The Amish keep surprising me with their worldlyness (?)

[packman]

I remember stopping at an Amish country store in Pennsylvania. As I expected, wood furniture-canned goods-blankets-home made stuff, etc. As I was shopping, I saw a bearded, straw -hatted older man walk out of back room door and in that room was a wall of computers and monitors with Amish men and women typing away on them. Seems like they had a e-commerce thing going and a web site for selling all that tourist crap.

[Sanity Claws]

1. Could they have been Mennonite, not Amish?

I thought Amish eschewed all technology. The Mennonites are more flexible.

[wnylib]

13. That was my thought, too.

[Warpy]

2. And all on an eighth grade education?

My best guess says either New Order or hired help who were required to dress the part.

Still, the wooden furniture is now being produced with power tools. Houses are still unwired and women have no mod cons, but the men have power tools to make commercial products.

[Gruenemann]

9. Amish have gasoline-engine powered washing machines.

Don't know if you'd call that a mod con, but I assume washing clothes is "women's work." They don't use electricity because that connects them with the outside world. I've read they prefer Honda engines as they are easier to start

[Warpy]

20. If you've ever used a washboard and washtub

for more than your own clothing, you'd know that is definitely a mod con, a major one.

I'm glad women have been spared that drudgery, at least.

[Peregrine Took]

3. I wish they were kinder to their animals and didn't keep puppy mills. n/t

[Bayard]

5. Yes

I've seen horses being forced to pull a family loaded buggy uphill in 90 degree heat.

And they do breed LSG's (Livestock Guardian Dogs) rather indiscriminately.

But I have talked to many warm and caring Amish (even one trump-hater). I've had them do work here on our farm.

[PortTack]

12. Yes, I've seen work horses salvaged from auction slaughter houses saved by rescue orgs

And the horses are in terrible shape. Practically no hoof care, sores from poorly fitting harnesses, teeth not cared for. They have never had a bath or grooming ...sad

[Bayard]

4. They can run any machine that has to do with, "work"

I was quite surprised when I moved here (South Central KY), to go to an Amish store where they were running around on forklifts, and driving trucks. My favorite Amish sawmill's owner drives quite large log-moving and loading machines. Most of them have cell phones, so I'm assuming computers would be acceptable too for business purposes.

And yet, they still only drive horse and buggies (most local businesses have hitching posts), or hire someone to drive them longer distances. I've talked to a few ex-Amish around here that quietly call them, hypocrites.

[doc03]

15. Here in Ohio they do all the above. They do a lot of

construction work use nail guns, fork lifts etc. They will use a generator for power since they don't believe in conecting to the grid.
I noticed a couple years ago most all ride electric bicycles. I asked a Amish genetlman how they charged the batteries. He said all the farms have either solar or a generator to run their milking machine and some secretly connect to the power grid.
I said I had seen some electric bikes when I was in Florida. He asked me where that was, I told him Sarasota and says we go there every winter.
I think being Amish is kind of a business today people pay premium prices for Amish products and carpentry.
If they make weed legal in Ohio I will bet the Amish will
be first in line to grow it.

[OriginalGeek]

16. yeah Sarasota has a good-sized Amish area

Lots of the handmade goods (my wife wanted a quilt until she saw the $1000.00 price tag) and some reeeeeally good restaurants.

My grandparents used to go there every year for one of their state Airstream rallies and I always asked them to bring me a pie. Now I just go down there my self. We are not above making a day trip of driving down for lunch and shopping and coming back.

[doc03]

18. I see the Amish on Siesta Key for spring break

every year. I ask a couple girls where they were from they said Lancaster PA. I am sure they didn't ride a horse there.

[multigraincracker]

19. An Amish lady here if Michigan that I do antique business with

goes to Florida every winter....for health reasons.

Who am I to judge?

[OriginalGeek]

21. yeah I had a layover in Philly once

and while I was waiting for my connecting flight, munching my big pretzel (first time in Philadelphia so I had to do something Philly since I didn't have time to get out to the good cheesesteak place) and a whole family of Amish people came strolling by in a single file line. I thought that was kinda odd but I don't know if that's an Amish thing or just how the walk shook out.

I wondered if they were just meeting someone or actually flying.

My grandpa came from Mennonites in Ohio so the whole concept is not a complete mystery to me but it's still pretty close to one lol. (He was not a Mennonite but his people were.)

[mopinko]

23. there are several amish booths at the reading market.

i found it pretty odd.

[central scrutinizer]

6. Are they buying or selling the ganja?

[Gruenemann]

11. Don't know about that, but the Mennonites in Mexico,

who have long sold cheese they produce, have started a sideline growing and selling mota.

[Sneederbunk]

7. Please leave them alone.

[packman]

8. Barn building ability is legendary

[blueinredohio]

10. Are they buying it or selling it?

[Midnight Writer]

14. Amish around here jumped right on the hemp and CBD bandwagon.

I don't know of any THC activity, but all the Amish stores started selling CBD and hemp products as soon as they were legal.

[wnylib]

17. A lot depends on what their local bishop approves.

Most of the Amish here in western NY travel regularly on buses to visit people in other towns. One time I was taking a bus to another city when an Amish passenger asked to use a cell phone. I offered mine but he did not know how to use it, so I "dialed" the number for him. When he was done, he gave it back to me and I had to disconnect the call.

Also, the Mennonites have a few branches. The Old Order Mennonites are most similar to Amish in appearance and life style, but are able to use modern technology. They are sometimes mistaken for Amish.

There is an Amish family that has a booth at our local farmers' market every summer. They sell produce, cut flowers, potted plants, and baked goods. The whole family gets involved - husband, wife, grandmother, and some older kids. Younger kids are with them, playing and watching the "English" customers. I talked with the women on time about how they make the pleats in their hats. They said it's not all done by hand. They have treadle sewing machines.

[rurallib]

22. Back in my working days our corporate computer head was some order of Amish.

His particular sect could only drive cars that were all black and did not have a radio. I can't remember what he did when he traveled but somehow he had a way to make that work.

Fortune 500 company.