# Amazed by the Amish: Questions for East-Coasters **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957 "2005-01-04T02:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/1 "2005-01-04T02:48:44Z")
I just returned from Philadelphia, where I did some shopping at the Reading Terminal Market. As a western U.S. girl I saw my first real-life Amish people, who were staffing (and apparently own) many of the food stalls. Forgive me for my ignorance, but I had the idea that traditional Amish did not participate in outside economic affairs (they seemed “traditional” to me because they were wearing clothes that in my limited experience suggest this label). Was my assumption about the economic participation in the outside world erroneous? Are there Amish who live and work full-time outside of places like Lancaster County? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/2 "2005-01-04T03:02:14Z")
Yes, your assumption was erroneous. Different Amish churches and sects have different rules about the extent to which their members interact with us “English.” Generally the idea is to minimize, not eliminate completely. Wish I had a nickel for every time someone assumes I live in Pennsylvania when I mention our local Amish population. They’re more widely dispersed than that. I’d like to recommend an excellent book on the Amish, _Amish Society_ by John Hostetler, a sociologist and former Amishman. Highly enlightening. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/3 "2005-01-04T03:06:31Z")
Although I’m near traditional “Dutch Amish” country in PA, (I live in the next county over.) I grew up in Southern Maryland and there was and still is a very significant Amish population. And because I might not need to use this smilie again; ;j . ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/4 "2005-01-04T03:12:29Z")
Thanks for your replies, I’m going to look for the book that was suggested. Would you happen to know if families build personal wealth or if money generated from outside business enterprises goes into a community fund? (This would probably vary from sect to sect?) ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/5 "2005-01-04T03:14:50Z")
I grew up in central NJ, where I would see Amish selling their wares at the local outdoor flea market every weekend. Best baked goods, mmmm, among other things. Then I lived in central PA for 3 years, where I saw them all the time, at Wal-Mart, at the gas station in vans, in buggies in front of me, all over. So, yea, they do live and work outside of Lancaster County. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/6 "2005-01-04T03:16:25Z")
I live in PA, smack-dab in Amish country. AFAIK, they do amass personal wealth. They operate small businesses and do participate in the local economy. I’ve seen them shopping in local stores. They’re not nearly as isolated as most people assume they are. Robin ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/7 "2005-01-04T04:01:28Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I live in PA, smack-dab in Amish country. > > AFAIK, they do amass personal wealth. They operate small businesses and do participate in the local economy. I’ve seen them shopping in local stores. > > They’re not nearly as isolated as most people assume they are. > > Robin From what I could tell from my one-day visit to Lancaster Co. a couple of years ago: the Amish had no problems whatsoever accepting Federal Reserve Notes. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/8 "2005-01-04T04:01:36Z")
Tourists are encouraged to visit Illinois Amish country around Arthur and Arcola, IL: [http://www.illinoisamishcountry.com](http://www.illinoisamishcountry.com) Alas, Rockone Gardens, the Amish theme park (!) in the area for many years, is being sold at auction this February; I don’t know what will become of it. ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/9 "2005-01-04T04:08:47Z")
I grew up about an hour away from PA Amish country. I had a really weird experience when my school took us to the local amusement park (Kennywood!) and it was full of Amish. Except that they were Mennonites. Mennonites are a little more “in the world” than the Amish. For some reason, PA seems to attract all kinds of, umm, “different” religions. Like the Harmonites and the people in Old Economy (Ambridge.) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/10 "2005-01-04T05:40:55Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > Except that they were Mennonites. Mennonites are a little more “in the world” than the Amish. Indeed. I know a lovely Mennonite woman who (IIRC) was once Amish, then married a Catholic man. Of course she left the Amish church and became Mennonite. At least one of her daughters attends a Catholic school. I was more than a little surprised to attend the science fair and see this girl, whom I normally saw in traditional Mennonite dress, wearing jeans and a blouse. Regarding personal wealth: I do know that the Amish self-insure – they pay for all medical procedures, etc., out-of-pocket. When someone needs serious, expensive treatment, the community pitches in. They also pay for their own schools (and ours as well, through property taxes). What doesn’t go back into their businesses goes to the church or to community causes such as these. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/11 "2005-01-04T06:31:42Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > Except that they were Mennonites. Mennonites are a little more “in the world” than the Amish. Some Mennonites are more than a little more in the world than the Amish. My mother’s family is Mennonite, and while I’ve had relatively minimal contact with the actual religion, more just the cultural elements like really good but really unhealthy food, it’s always been a bit of a pet peeve of mine to have to explain that yes, my grandparents drive a car and own a tv and wear normal clothes and all that. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to be able to identify any of the Mennonites here on the West Coast by sight, since they all dress and act just like anybody else. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/12 "2005-01-04T11:32:14Z")
Mennonites are referred to, by my friend who _knows_ these things, as _The Electric Amish._ We have Amish here in Michigan and if you want a beautiful quilt that costs more than a house payment, go to Shipshewanna (sp?) Indiana. Holy crap are they gorgeous and expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/13 "2005-01-04T12:36:24Z")
Northeast Indiana is home to many Amish settlements. Almost all of the Amish families in our area farm, but the men often also do construction work within the area, and some of the women work in factories. (I haven’t seen this personally but have seen it referred to in a column written by an Amish woman that appears in our weekly newspaper.) Many years ago when I worked at a Target store, we had many of the area Amish families as customers. Most seem to have moved their patronage to the Meijer store which came in about ten years later as it was further into the country and therefore safer to travel to by buggy. Also, the Meijer store provides hitching posts in the parking area. There are still a few ‘snatch-n-grabs’ and farm markets that I’ve visited in the area, and given the prices I would say the Amish who operate them are well aware of their reputation for producing quality goods. Just don’t go expecting to find bargains. ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/14 "2005-01-04T14:32:14Z")
It’s old, probably been told here before, and I’ll most likely get pitted for it, but here goes anyway, Q. What do you call an Amish guy with his arm halfway up a horse’s arse? A. A mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/15 "2005-01-04T14:53:36Z")
If you sepnd any time on Greyhound buses in the New York/Pennsylvania/Ohio area like I did when I lived in Akron and went to school in Ithaca, you’ll see Amish/Mennonites on pretty much every trip, so clearly they’re not exclusively anti-technology. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/16 "2005-01-04T15:01:52Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > I grew up about an hour away from PA Amish country. I had a really weird experience when my school took us to the local amusement park (Kennywood!) and it was full of Amish. Except that they were Mennonites. Mennonites are a little more “in the world” than the Amish. [hijack] Kennywood! The Thunderbolt rules! And a woman I know who lives down here and works with my girlfriend dressed up in the Kenny Kangaroo costume for a couple of summers. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/17 "2005-01-04T15:08:22Z")
There are three kinds of Pennsylvania Dutch - the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Brethren, of which there are a zillion subtypes (Lemonites, Shoemakerites, Christian Brethren, Brethren in Christ, etc etc) who generally have split from one another because of some little detail of how Scripture should be interpreted. My ancestors were River Brethren. These groups tend more to be isolationist than anti-technology. So for example if you have Amish neighbors they may always be asking to use your phone or get driven places in your car, though they’re not allowed to have their own. The idea is that they won’t get integrated into English society by using the phone if they don’t have one you can reach them at. But all the clothing I’ve seen sold to them seems to be polyester, and you’d have to see them sloshing pesticides around in the fields to believe how much they use. Also, for the record, their baking looks good but pretty much all I’ve sampled has about three times too much sugar in it. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/18 "2005-01-04T15:20:48Z")
My husband’s boss is Mennonite and I have sung with the Christmas choir at his Mennonite church in Springs, PA. The people there are the same, as far as technical usage, as anyone else in this area, using phones, cars, computers and whatever else is available. In talking about the Amish in the area, he talks about two distinct types of Amish, which he refers to as the regular Amish, who use horses and buggies and have no electricity, and the _Car Amish_. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/19 "2005-01-04T16:23:51Z")
My brother’s family lives in Lancaster county PA, so I visit there now and again. Last summer I rode my motorcycle down and spent a few days bombing around the countryside. A lot of the Amish ride bicycles in nice weather, what I got a charge from was seeing the kids on rollerblades. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957/20 "2005-01-04T16:28:26Z")
If we’re gonna tell jokes, I’ve got one. But here’s a little background first: In my area of PA there’s a group known as Black Bumper Mennonites. They are allowed to drive cars but must paint over all of the chrome with black paint because anything showy like chrome leads to vanity. Did you know that Black-Bumper Mennonites don’t have to pay to get on the PA Turnpike? | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | They pay when they exit, like everybody else does! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazed-by-the-amish-questions-for-east-coasters/282957.md?page=2)