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The Amish: what experience do you have with them, if any ?

Tender Branson

Tender Branson

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Location
🇦🇹 Austria 🇦🇹
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I find them pretty cool and the Mormons too.

But I am an Austrian and have only visited the US East Coast so far and not the interior of Ohio, Pennsylvania or Utah.

What about you ?
 
Tender Branson said:
I find them pretty cool and the Mormons too.

But I am an Austrian and have only visited the US East Coast so far and not the interior of Ohio, Pennsylvania or Utah.

What about you ?
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Go to Kentucky. They love their farms. Hard workers. Good people in general.
 
Tender Branson said:
I find them pretty cool and the Mormons too.

But I am an Austrian and have only visited the US East Coast so far and not the interior of Ohio, Pennsylvania or Utah.

What about you ?
Click to expand...
I live on the northern edge of Amish country in north central Ohio. I have worked with them many times. Some of the furniture is my house was made my Amish cabinetmakers. Some of them are very nice people and some of them are not.
 
There is a Amish community in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, not far from where I grew up. Pretty decent people.

But like any community, you have the good and the bad.

And then you have this guy.



:ROFLMAO:
 
Safiel said:
There is a Amish community in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, not far from where I grew up. Pretty decent people.

But like any community, you have the good and the bad.

And then you have this guy.



:ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...

Coming over a hill at 60mph and finding an unlighted Amish buggy in your lane or on a foggy road will put the fear of god in someone. I've had it happen a few times. I've had a few close calls over the past 30+ years. Thankfully most now have small LED lights or at minimum reflective tape, so they are easier to see at night.
 
There are some good youtube videos you can watch to learn more about Amish communities - and I don't mean the crap reality tv show about 'Amish mafia' or whatever.

Basically, they seem largely to be conservative people following some ideals; they are pretty varied with different groups with different views, and they are people, with the normal variances of people.

From a tourist/consumer side, they have some very good restaurants and crafted goods.

They seem to share some things with other communities within larger communities, bonding in their community; there seems to be a strong ethic of community support, almost 'commune'-like.

They have a custom where young men - I don't recall if it includes women - are invited to go see the world and do what they like to experience it, to help them decide if they want to leave the Amish community or to permanently return to it. It seems effective as a way of securing their loyalty - they're ill-prepared for the outside world and can be told 'you chose to come back'.

I'm hardly that familiar and I've left out some cultural things, including things they value and reasons they value the lifestyle, but those are impressions.
 
Lisa said:
Coming over a hill at 60mph and finding an unlighted Amish buggy in your lane or on a foggy road will put the fear of god in someone. I've had it happen a few times. I've had a few close calls over the past 30+ years. Thankfully most now have small LED lights or at minimum reflective tape, so they are easier to see at night.
Click to expand...

Fortunately never had to deal with that issue. The community is in the relatively sparsely populated northeast corner of the county and we very rarely went up that way, and when we did it was typically in midday.

There is one Amish community here in North Carolina, down in Union Grove, about 40 miles directly south of my location.
 
Safiel said:
Fortunately never had to deal with that issue. The community is in the relatively sparsely populated northeast corner of the county and we very rarely went up that way, and when we did it was typically in midday.

There is one Amish community here in North Carolina, down in Union Grove, about 40 miles directly south of my location.
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My sister lives in the Asheville area. I didn't know about that Amish settlement.

I live 20 minutes from Kidron. Its mostly a trourist trap on the weekends.

www.ohiosamishcountry.com

Kidron

Lodging, Shopping, Food, Attractions, and Things to do in Amish Country. Ohio's Amish Country is the guide for travel in Holmes County, Ohio. Plan a trip, view our photos, and learn about the Amish way of life.
www.ohiosamishcountry.com www.ohiosamishcountry.com
 
There are various sects of the Amish. Some don't drink even coffee, some love it. Some smoke, some wouldn't touch it.
I was the MC years ago for a "Telescope night" ( 24 inch wide scope..nice instrument)
Anyway, a few Amish people showed up and stayed after the show. Wonderful people and set me straight about their feelings.
I thought they were basically all the same..Silly me. One older gentleman who was puffing on a huge pipe said>>
"We're not all like fenceposts. We don't hang around some sects and they do like-wise" :) :)
 
Lisa said:
Coming over a hill at 60mph and finding an unlighted Amish buggy in your lane or on a foggy road will put the fear of god in someone. I've had it happen a few times. I've had a few close calls over the past 30+ years. Thankfully most now have small LED lights or at minimum reflective tape, so they are easier to see at night.
Click to expand...
We have Amish living all around us. They have big reflective orange triangles on the back of their buggies--maybe it's a requirement in NY. Anyway, I live on back country roads with plenty of blind hills and tight corners, so I never go 60 until I get out on the nice straight State road. Yup, a buggy could be anywhere.

I just moved here last summer and haven't met any of them personally because I don't get out a lot, but the house I live in was built by two young Amish brothers, and my son hired them to build his shed. I hope to meet some of them, but they seem to keep to themselves, pretty much. This is a strict sect--no electric or gas powered anything. They take in their hay the hard way, with a scythe, and bundle the sheaves by hand where it sits to dry for awhile. Hard working people. Quiet neighbors.
 
MaryP said:
We have Amish living all around us. They have big reflective orange triangles on the back of their buggies--maybe it's a requirement in NY. Anyway, I live on back country roads with plenty of blind hills and tight corners, so I never go 60 until I get out on the nice straight State road. Yup, a buggy could be anywhere.

I just moved here last summer and haven't met any of them personally because I don't get out a lot, but the house I live in was built by two young Amish brothers, and my son hired them to build his shed. I hope to meet some of them, but they seem to keep to themselves, pretty much. This is a strict sect--no electric or gas powered anything. They take in their hay the hard way, with a scythe, and bundle the sheaves by hand where it sits to dry for awhile. Hard working people. Quiet neighbors.
Click to expand...
I worked as an architectural designer in the mid to late 00s we had a few Amish cabinet makers in our wood-shop and we occasionally outsourced work to this business. I have 4 side tables, a coffee table and 2 side chairs that they made for me. Very nice quality.

Eastwood Furniture

eastwoodfurniture.com eastwoodfurniture.com
 
Southern Maryland had a small Amish community. I was getting some hardwood a few years ago and ran across this place.

maryland-select.com

HOME

maryland-select.com

The owner was on hand and we chatted for a while. The facility he has is amazing. The square footage of under-roof storage is enormous! He was telling me about how he started. He began to build it mostly by himself. After about six months he had about a third of it done and he decided he needed some help. He called the Amish community and he said they came out and finished the place in under a week.
 
Have stopped at a country Amish store a few times on travels. Some nice/good stuff. But got some extra sharp cheddar from them once, and I love extra sharp cheddar, but I couldn't eat it.. Way sharp!

Used to work around an Amish framing crew from time to time, and nope, they will  not use that electric. Set their gas generator right there by the temporary power pole and plug in.
 
Tender Branson said:
I find them pretty cool and the Mormons too.

But I am an Austrian and have only visited the US East Coast so far and not the interior of Ohio, Pennsylvania or Utah.

What about you ?
Click to expand...
Seems they would be hated by the far left as backwards bigots.
 
Simpletruther said:
Seems they would be hated by the far left as backwards bigots.
Click to expand...
No, they aren't. I'm a lefty and live at the edge of a very large Amish settlement. Most Amish keep to themselves. They do not evangelize and many are hesitant to speak to English people(as they can non-Amish or Mennonite) other then pleasantries. They often speak a German dialect that is unknown to outsiders.

Live and let live. I respect their religious beliefs to live as they do.

Citizen said:
No Amish people are not political at all. The far left does not hate them because they do not try to impose their religious beliefs on anyone.
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Many Amish do not vote or take part in the political process.
 
Lisa said:
No, they aren't. I'm a lefty and live at the edge of a very large Amish settlement. Most Amish keep to themselves. They do not evangelize and many are hesitant to speak to English people(as they can non-Amish or Mennonite) other then pleasantries. They often speak a German dialect that is unknown to outsiders.

Live and let live. I respect their religious beliefs to live as they do.


Many Amish do not vote or take part in the political process.
Click to expand...
I have seen plenty of hate and name calling for people based solely upon their beliefs, regardless of application.
 
Citizen said:
No Amish people are not political at all. The far left does not hate them because they do not try to impose their religious beliefs on anyone.
Click to expand...
I have seen plenty of hate and name calling for people on this board based solely upon their belief difference, regardless of application.
 
Simpletruther said:
I have seen plenty of hate and name calling for people on this board based solely upon their belief difference, regardless of application.
Click to expand...
No, you have seen plenty of hate and name calling for people who try to impose their religion on other people through book banning,abortion and gay rights. Why don’t you just live and let live like the Amish do
 
Citizen said:
No, you have seen plenty of hate and name calling for people who try to impose their religion on other people through book banning,abortion and gay rights. Why don’t you just live and let live like the Amish do
Click to expand...
No I have seen for just expressing opinions on race or gender etc, called a bigot etc.
 
Simpletruther said:
No I have seen for just expressing opinions on race or gender etc, called a bigot etc.
Click to expand...
Well if something was said that appeared to be bigotry then that is why they were called a bigot
 
Lisa said:
Many Amish do not vote or take part in the political process.
Click to expand...

I don't really like that. It's one thing to support their right to do that, and I do, but you have to think they must have little appreciation or support for the rest of the country, viewing every penny they pay in taxes as theft for outsiders, having no interest in outside government. It's a little like the conditions that led to the American revolution, not that they're about to do anything like that, but they're missing out some.
 
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