indyfabz

I’ve found that to be true at last call.

Alan K

But majority of grrringos can’t do that, if their life depended on it. 😉

Alan K

If you were an Amish, everyone else to you would be an English.

pdlamb

Unless, perhaps, it was a member of my great-aunt's church in Pennsylvania. Their services were conducted in German until about 1980. Perhaps not surprisingly, she reported that attendance jumped substantially when they changed over to English.

One Wheel

Most Amish in my area still refer to non-Amish as "English" and I believe they still conduct church services in German. As far as I know it's only Amish and pre-Vatican II schismatic catholics that don't conduct services in English around here, but there are at least 2 pairs of still-functioning Lutheran churches that the original division was which dialect of Norwegian they held services in.

Alan K

I hear that there is some, perhaps inevitable, splintering among the Amish. The so-called “High Amish” can now have LED lights on their horse buggies, instead of using a kerosine lantern after dark. Progress…

By the way, Amish do not have churches, so no ”church services”, unless things have changed recently.

I was reading somewhere that although adults do not ride bicycles but the youth may do so. It must be difficult to start enjoying bicycling and then having to give it up. [But then every religion demands discipline and sacrifices.]

seypat

It's amazing how that 2 at 10 turns into a 10 at 2, at least for some. Which reminds me, BITD around the time we were in HS, it was popular for the bands on the live C&W music scene to cover this song.

indyfabz

Interestingly, a good number of PA Amish moved to WI decades ago as land prices as land values (and taxes) started to rise with development in certain areas. I remember reading about it in a Philly newspaper. They could sell gheir land in PA and buy land in WI for much less. There were cases where people boarded tour busses to make their moves.

While still around, some of the traditional Amish areas west of Philadelphia have lost their character. You have to go farther north and west in the state to find more tradition. Last year I was touring across PA. East of State College is the Brush Valley. A one-room schoolhouse (the second one I had seen in the valley) was letting out for the day. Five children in traditional dress pulled out a little a bit in front of me on push scooters. I caught up to them and rode behind them for maybe about 1.5 miles. I looked down and noticed they were all barefoot. One by one they turned off at their respective houses at the east end of the valley, before entering PA forest land. I imagined them all meeting again in the morning to scooter to school. It was one of the most intimate experiences I have ever had riding a bike and embodies what I love about touring.

Alan K

Addendum: I think that calling non-Amish as English, seems a lot more polite than heathens, goy, and infidels… the way these terms are used by their respective believers. But then Amish are not into dominion over others so it all makes sense.

Eric F 

I have found that regular consumption of burritos and churros were helpful for this gringo. Maybe it was also being with a Mexican woman for 13 years.

Alan K

I understand that the philosophy of living of Amish people is so incredibly different and simple from our contemporary life style, that for the most part, it seems incomprehensible. Their children wear shoes only when it becomes very cold, approaching freezing.
I have toured Amish area in PA about 40 years ago and loved the scenic aspects of it immediately, the first thing one notices is nothing cluttering your view - no ugly light poles, telephone poles, only lush green field and rolling hills. Perhaps with decrease in Amish population in PA, the light and telephone poles may have popped up by now.

They seemed friendly and kind people to me… had a nice lunch from one of their bakeries and fruits from their adjacent store. [They make killer cashew brittles! 😋]

Alan K

Once your taste pallet expands to include a larger variety of food and flavors, I imagine, no one would want to limit themselves to old-style food devoid of flavors and spices ranging from subtle to blazing 🥵

Eric F 

Ummm...okay. I was just talking about being a gringo who can properly roll his Rs.

Alan K

Its a matter of desire to learn and practice, just like anything else.
Being with a Mexican lady for years would be good motivation. But I’m sure eating burritos and chorizo has nothing to do with rolling Rs.

My brother-in-law cannot pass up a taco/burrito joint on a long trip but he is completely incapable of rolling his Rs. His wife is from Brazil and pronounces her r correctly, in this context. They have been married for about 2 decades. He still does not eat any spicy food but loves ketchup on his steaks. Takes all kind to keep life interesting. 😉

One Wheel

Much more complicated than that:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subgroups_of_Amish

I think most of the Amish in my area are Schwartzentruber. They hold home church services every other week.

There's good and bad, complicated and simple. Amish are people, if you put them all in any other basket you're wrong. They're right about the shoe thing, though, and it's not just kids.

Alan K

It’s a given that nothing ever is all black or white!

Eric F 

I was being facetious about burritos and churros. I made an effort on pronunciation. Unfortunately, my fluency in the language is pretty weak. Thankfully, I've never been in a situation where my survival has depended on my Spanish skills. My Mexican ex-wife's English is on par with mine, so our communication issues were not language-related.

Alan K

A case of being at a disadvantaged by not getting a pass for a misunderstanding due to limited knowledge of language! 😉
Knowing multiple languages is great. Some people are good at picking up a language even at a later time in their life, unfortunately, I’m not one of those.

Eric F 

Most of my Spanish knowledge from from 2 years of it in HS, and the slow osmosis that happens while spending your life living in So Cal.

MinnMan

There's a lot to unpack in this brief statement, but I prefer that you wouldn't. Not even in P&R.