The Amish. Quaint. Traditional. Master chefs. We all internally groan when we see a buggy ahead of us on the road, but there are definitely perks to growing up/living beside the plain folk (for example, I know how to say 'fat cow' in Dutch. Culture). Whether you scoff at their antiquated ways or admire their humility and determination, everyone who has grown up around the Amish knows certain things that those who haven't just don't.
1. The phrase "share the road" could mean with literally anything. Buggies, tractors, wagons, those weird bicycles where people ride lying down - we've seen it all and don't get surprised anymore, just slow down and wait for an opportunity to pass.
2. The food is unreal. For some reason, many Best Donuts lists I read do not include the locally made, saliva inducing Rise'n Roll, also lovingly referred to as Amish Crack. Long's donuts are fantastic, don't get me wrong, but the best donuts in Indiana? Hardly. There aren't just donuts either: pies, chicken and noodles, pretzels, cakes, ice cream, even peanut butter! If it's Amish-made, it's sure to be good.
3. We live for fair week. Growing up among the rural Amish has its effects, and one of them is the county fair. Some people literally live at the fair for the whole week to tend their animals or some people just drop in to consume massive amounts of fried food. Either way, the whole town comes to life during fair week.
4. The Mennonite-Amish faith is a spectrum ranging from the extremely liberal to the extremely Amish. Many outsiders believe that Amish and Mennonite are two very similar, very conservative religions, but in reality the faith is constantly changing and expanding its beliefs. However, many other more liberal Mennonites and I have had this discussion many a time:
*mentions that I am Mennonite*
"You're Mennonite??? But then why don't you wear skirts/head coverings?"
5. There are many common last names because everyone is related to each other and most have Amish origins. Miller/Yoder/Fisher/Lehman/Bontrager/Hostetler/Hochstetler/Hochstedler/Hochslhhsdjfsdhkhfsler
6. Yoder Toters aka Hostetler Haulers are a thing. Yoder Toters are large vans that Amish people can hire out to take them places faster than a buggy ever can.
7. Quilting is a thing, yes, and it is taken very seriously. They are truly works of art. They should hang some in the Louvre. Or at least MoMA.
8. Those extra lanes on the side of the road? Yeah, those are for buggies.
9. Amish is a tourism industry that keeps us alive. Yes, people come to see the Amish and how they live, and towns like Shipshewana and Middlebury, Indiana thrive on it. But please don't take pictures of the Amish people. This is not a zoo.
So while we might poke fun at each other's faintly-Dutch accents and sometimes wonder why we ever chose to live in a place where our Walmart has buggie parking, we do appreciate the uniqueness of living amongside a religion and a culture that few other places get to witness or understand as we do.
Now go to Rise'n Roll. You know you want to.
