Amish Experiences, Myths, and Misconceptions

[RationalLunacy]

OK.....it seems a lot of you are utterly fascinated by the fact that I live in the Amish country in Pennsylvania, so I thought I'd start an Amish thread.

Sooooo.....what do you know about the Amish? Have you ever been here? Do you know any Amish? Have you ever slept with an Amishman?

What are your Amish stories?

 

[Fastdavy]

I can't imagine being a gay Amish man or woman or is that an oxymoron?

 

[dexyboi86]

they do adopt some modern conveniences. this amish family came on our ro/ro class vessel's in a big-ass R/V.

Technicality, my friend. Amish do not use modern conveniences. The "Amish-type" people who do so are actually referred to as Mennonites.

 

[_AJ_]

i know ive posted this before but
are the Amish really this peace loving and nice?

 

[justsimon]

There's a really great documentary about the Amish tradition of Rumspringa called, The Devil's Playground.

 

[mega]

^ I've seen that. Those Amish kids know how to party!! RL, break down the sects, I know they aren't all the same.

 

[Ramindra]

My only experience was seeing "Witness" when I was a kid. It was about that time that I decided I preferred cars to horses.

 

[NedNickerson]

 

[NedNickerson]

A link with some great photography of the Pennsylvania Dutch Amish country:

http://www.jimtardio.com/amish/amish.html

 

[NedNickerson]

http://forum.skadi.net/amish_diet_beats_atkins_mile-t7617.html?

Amish diet beats Atkins by a mile

TORONTO -- Forget the Atkins diet. Try the Amish diet.

New research shows that Old Order Amish, a religious group that shuns technology, have an obesity rate of only four percent despite a meat and potatoes -- and pie -- diet.

Their secret: physical activity in the form of hard work and walking.

The study, published in this month's edition of the journal Medicine & Science & Exercise, found that Amish men walk an average of 18,425 steps daily, and women an average of 14,196 steps.

One man logged an incredible 51,000 steps in a single day while plowing fields behind a team of horses.

In studies done in mainstream Canadian and U.S. society, adults tend to log about 2,000 to 3,000 steps.

"The Amish are lean because they easily to six times more physical activity than people living in modern society that surround them." said David Bassett, a professor of exercise science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and a lead author of the research.

He said the study was conducted to get a sense of how modern technology has altered physical activity levels.

 

[Joshua_me]

Well, many people are surprised to learn that we have a rather
large community of Amish folks living right here in Sarasota.

It's very strange, really. Amid the million dollar condos and all the
wealthy South Florida BS is this group of people living without TV's,
computers, or even newspapers. Totally cut off from the world around them.

They ride their three-wheeled bikes across busy six lane highways, and
glance at the rest of us like we are strangers from another planet, fearful
of our 'modern Godless ways'.

They occupy about ten city blocks of VERY valuable land which I'm sure any number of real estate developers would kill to get their hands on, and yet there remains this somewhat uneasy peaceful detaunt between the city leaders and these folks.

The basic problem, however, is that they are literally getting run over by cars, in our ever increasing traffic.

Just last year, at least three Amish people were killed by cars as they rode their bikes through traffic, seemingly convinced that those 'modern contraptions' couldn't interfere with their world.

These days, they are getting a bit of an attitude, darting in and out of traffic as if they are daring us to hit them.

Where it will go from here I have NO idea.

 

[riffer81]

I stayed overnight in the area a couple times; I wouldn't mind visiting again. A restaurant in Bird-in-Hand (I think that's where it was) had great food. I love the scenery. At times, it seemed as if there was a bit of unease between Amish and non-Amish when interacting at a few of the shops.

I lived in South Dakota for three years in an area where there were a lot of Hutterites. They lived in separate colonies well away from nearby towns. Some would get rides and shop at the local (small) mall. They were nice enough but in certain colonies, if any of them left to live elsewhere, they were rarely welcome to make a return visit.

 

[NedNickerson]

Failure of the Amish Airlines

 

[Just_Believe18]

I think the Amish are swell, sweet people. Their sense of pacifism and simplicity is something to be admired. The fact that they give their youth the opportunity to experience the world before deciding to live the life of the Amish is noble. And many of them choose to stay in the Amish community even after the partying, highs, and sex. Perhaps their choice has something to say about our modern, shallow, selfish society?

 

[Joshua_me]

Perhaps their choice has something to say about our modern, shallow, selfish society?

Perhaps.

Plus, they make *great* pies.

 

[irish1]

We have an Amish market here in town, and one of the girls who was murdered in the fall has a Dad who works here.

They are lovely people, very quiet, and, in many cases, very personable.

I travel extensively throught the U.S., and will be through Lancaster in two weeks. I always stop to have lunch or dinner in Amish country.

 

[ronboy]

Well, does sleeping in an Amish bed count? When I was a kid, my parents took us to Pennsylvania Dutch Country for a vacation. We went to Hershey, Lancaster, (at the time I thought the Dutch Wonderland Amusement Park was sooo cool) , and Gettysburg.

We spent a night at The Paradise Motel in Paradise, PA, which was owned by an Amish family that was a bit more modern. They had electricity and running water. The motel itself was very plain and basic, but clean and comfortable! There were no TV, air conditioning, carpeting, or vibrating beds, but it was a good place to crash for the night.

The next day, my parents bought a shoefly pie from an Amish farmer and his son, who were selling them along side the highway (US Route 30, The Lincoln Highway)

 

[NedNickerson]

The next day, my parents bought a shoefly pie from an Amish farmer and his son, who were selling them along side the highway (US Route 30, The Lincoln Highway)

Recipe for Shoofly Pie:

Pastry for a 1-crust 9-inch pie (page 270)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Two-thirds cup light brown sugar, packed
1 rounded tablespoon cold butter
One-fourth teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup light molasses
Three-fourths cup cold water
One-fourth cup hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the pie pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan; set aside.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Remove one-half cup of the mixture and set aside. Transfer the rest to a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the molasses and cold water, and blend but do not beat; you don’t want bubbles in the batter. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the hot water with the baking soda and blend into the molasses mixture. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Pour into the pie shell and top with the reserved crumbs. Bake for 35 minutes. The pie will appear quivery but will firm up as it cools. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before cutting.

 

[RationalLunacy]

We have an Amish market here in town, and one of the girls who was murdered in the fall has a Dad who works here.

They are lovely people, very quiet, and, in many cases, very personable.

I travel extensively throught the U.S., and will be through Lancaster in two weeks. I always stop to have lunch or dinner in Amish country.

Make sure you eat at Shady Maple. You will thank me for this!

 

[RationalLunacy]

I also grew up in Pennsylvania and I have had lots of experiences with Amish people. None of which have been remotely sexual.

Next time you're in the neighborhood, stop by and I can introduce you to some remotely sexual gay Amish -- and they're cute, too!