Friday, October 25, 2013

Having Amish for Dinner


When I told my friends that we were having Amish for dinner, I got all the predictable responses, e.g. 'How will you prepare them?' or 'Slow cooked?' or 'With a very plain sauce?'  so if you're thinking of any Amish jokes, I've probably already heard them.


So anyway, I should have titled this, 'Having Amish Guests for Dinner,' but how fun would that have been.



Kevin's cousin and three young Amish friends showed up at 7 PM on our (not quite finished) front porch and knocked on the door last Friday evening. They did not arrive by horse and buggy, but by VW Bug - gunmetal gray, which Eric (the non Amish) was driving, of course.

 Cute VW Bug in Westby
Ugly Norwegian Trolls ;-)
(Eric and my husband)

As I said, Eric and the Amish guys arrived by VW Bug, not by...


 Horse and Buggy

In fact, while they were still en route from Westby to our house, I got a phone call from Eric. I told him that I should have reminded the Amish guys not to wear dark clothing because we have an abundance of dog hair. (Joke, get it? Because they always wear dark clothing, of course. Long pause, waiting for laughter...) ANYway, he had me on speaker phone, so I think they got a kick out of that - or wondered what they were getting themselves into.

I tried to take their drink orders, but they responded with

'Anything's okay'
'No matter'
'I don't care, you choose' (or something like that)

I told them they didn't carry those kinds at the BP.

I think they didn't want to seem demanding. When coaxed, they came up with a couple names. So Kevin and I made a little trip to the BP for Pepsi and Mountain Dew.

I had a big beef stew and apple crisp ready to serve them for dinner. I thought those were pretty safe. Even my kids never said, 'I hate that!' to those two.


 Actually, a workshop of one of the guys who visited us


 Juxtaposition
I wonder which one's Eric's...



Like any young, intelligent, and fun young men, these Amish guys (and Eric) were great dinner companions. We had a lot of fun conversation, and either they were really polite in wanting seconds, or they actually enjoyed the dinner.

They discussed things like how they collect ice, how they store it (for refrigeration in the summertime), how they made the woodworking project we had ordered (and which they delivered), and Kevin served one of them coffee in our Lehman's Hardware Store mug from the store in Ohio. They were very familiar with Lehman's, of course.

None of them had ever been this far north before last Friday, and Eric suspects that none of them had ever before eaten a meal in the home of 'an English.'. 



Before they left, Kevin offered them additional cans of soda for the long 3-hour trip home. Eric lamented the fact that the soda would mean extra pit stops. Kevin reminded him that there were always field drives to accommodate them. At this point, one of the young men said, 

'What happens in the corn field stays in the corn field.'

Now you wouldn't expect to hear that from an Amish guy, right?? !  We got a big laugh out of that.




I'll have to order more woodworking projects and maybe we'll get them back up here for another dinner. :-)

Before he left, Eric brought in a gift for me: a big leaf from an epiphyllum oxypetalum. (Put that in your pipe and smoke it!) I stuck it in the soil next to one of my jade plants. I hope it survives.



So lest you think that the Amish are so very different from us, just remember that all the dark clothing and 19th century technology aside, they're  just.  like.  us.

The above photo is of Amish cows. You couldn't tell the difference now, could you!  :-)

P.S. When I said something to my daughter about 'the Amish boys,' she said, 'They sound like a rock band, Mom - THE AMISH BOYZ, with a Z'  

I'll have to suggest it to them. I wonder if they're open to moonlighting.


***

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38 comments:

Samantha said...

Sounds like a wonderful evening Judy! 3 hours is a long way to come to deliver something, what a blessing to be able to provide dinner and share a meal together x

Susie said...

Love this post :):) Very interesting. So you know cows?? LOL. my post was of cattle yesterday. I don't know much about farms. I do love to see how the Amish still use the old ways to farm. xoxo,Susie

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i have always wonder how they get the horse to stay put. they (well, the ones i always see) never tie them up & i wonder how do they never wander away? i wonder?

have a nice weekend. ( :

Muffy's Marks said...

What an interesting post. Bet you had as much fun as those young men did.

Parsley said...

I wouldn't think dinner itself would different, only how it was cooked with modern appliances. Lol I will say for me it would be more interesting to go to THEIR place for dinner. I am sure it would be a longer yet interesting cooking process, though probably similar meals.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Judy I really enjoyoed reading this post and I do hope someday you will be ableto have them back. perhaps instead of them bring the stuff to you, you could collect it, that way you woul dbe able to sample an Amish dinner. Now there's a thought! Bet you didn't think of that!

Terri D said...

A very fun post, Judy! We were in the Pennsylvania Amish country when we went north for our nephew's wedding. It is an interesting way of life. Your dinner sounds like it was delicious, and I'm sure it was much appreciated! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

This is a great post, Judy! Love your sense of humor :) Sounds like a great evening was had by all!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI Judy Many thanks for relying to my comment. I am sure they were thrilled. I just thought that you too would also be thrilled to have the priviledge of having an Amish meal in an Amish home also. I know I would. I have been to an Amish farm many years ago but never had a meal with them.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI Judy that is so interesting to know. Many thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend.

Paulette said...

Enjoyed your post, hope the cactus survives.

NanaDiana said...

I grew up with the Amish in PA, Judy. One thing people don't know is that the Amish have quite a bawdy sense of humor (the men do anyway). LOL Glad you were able to share a meal with them.

Blessings and have a wonderful weekend- xo Diana

MadSnapper said...

love all the photos, the cows are number 1, and 2 is the bike and buggy. awesome. and so glad you had a good time, sounds like they did to. a real adventure for them to go so far from home and not behind a horse

Vee said...

Fun post! Made me laugh!

Angie's Recipes said...

This is so interesting. I have heard Amish all the time, but don't really know about them. What do Amish usually eat? Really anything everything?

Dar said...

What happens in the corn field, stays in the corn field...lol, that's funny. We buy our apple trees from an Amish greenhouse in east central WI and they are the best. Loved this entry. A sustainable lifestyle not much different than ours.
Life is Good

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Sounds like you had a fun and interesting evening with the Amish Boyz! I love the comment "what happens in the cornfield stays in the corn field.

Chatty Crone said...

Well I am thinking of how wonderful it is to know some different people - have them for dinner - knowing they are great cooks - would scare me to death. sandie

TexWisGirl said...

loved this. love that you treated them with respect but didn't hold back on the humor, either. and i LAUGHED at the cornfield/vegas joke! :)

Heide at ApronHistory said...

Sounds like quite the experience! Can't wait to see what you ordered from them!
We occasionally have Amish at work. They are always so polite, but very friendly.

Donna said...

What a fun post! We love to visit Amish countrysides in PA, OH, and IN.

genie said...

WHAT A WONDERFUL POST. I read every word of it and enjoyed every word, too. It was so interesting. I think everyone had a good time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your humor with us. genie

LV said...

I have always been fascinated by them and their life style. Wish I could go where they actually live. I really enjoyed what you shared today.

Olive said...

What an interesting post. Truly as you said we are all more alike than we know. We have many Minnonites here but they use phones and drive cars. They have several restaurants and bakeries. They food is excellent.Thank you for your sweet comment, olive

Rachel said...

That's awesome! I met a photographer who spent some time with an Amish community (is that the right term?) They even allowed him to take pictures of their lifestyle. I bought the book of his pictures-it's really interesting! I hope you are doing well!!

:)

Carla from The River said...

How fun! I hope you do have a next time.
My aunt Sally is friends with many Amish in Coloma, Wisconsin. We always enjoy visiting with them when they come to her farm.

Jan n Jer said...

sounds like a fun evening...love those horse n buggies!

Pamela Gordon said...

I really enjoyed this post and your photos. It would be interesting to spend time with some Amish folk in our 'world'. Pamela

Deborah said...

What a fun post and interesting dinner guests. It sounds like a wonderful evening and you fooled me...I thought having Amish for dinner meant you made a recipe out of an Amish cookbook.Lol!

Deborah said...

What a fun post and interesting dinner guests. It sounds like a wonderful evening and you fooled me...I thought having Amish for dinner meant you made a recipe out of an Amish cookbook.Lol!

Bill Lisleman said...

I found your comment on a blog I follow but now don't remember which one. Very interesting story and the pictures make it even better. I like the corn field one liner. We have enjoyed a great dinner at an Amish restaurant in Indiana but it was years ago and I don't recall the name.

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

So how did they taste? Sorry, couldn't help it! They sound like fun guys.

Amy Burzese said...

I am always interested in their seemingly simple lives. There are Mennonites nearby in Tennessee. That isn't your street is it? I picture your place out in the country without close neighbors.

Ruth Kelly said...

What a very choice experience! I love getting to know other cultures. Nice photos today too.

Yenta Mary said...

Oh, what a fabulous time!!! I'm writing about Amish recipes for an article in the Washtenaw Jewish News next month - both are Sabbath-observant, gather family and friends for large Sabbath meals, have a little nosh after long services! - so I'm feeling VERY immersed in the community and its fabulous food right now. Oh, to have had the opportunity to share a meal with all of you ... :)

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

How interesting...you learn something new every day! Love the photos of the corn field and cows. You live in a beautiful part of the country!

Empty Nester said...

Are you kidding?! Of course they really liked the meal- YOU cooked it! I seen/read your recipes. :) What a lovely evening! I would have loved to have been there.

J_on_tour said...

Fascinating post and a great read, Lovely photos too, I don't get jealous of stuff but would so love the opportunity to photograph one of these "vehicles" but more importantly the road sign. I thought all your dog hairs might have been white at first, oh & there's only two Amish cows in the field :-) … the rest must be English … haha !

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