Amish country tour

Re: Amish country tour

Dennis McDonaugh

>A gas generator? We visited Pennsylvania Amish country a few years back and they didn't use any electricity, no matter how it was generated. Said it was "worldly". They used propane and white gas for lighting. I visited a cabinet shop and they used a big V8 and hydraulics to power their tools. I won't prentend to understand how they make choices as to what they can use and what they can't use, but there is a whole lot of engineering going into some of their appliances to make them run on something other than electricity.

The Amish

Todd Hughes

>I have a few Amish friends and from what they tell me each comunity have an older Bishop that determine what is permitted with some being more hard line then others.Here on the eastern shore a few years ago the bishop wouldn't allow refridgeration,[using propane] which prevented dairy farms since they had to cool thier milk.This led to a good many Amish to pull up and go out to Ohio where refridgeration was permited.Old bishop dies and new one decide fridges were OK now.My Amish wheel wright friend had a bussiness selling ice to other Amish but they soon all bought fridges and his bussiness dropped down to nothing.Is interesting I used to go help him some and he always complained about his sons that didn't want to do wheel wright or blacksmith work because of not money instead wanted to do wood work,[making sheds and lawn crap]

Was talking to my other Amish friend Dan Sat. He had just got back from upstate New york and was leaving in 3 days to go out to Ohio to go to a big sale. Was telling me about his big game elk hunt he had planed for Montana this fall.Still trying to sell me his overpriced assault rifle too after selling the Colt .38 i wanted....yea Amish are a little different then what many people think.....Todd

Re: Amish country tour

Tony - Memphis

>A big V8 wasn't worldly? Uses electricity too!

Re: Amish country tour

David Miller from Iowa

>Used to hang out in Indiana Amish country. They couldn't use cars, but they had 10 speed bicycles that made Lance Armstrong look like he was on a budget.

Re: Amish country tour

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>There are loads of them and Menonites in Southern Ontario. Seems to be 2 orders old and new. The new order use electricity own huge sawmills and furniture factories. They all speak some form of Dutch/German dress very conservatively. Seem to be quite adept at growing some of the best tasting produce on the planet.

Re: Amish

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI

>Amish is actually a religion, not a person, and religion although it changes the character of a person does not necessarily change the nature or basic instinct of a person. I was born into an Amish family, and we spoke Pennsylvania Dutch in our houselhold. My parents left the Amish church when I was 2 and went to a church where electricity and cars were allowed but no tv or radio, called "Amish-Mennonite". Every church has it's differences as mentioned.

It is an iteresting lifestyle. I happened to meet an English girl (the Amish call everyone outside of their religion "English") and so am no longer affiliated with the Mennonite church, we go to a Baptist church. My parents of course did not approve but I am on good speaking terms with them today ;)

I am somewhat surprised at the lack of knowledge of hand tool usage among the Amish; with the advent of power tools and switching to power tools in order to compete in the carpentry trade it appears that most of what the fathers knew about sharpening and using tools was never passed on to their children, and has mostly disappeared in two generations.

Re: Amish country tour

Alan Hamilton

>I used to live in the middle of some Amish settlements in the Finger Lakes region of New York. What "modern" implements were used varied from group to group. I couldn't see much of a pattern to it; sometimes I could walk across the highway where "conveniences" were used that weren't allowed on the other side.

I regularly bought my bread and produce from an Amish "store" a few miles from home. They had no electric lights in the store, no cash register, calculator or adding machine; but they did have a refrigerated display case and a telephone something or other for approval of credit cards, and maybe checks too. Primitive wood products were often held together by staples which were obviously driven by a pneumatic gun.

I had a pleasant conversation about these apparent contradictions with the nice lady who ran the store. (In my experiemce with them, it's redundent to say "a nice Amish.") The way she explained it, they could use some modern devices to produce items intended for others--things they would sell--but did not use modernities to make things for themselves. In short, they made allowances for the marketplace; they used the things they had to use so their products were priced where they would sell.

Their bread was delicious! And I had to keep a tight grip on my wallet as I looked at the quilts, knitted garb, and iron work--but especialy the quilts.

Alan

Re: Amish country tour

Jim in Conowingo

>I live about 1 mile away from Lancaster County, PA and see lot of Amish. My favorite sighting is the mule team pulling a haybaler powered by a small gasoline engine. ????????????? Good thing they're not using a tractor. I gave up trying to figure out religion a long time ago. Still, it's funny to go into a convenience store and see an Amish guy using the Xerox copier. And yes, the convenience stores have hitching posts outside. (inside would be too messy)