Amish

[johno]

What's with the Amish, anyway?

I read that Alan would like to live like the Amish. Me too! But I think what we see them as and what they are really like might be two different things.

I forget who responded, but they said the Amish do use tractors, they just hire other people to drive them...

Well, I know a few other things from first hand experience. My BIL and some other friends helped restore the historic Wolfe House in Norfork, AR. I was around alot because I loaned them some log tools. They had some supposed Amish experts come out and work on it, too. I like these guys, don't get me wrong, but they borrowed power tools because they're not allowed to buy them. It was kind of weird to watch them using our power tools while us locals were using chisels...

What's up with that?

[lavandulagirl]

I read an article about Katrina recovery that said there were lots of Amish crews down there helping to rebuild, and that vans and drivers were hired to get them around. I wonder if they flew, or if they drove down. It does seem funny that they can ride in a vehicle and that isn't breaking the tenets of the faith, but they can't drive, because that is. I'd never get my husband to live Amish....

[LoreD]

Lavandula,

I lived up near an Amish community in Wisconsin and they are not prohibited from using modern conveniences, they are prohibited from owning them which makes it very difficult for close neighbours.

A friend of mine lived on a small farm next to an Amish farm and every thursday night the whole family would show up with a pie at the exact time that their favorite TV show was starting, the constant requests to use the phone, asking to be driven every Saturday over to the mall so they could sell their baked goods. At first, being paid in very yummy food items was nice but after a while it got to be a real pain.

When the amish woman's daughters were coming to visit from Minnesota they would hire a van to drive them down. They use public transportation like trains, planes, and buses. I regularly see them in Union Station in Chicago waiting for trains.

There is a construction company owned by amish that builds the most expensive and high tech mobile homes on the market, but they are prohibited from living in or owning the same mobile homes that they build.

Also, there are joint amish and mennonite communities and the mennonites are not prohibited from owning modern conveniences.

LoreD

[bluelacedredhead]

lots of Mennonites in Southern Ontario.
Some are like the Amish that you speak of. No electricity in their homes; no motorized transportation. Yet they can have electricity in their barn to enable them to run a successful farm business.
And in the height of the muscle car era, I used to get the biggest laugh out of the parking lot of the churches on Sunday. Many horse and buggies, as well as basic black cars with all the chrome painted black..In the same church lot there would also be Black Mustangs, Cudas and GTO's..

[redbrick]

Nothing can top (in my opinion) seeing an Amishman in a minimarket, talking on his cell phone before work in the morning! Yes, they have lots of rules governing their daily life, and just as many ways to get around them!

[Alan]

I agree that what we see them as and what they really are tend to be two totally different things, however there are a few exceptions. Here in washington county there are two distinct amish communities, one which is like most of those name above or as I call them "cheaters", the funny thing about the "cheaters" is that they seem to be a lot like evangelical christians with their beliefs, all talk and no action, while the other community sticks to the old ways, completly, with almost no exceptions but are some of the most open minded people I've ever spoken too! One of them I occassionally run into (he works for my friend who bought a pallet business that was formerly owned by the amish and run on car batteries!) has taken an interest in my farming progress and is always giving me tips and advice.

[ohiorganic]

Than there are the people who by "Amish chicken" and other Amish food products thinking since they are Amish and farm with horses they must be organic. How wrong they are. years ago on a market farming listserve a guy who ran an Amish produce Auction in NE Ohio mentioned there was a book written by one of his Amish sellers on how to grow produce for market and several organic growers on the list eagerly bought the book assuming if they are Amish all the info in the book will be organic. To their horror they found that Amish growers, if not certified organic, use about 3x as many 'cides on their crops as conventional English growers.

Locally, a bunch of Amish have been settling EC Indiana and many sell produce/plants at local farmers' markets and I have notice they mainly do reselling but tell people its' stuff they grow. At a market I go to and used to be on the board of we had to kick the Amish out because they on their first day blatently broke the rules by reselling and not leaving promptly at noon (the market is on city land and the city is draconian about this rule. Some major parking issues in this town).

I have not found the same things to be true about the local German Baptist (Dunker) group.

I guess I am not an Amish fan any longer, though I used to be.

[houseodessey]

Wow! I never realized how irritating Amish people could be. We don't have any communities here, I don't think. I would love to be able to never buy and always borrow with the simple excuse: "owning a(n) (insert item here) is against my religion, so let me use yours or inconvenience you in some way." What a hoot!