Caption: Hobos walk the rails during the Great Depression (photo credit: Life Magazine)
My daughter is obsessed with “choo-choos” right now. We live in a town bisected by train tracks and at any given time it seems there is a train whistle, either very distant or sometimes quite close. And Aster’s eyes grow wide and she says “choo choo” whenever she hears a whistle.
She has the same love of choo-choos that I had as a kid and still have today.
I stumbled upon this website recently about the best ways to “hop a freight train.” No, I don’t recommend you try it.
But the romanticism remains and it occurred to me that railroad hobo culture and the Amish have more in common than one might think at first blush. At its essence, one doesn’t REALLY need much to live richly. Shelter, food, and friendship is really all one needs. Our capitalist culture has created all sorts of items people “must” have, but we don’t really need them. So the idea that there is some world of harmless hobos right under our noses, clinging to the tracks and the railyards, with their own food, folkways and friendships is appealing. And that is the appeal of the Amish, too, isn’t it? An insular culture within our midst that is back-to-basics. And both the hobo culture and the Amish culture are over-romanticized. In reality, being a hobo is probably dangerous, lonely, and hunger-filled. In reality, Amish life is much more difficult than the postcard panoramas we see on calendars.
Hobos were itinerant workers who generally rode the rails in search of work. Some estimates have put the number of hobos at 500,000 at the turn of the last century but their ranks have thinned greatly in today’s world with the availability of increased government assistance, tighter rail-yard security, and an economy that is less labor reliant. Hobos experienced a boost in their ranks during the Great Depression when work was scarce and riding on the rails (as a sneaky hobo) was free. I remember hearing stories when I was a kid about hobos that passed through town during the Depression. My great-grandmother’s house was near a rail-line and apparently they discovered my great-grandmother was a good cook with a kind heart. Hobos would stop by her house for a meal. One of them scrawled a small arrow on the sidewalk in front of her house so other hobos would know this was a safe stop. I imagine that the type of supper this recipe made was popular with hobos and hobo hostesses alike because it was hearty, easy-to-assemble, and could feed a quick crowd. That’s probably the qualities that eventually made the recipe appealing in Amish kitchens. The first recipe was in our first cookbook, The Original Amish Cook Cookbook.
Rachel made this dish last night. Like other recipes we have featured lately, this is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs casserole which is perfect for these seemingly never-ending cold days. There are a couple of variations on the “hobo supper.” A second one, that appeared in Lovina’s column a couple of years ago, appears below it. A picture of our meal and some process shots are
below also. Yum!
Hobo culture and the Amish have more in common than one might think at first blush. The scratch dish is a good example.
SIMPLE HOBO SUPPER
6 hot dogs, sliced
6 medium potatoes, precooked
2 tablespoons of onions, cut fine
1 /4 cup of butter
1 pint of peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Stir into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
HEARTY HOBO SUPPER
11 Comments
Jodi Ridlon
My husband and I were on a trip to the RV MAPS convention about 15 years ago and we broke down in our motor home. The Lord really blessed us as we had some dear military friends we were able to get in touch with. They invited us to come stay with them’For almost a month we stayed with them in Kenosha WI. While we were there we went to an Amish Furniture store where they had ordered a table and benches. While we waited we looked around and bought a few things. One of the items was a jar or cherry butter. I had never heard of it and we put it up for when we got ready to continue our trip. I was sorry I had put it away as we loved it and I could never find it again. I don’t know if this is available anywhere but I would love to get some if it is.
I know this is for comments, but I thought this may be the only chance I get to ask a question so many people see. We have so many favorites out of the Amish cookbooks I have gotten, but nothing beats the cherry butter.Thanks for listening. I’ll watch for comments. Blessings Jodi
Kevin
Jodi…hmmm, Cherry Butter, sounds amazing….I’ll ask someone of the Amish people I know and report back!
titt
You actually revealed it terrifically!
Dee
waiting patiently for the Cherry Butter recipe too ! Sounds delish!
Ms. Catherine Melba Alston Hardy
I like; Thank you
Marie Czarnecki
I have been in Pennsylvania, and the Amish people are very nice people.
Marlene Nelson
When we were in Montana this past summer, we bought some Amish peanut butter. that is also hard to find. I enjoy going to where the Amish people are , they are vary out going and you can be your self and they know. you are there asking questions on some of there bake goods and staples they use everyday. Thank You.
Marlene
Judi Covey
I am so jealous of your train ride! I have the “railroad wanderlust” gene too. My grandfather was a depot agent in a tiny town in South Dakota. He would take us to the depot and let us play with the telegraph. I remember standing out in a field of sunflowers waving at the trains as they went by. Would love to spend the rest of my life riding around on a train – probably not as a hobo tho!
Kevin
Thanks, Judi, you paint an idyllic picture of a bygone era….One of these days I’ll get an Amtrak pass, maybe I’ll see you on the rails!
Grace Pulley
Living here in Gillette, Wyoming we see trains all of the time. My husband I love it we have both loved trains from an early age. We never tire of seeing them or hearing them. The first house we lived in when we moved to Wyoming was on a block away from the tracks. It was an area where many trains couples or uncoupled when this happens it is very loud but we grew to love that sound. One might think it would be difficult to live let alone sleep with noise going on at all hours but it never really bothers us. For my husband Jeff and I the love of trains has a lot to do with nostalgia but also large amount of wanderlust. Now it brings images of a slower simpler time and we would love nothing more than to spend our golden years riding the rails where they would take us.
Kevin
Ah, sounds wonderful, Grace. One of these days I’ll get an Amtrak pass, perhaps our paths will one day cross on a train!