By Kevin Williams
It was slim pickin's in the blogosphere this past week for anything Amish. Still, I was able to unearth a few nuggets to share, even if they are just some still photos. First off:
OHIO AMISH FARM: Heavens, this is a gorgeous shot. I just want to jump into it and stay there. The setting looks so bucolic and so serene. Very typical Ohio Amish country farmstead. Notice there are two houses on the property, and two barns. As Amish families grow in size and space is scarce in Holmes County, it is quite common to see families sharing and sub-dividing property. As long as everyone gets along, it's great! Click here for this wonderful photo.
AMISH IN DISNEY WORLD: I don't want to disparage the author of this piece, I've mellowed in my older years, I don't like to disparage anyone, really. But I can have opinions and this piece just didn't do it for me. I wanted to like it. In fact, I appreciate the lengths the author went to protect the Amish man's identity (but calling him Mose Gingerich just seemed silly) and the piece just left out too much and went on too long. I didn't see the age of this Amish man anywhere....and, really, he just called up and invited himself along to Disney World? Something with this piece just didn't click for me. But you be the judge. Click here to read.
AMISH COOKBOOK REVIEW: Sorry if the coarse name of this blog offends anyone, but I found the review 
interesting because of how it plays into popular perceptions of Amish cooking. The blogger didn't like the cookbook because it was packed full of processed and prepackaged foods. The name of the cookbook is The Authentic Amish Cookbook and, wow, that is a lofty, lofty name and if you are going to name it that you best deliver. I haven't read the book, but the name may be it's biggest flaw. The cookbook is compiled from ladies in the Evart, Michigan settlement. On that score alone, I'd love to comb through this book because there are probably several gems of recipes to be mined in there, but that's all. The rest, yes, I'm not surprised, is un-inventive cooking. Amish cooking has diverged into two different paths. One group of Amish have heartily embraced Velveeta, Cool Whip, Rice Krispies, and cream of mushroom soup while another group of Amish (and Gloria Yoder is in this group) are back-to-the-land locovores who make their own cheese, drink raw milk, grow all their own veggies, etc. So if you are expecting one type of Amish cookbook and get the other it can be, as this blogger found out, jarring. It sounds like a charming church-type cookbook packed full of comfort food. Again, as someone that studies Amish cooking and its variations by region I'd be interested in combing through it, but, yea, this particular Amish settlement isn't one where you'll find a ton of locovore type cooking. Anyway, click here for the blogger's review of The Authentic Amish Cookbook. Readers on Good Reads generally seemed to react to the book the same way this blogger did!:)
MENNONITES IN GUATEMALA: This is just a single still photo, but it illustrates the Central American Mennonites quite well. Their clothing has evolved to have a bit more of a color splash than around here, but still quite recognizable as Plain. Click here.
HOMEMADE MAPLE SANDWICH COOKIES: Last, but not least, a recipe. This one comes from a blogger in Traverse City (Amish Cook country!:) who shares with us a wonderful recipe for maple whoopie pies along with some great photos. So if you've never made whoopie pies before but want to try, this is a nicely-written, very approachable recipe. Click here to read and enjoy! The blogger has some genuinely authentic Amish input into the recipe!
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