Good Tuesday to one and all!
Not a lot of Amish in the News today (which is the way the Amish generally like it!). Our first stop is Colorado, a state with an increasing Amish population.
BANK ADS OFFENSIVE OR JUST HUMOROUS? Seems a regional bank chain wants to play off the supposed Amish aversion to technology (I say "supposed" because, as I hope you've learned on this site, it's more complicated than that...the Amish are averse to technology, they just cherry pick it ways that fits their lifestyle) by promoting their new mobile banking platform which is so easy, even the Amish can figure out how to use it. What do you think about these new ads, are they offensive or just cheeky? Click here to read more.
BARN-RAISING: I've written before that barn-raisings in Amish country are not as common as the mainstream media would have you think. This is especially true in older Amish settlements like Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where most of the land is taken and the barns have been built to withstand the test of time. There just isn't a huge demand for new barns. But if fire or weather take out an existing barn, the time-honored tradition of a barn-raising will still happen. And this is what a reporter for the local paper chronicled last week. Just amazing how fast a bunch of skilled Amish workers can raise a barn. Amazing. I never get tired of reading about it or seeing photos. So if you are like me, click here to enjoy!
TRUE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH FOOD: This is a topic I have touched upon on this site a lot over the past year. True Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is much more than funnel cakes and scrapple and the Amish overlap into Pennsylvania Dutch cooking is pretty minimal. A writer for the Washington Post tackled the topic this week, click here to read his take.
HORSE PROGRESS DAYS: This is one of the largest events in Ohio's Amish country every year. Read about it here.
farmhousebarb
I found the article on PA Dutch cooking interesting,since my family on my Dad's side is from Somerset county. That is the food and style of cooking that our family has always known..we just didn't name it!! Also,the barn raising video is neat. The fella walking down the rafters was scary,at least to me.
Kevin
Yes, heights are not my favorite thing, I wouldn't want to do that!:)
Carol Crowe Phillips
I think the commercials are just in poor taste and show the ignorance of those writing them. I don't think the Amish would actually be offended by them. I don;t know anyone Amish but I do know a lot of Mennonites and most would just shake their heads and maybe laugh at this type of thing. They do however almost offend me because I see them in one way as making fun of the Amish. If some company that I did business with had the nerve to post a commercial with this line of advertising, I would be calling them to complain about the ads and letting them know they were not appreciated. Perhaps I am a bit more sensitive than some. I would love to hear some other perspectives on this as well.