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Amish: Amish Communities
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At the turn of the twentieth century the Old Order Amish numbered about 5,000 in North America. Now scattered across 22 states and Ontario they number about 150,000 children and adults. Nearly three quarters live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Other sizeable communities are in Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Wisconsin. A loose federation of some 900 congregations, the Amish function without a national organization or an annual convention. Local church districts—congregations of 25 to 35 families—shape the heart of Amish life.
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The Old Order Amish shun personal, home-based telephones but will occasionally use a communal one. They ... eschew automobiles and ride bicycles and drive horse-and-buggies instead, though many of them will, on occasion and in emergencies, ride in cars, trains, and buses operated by others. Although the buggies are traditional boxlike vehicles, they are not always black, as commonly thought; some of them are white, gray, or even yellow, and many Amish and Mennonite groups can be distinguished by their chosen colour of buggy. The buggies may also be equipped with such modern conveniences as heaters, windshield wipers, and upholstered seats. The use of electricity, however, is strongly avoided, as it is a prime connection to the world that could lead to temptations and worldly amenities detrimental to the community and family life; occasional exceptions to this ban have involved Amish who must use electric flashers on their buggies in order to drive legally in their communities and certain farm equipment that could not be operated without a minimal amount of electricity and without which the community's economic livelihood would be threatened; for example, certain milking equipment may be impossible to operate without some electricity, and electric fences may be deemed critical for keeping cattle. Bottle gas is often used to operate appliances, even barbecue grills, and gas-pressured lanterns and lamps might be used for indoor lighting.
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In the Amish view, "progress" is not assumed to mean "something better." Amish do not fully accept the modern conveniences that non-Amish take for granted. While it is accepted within Amish communities to use some electricity in limited forms, such as battery power for the lights on their buggies, and some machinery, such as tractors without rubber tires, most elements from mainstream society -- such as electricity throughout their homes, TV, computer, and modern tractors -- are considered to be tempting elements from an "outside world" that could lead them away from their close-knit community or weaken the family structure.
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Food preferences among the Amish vary somewhat from state to state. Breakfast fare for many families includes eggs, fried potatoes, toast, and in some communities, commercial cereals such as Corn-flakes and Cheerios. Typical breakfast foods in Pennsylvania ... include shoofly pie, which is sometimes dipped in or covered with coffee or milk, stewed crackers in warm milk, mush made from corn meal, and sausage. Puddings and scrapple are also breakfast favorites. The puddings consist of ground liver, heart, and kidneys from pork and beef. These basic ingredients are also combined with flour and corn meal to produce scrapple.
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Amish quilts didn’t really catch on in Amish communities until the 1870s. Before then, the Amish shunned quilt making as “too modern.” However, from the time that making quilts became an accepted practice in Amish communities to 15 years later, you could nary find a home without several quilts in it.
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The Amish have reportedly found fast algorithms to solve NP complete problems, although whether the hardness of the problem is actually true in the hands of the Amish, remains to be a mystery. Like many fledgling communities they use the cheaper asymmetric system.
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Amish Communities