Pennsylvania Amish Counry

Posted by Thane

What a great change to head to the rural parts of Pennsylvania from DC. We traveled through this peaceful, bucolic setting on a Sunday when all the Amish were out in their buggies visiting. It also meant that almost nothing was open, even the gas stations were closed! We finally found an open restaurant called Plain and Fancy that served "family style" Amish food that was delicious. Fried chicken, roast beef, chicken pot pie, sausage, chow chow, mashed potatoes, greenbeans, corn and wet bottom shoo-fly pie for dessert. I guess if you do a lot of manual labor out on the farm you could eat like this more often! We learned quite a bit about the Amish culture but the sign that hit me the most was this one:

Want to become Amish? Here is some words of advice from the Small Farm Journal written by an Amishman. "We realize that not everyone is cut out to be one of the plain people. Many have not the opportunity; but here is the challenge: If you admire our faith, strengthen yours. If you admire our sense of commitment-deepen yours. If you admire our sense of community spirit, build your own. If you admire the simple life, cut back. If you admire deep character and enduring values, live them yourself.

The Amish farms were usually white and immaculately kept. They had no power lines going to them, although recently the dairy farms have added power to the barn only to meet government requirements for refrigeration.The Old Order Amish do not drive cars, although they will ride in them for necessary trips (doctor, work etc.). Some of the more modern Amish will drive cars, but the car will usually be black and plain. Some will use bicycles, but many will only use scooters because the bicycle is too fast.Here is a scene from one of the small towns we went through.
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