish settlement.  As one reader shares Topeka is not the only spot in northern Indiana holding an annual buggy race: Shipshewana has a celebration called Mayfest each year. Mayfest includes several different events one of which is a buggy race. The buggy race involves teams of 4 individuals. Two team members ride…
Usually right around this time each year, I notice at uptick in visits to the Amish State Guide. I attribute it to people looking for info on Amish communities with the coming of spring and summer. Are you visiting an Amish community this year? Â Or have you already? Â Here’s a list of Amish settlements I plan to, or already have visited, in 2013 (plus a…
An Amish fur buyer in northern Indiana.  No photos of the furs, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.  I had “fur buyer” on one of the lists of odd Amish jobs, focusing on Holmes County, Ohio.  Here is a reader comment about another in a Minnesota Amish community “where they process all types of fur and also salt deer hides”.
 A new Amish settlement is started, on average, every few weeks. Today there are around 700 Amish communities in North America. Most were founded over the past 20-some years. Amish migration has gotten much attention recently. New settlements appearing in places like Colorado, Maine, and New York attest to a pioneer spirit which has not waned since Amish first settled the Americas in the…
Below, the menu items for the Amish youth mystery supper, courtesy of Don Curtis. Some of these were pretty tough. How did you do? 1. Hygiene Essential – water 2. Colorful Downfall – mixed fruit salad 3. Healthy Rollups – dinner rolls 4. Variety Pack – broccoli and veggie salad 5. Point of Decision – fork 6. Pigs Disgrace – meatloaf 7. Foreign Fundraiser –…
Just out in the Columbus Dispatch, news on a possible compromise over the outhouse issue in the Amish community in Hardin County, Ohio: KENTON, Ohio — A truce has been reached, at least for now, between the Amish of Hardin County and health officials. The two sides have been at odds over rules for wells and outhouses at new Amish homes. With a clock ticking…
Amish youth at Belle Center, Ohio (and elsewhere) may take part in a fun social event called a “Mystery Supper”. Â Mark Curtis shares how this unusual meal works (thanks to Don Curtis for relaying the details): The youth come in and sit down for supper. Â At their place is a plate and a list of numbered blanks. The blanks must be completely filled out in…
Valerie Weaver-Zercher is the author of the newly-released Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels.  Valerie is a writer and editor whose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Mennonite Weekly Review, and other publications. In examining the topics raised in Thrill of the Chaste over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at Amish fiction readers, authenticity, and how readers choose Amish…