I always seem to have neat things happen to me during the week as I’m working. I try to make a note of them for posts like this one. Last week I was treated to a rendition of the Noah’s Ark song (sung to the tune of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, by five sisters, ages fifteen to two. I’d heard the Amish sing from…
Just got back from my leisurely Sunday walk through downtown historic Strasburg, the borough where I’m living this summer. Amish buggies go past my window on a regular basis; horse manure lines the streets of stone and brick homes, many of which date from the 1700’s and 1800’s. One of the buggies rolling down main street today was a bit different though–from far off, it…
Most Amish have a fairly healthy attitude toward tourism–and tourists can mean different things to different Amish–a slight annoyance for some, a significant profit source for others, a chance for an interesting conversation for another bunch. Lancaster Amish by far have the most to deal with when it comes to visitors, though if you get out of the heavily-trafficked areas such as Amish tourism capital…
I took my car in to an ‘Amish mechanic’ last week–actually an established alternator and starter repair outfit run by a white-bearded Amishman and two other Amish guys. I’m pretty dumb when it comes to cars. But it still seemed kind of weird when the teenage Amish kid who works there started telling me things about my engine and I had no clue what he…
After three weeks in the county, three more observations from Lancaster: Hair–men’s hairstyles here seem to range from the very short and close cropped to the much more Swartzentruber-esque bob. Women’s hair is arranged a bit differently than midwestern Amish curled in tightly at the sides–almost too tight–but more on that later. Mennonites–the Old Order Mennonite population is significant here, with many ‘buggy Mennonites‘ populating…
Update: below is the back-story of how I came to know the Amish. I’ve been long “retired” from selling books in Amish communities, but starting in 2004, this was my intro to Amish life. Over the next several years, I visited thousands of Amish homes in five states, including the four largest Amish settlements. Inspired by the experience, I started this website as a basic…
In places like the heavily-touristed areas of Lancaster County you see “Pennsylvania Dutch” (or just “Dutch” for short), or “Amish” attached to just about anything with something to sell. To take a few examples: “Jakey’s Amish BBQ”, “Amish Paradise Homestays”, “Dutch Delights”, etc. This naturally makes visitors assume that the Amish must have something to do with the Pennsylvania Dutch. But are they the same…
A couple quick observations from Lancaster County: I recalled today how Amish usually try to switch to English whenever English people are around. I was talking to an Amish guy today and one of his friends walked up to ask for help working on the school playground. Obviously the most comfortable tongue would be PA Dutch, but, seeing I was there, he chose to speak…
I had a chance to catch up with a couple more friends the Thursday before last–‘Martin’, a minister of the New Order Amish persuasion, his wife, ‘Annie’, and their neat kids. My timing was perfect–suppertime! A grinning Martin plunked me down in front of a ‘haystack’–a potato-lettuce-chili-cheese- crumbled nachos concoction Annie had just prepared. Yum. (Yeah, I definitely had seconds). As we dug into our…
The homes of the Swartzentruber Amish and similar groups tend to be among the plainest. Metal roofs and dirt lanes are characteristic. Usually Swartzentruber yards are a bit scrabbly-looking compared to the typical meticulously-cared-for Old Order front lawn. This may reflect a difference in concern for the material world. While many Old Order Amish will work out on construction crews and in factories, Swartzentrubers tend…