A visit with the Amish

Last Friday, Brent and Diane, Mich, Sam and I took a trip to Lancaster county to visit with the Amish.
I find their lifestyle quite fascinating, so when Diane brought up the idea I was more than thrilled to check them out. The Amish are a religious sect originating from the Mennonites, who arose directly out of the reformation struggles of the sixteenth century.

The first thing that I saw that set them apart is their transport -  the buggy. Its a horse drawn carriage. They don't use cars.
"Englisher", "Yankee" or "High People" are the names given by the Amish for anyone who is not Amish.

They are known as the plain people because they wear plain colored clothing, they live in scattered farmland locations across America. They live within highly personalized relationships, avoiding more than casual contact with strangers who might attempt to educate them to the ways of the outside world. While the Amish avoid most of the conveniences of the 21st Century, something that most outsiders have difficulty understanding, they are happy in their way of life.

I first  heard about them  when there was a shooting at one of their schools and it was all over the news. Oprah on one of her cross country tours stopped by one of the Amish homes. They don't use electricity or telephones.
They are not too thrilled with people visiting their quiet countryside farms. In fact, they avoid anything more than casual contact with strangers and any possible influence from the outside world of the "Englisher" just as they have for more than three hundred years.

They mind their own business, that made me cautious not to ask questions or stare at them. For religious reasons, most Amish avoid having their picture taken. They will cover their face or turn away from a camera just as you would if a stranger suddenly tried to take your picture. Keep in mind, too, that flash cameras snapped in front of a passing Amish buggy may frighten the horse and endanger the buggy’s passengers.

We stopped over for lunch at one of their well known restaurants and the food was mm mm good!
They kept bringing dishes until we said stop. The order of service in the restaurant was that every one ate together at one long table. If you came in and found some people already seated you would join them and eat like one big family, nice!