When explaining to New Yorkers that I was planning to visit Lancaster County for Thanksgiving Day weekend, I quickly got a sense of the conspicuous fame of this quiet corner of rural Pennsylvania. Three hours drive from NYC, the area around Lancaster City offers a fairly typical offering of small-town American life: quiet, spacious, ethnically (predominantly) white, church-abundant, moderately conservative and Republican voting, picket fenced, agriculturally rich, but with a twist. Lancaster is famous throughout the world - and particularly amongst the thousands of visiting US School children and tour groups - as the location of the largest Amish population in the country.
This was one of several things that persuaded me to join a group of about 40 international students – including 6 other Mountbatten interns - who traveled down to the area from Manhattan, at the end of November. Since arriving in the city, I had much about the notion of "two Americas" and the supposed cultural divide between New York and the other – "real" – America. I was keen to find out more for myself, particularly so as to properly celebrate "Thanksgiving" – that celebration of wholesome American values and a good diet. Fearing rickets, I also saw it as a good opportunity to get out of the shadow of New York’s large Avenues and lack of natural light and get some natural rural daylight!
Our tri
p was arranged by an organisation called One to World who run cross-cultural events in the New York area throughout the year. We only paid the price of our travel costs and gave our guests gifts from our home countries, in return for their remarkable generosity. Students can visit one-to-world.org for details of their other events.
We arrived in Lancaster County late in the morning of Thanksgiving Day Thursday. Every member of our group was allocated a local host family. I stayed with a couple called Don and Gayle who lived in a small town within the county called Lititz and had been participating in the cultural exchange program for about ten years through their local church. Their street really resembles Springfield’s Evergreen Terrace: the streets are wide, the gardens large and you would struggle to throw your door mat as far as your Mail Box located far down the driveway.
After arriving, I assisted in lunch preparation and meeting my hosts' grown up family. At lunch time, I got a good dose of Thanksgiving Day turkey – not too dissimilar to what we Britons typically reserve for Christmas Day, except a stuffing which seemed to be more bread-based accompanied with a serving of sweet potato and various examples of Gayle’s personal culinary-idiosyncrasies.
The big moment was of course my first ever slice of Pumpkin Pie. I did enjoy it. Given that 1.5 billion pounds of the fruit is cultivated each year by Americans and then excavated from their Halloween lanterns, I do understand that it might as well be eaten. Nonetheless, I wouldn't say it was quite as great as sweet British winter staples Apple Pie and Crumble. However opinions differ and it is clear that pudding quality is in the taste-buds of the beholder!
After a sleepy afternoon – induced by a saturated stomach and a soporific Football game – my hosts took me on a driving tour of the area. I soon got my first glimpse of the local countryside. The land in the area is richly fertile. The fields are deep greens and dark brown in colour and I was able to get a good sense of its agricultural side, as the magma sunset led to dusk.
That evening, I was quickly was acquainted with the area’s USP for tourism. The Amish people are a common sight on the area's roads. Horse-drawn carriages and buggies are frequently seen on its country lanes – a constant hazard, given they typically lack electric lighting.
Okay, a (Wikipedia assisted) historical explanation. Lancaster was the site of the original Amish settlement in the United States and today the "plain" Christian group in the area, numbers approximately 25,000. They are famous for their very traditional means of living, plain dress and general tendency to eschew most modern conveniences. The Amish wish to avoid perceived "temporal" and "un-godly" frivolities and instead live a life which is pure in the eyes of God. The Amish way of life has changed little since arriving in the area from Europe in the Seventeenth century, when they were initially attracted by William Penn's promise of religious tolerance.
Plain, dark coloured, their clothing is simple. Buttons (considered superfluous and showy) are typically not worn. I soon found out, whilst we were driving that evening, that Amish homes and farm houses can easily be identified by the lack of wiring to the central electricity grid and by their extremely long washing lines – which, in lieu of a tumble drier - stretch (I guess) about 20 metres up the side of their buildings. The danger of vanity in life is similarly respected in death - an Amish cemetery we passed was remarkable for the small size and simple font used on its gravestones. Their lands are ploughed by horses, rather than petrol driven machines, bringing to life images I had previously only seen on quaint paintings of pre-industrial England.
Those wishing to learn more will be interested in Harrison Ford’s 1986 movie “Witness” or Satirist Al Yankovich’s “Amish Paradise” (found on youtube).
From my understanding, the Amish have a reasonably tolerant attitude toward other cultures. Their church is dedicated to the principles of Ana-Baptism – reserving the choice of entering the Church through Baptism to consenting adults (rather than infants, as is the custom in most other denominations). As such, they respect the right of their children to marry into other churches (when they do, they typically join more moderate and local Menonite congregations). However, they take a tough view - and often shun completely -those who are Baptised in the Amish faith and then turn away from it. The Amish are also grudgingly acceptant of the large numbers of tourists who visit them, though upset when photos are taken of them.
After exploring Amish land more thoroughly the following day, it was hard not to be impressed by the calmness that this apparently anachronistic group of people went about its day to day life. To some the Amish are backward and masochistic. To others, the Amish present a flattering light on Christianity that – in (arguably) one of its most fundamentalist manifestations –it is so placid. Both perspectives perhaps have some validity. I was sure that despite its virtues, it was not a way of life I would personally be able to live by.
The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the other sites that the locals claim fame for. Lititz is home to North America's first Pretzel family (presumably brought over from the Swiss or the Germans sometime around the Eighteenth Century). This is of course a "Big Deal" and there's a museum and tour, which I lacked time for. Their chocolate factory meanwhile is – so they claim - unquestionably the greatest in the US, particularly superior compared to that produced by local rivals, Hershey's.
Our whole group came together on the second evening of the weekend. The area has a reputation for large appetites and, as such, we shared a big meal including its-world-famous-within-Lancaster chick-pea pie. Amongst the international factions of our large group, we each had to produce a presentation on our home country and national identity. Struggling to think of something that identifies us as British, we performed Danish Diva Whigfield’s Classic “Saturday Night” and also showed the slower locals whereabouts Britain is on a map.
On my final full day in the area, I took the two-hour drive West with my hosts Don and Gayle, to The Gettysburg battlefield. Site, in 1863, of the most significant engagement in the Civil War, I found it hard to comprehend the size and scale of what had happened there. Gettysburg was the furthest advance of the Southern Confederate force in its effort to assert its independence from the Northern United States – so that it could preserve the use of slaves on its agricultural-based economy. Four months later, President Abraham Lincoln used the site to (arguably) re-define the American raison d’être declaring the chance of “a new birth of freedom” and the necessity of a "Government of the people, by the people and for the people". Years later, Gettysburg’s empty fields and serene hill sides give little impression of what happened – but the quiet surrounding its memorials and its sites of bloodshed remains an eerie one.
On the Sunday evening we returned to New York. We were glad to have experienced another side of American life: quieter and less cosmopolitan perhaps, but fascinating, generous and hospitable also. The people I met operated at a slower pace of life than I had grown accustomed to in New York, but were more world-aware than I had realised also. The cultural divide exists – but is narrower than I expected. I came back determined to travel and extend my understanding as far as possible, in my remaining months in North America.
This was one of several things that persuaded me to join a group of about 40 international students – including 6 other Mountbatten interns - who traveled down to the area from Manhattan, at the end of November. Since arriving in the city, I had much about the notion of "two Americas" and the supposed cultural divide between New York and the other – "real" – America. I was keen to find out more for myself, particularly so as to properly celebrate "Thanksgiving" – that celebration of wholesome American values and a good diet. Fearing rickets, I also saw it as a good opportunity to get out of the shadow of New York’s large Avenues and lack of natural light and get some natural rural daylight!
Our tri
p was arranged by an organisation called One to World who run cross-cultural events in the New York area throughout the year. We only paid the price of our travel costs and gave our guests gifts from our home countries, in return for their remarkable generosity. Students can visit one-to-world.org for details of their other events.We arrived in Lancaster County late in the morning of Thanksgiving Day Thursday. Every member of our group was allocated a local host family. I stayed with a couple called Don and Gayle who lived in a small town within the county called Lititz and had been participating in the cultural exchange program for about ten years through their local church. Their street really resembles Springfield’s Evergreen Terrace: the streets are wide, the gardens large and you would struggle to throw your door mat as far as your Mail Box located far down the driveway.
After arriving, I assisted in lunch preparation and meeting my hosts' grown up family. At lunch time, I got a good dose of Thanksgiving Day turkey – not too dissimilar to what we Britons typically reserve for Christmas Day, except a stuffing which seemed to be more bread-based accompanied with a serving of sweet potato and various examples of Gayle’s personal culinary-idiosyncrasies.
The big moment was of course my first ever slice of Pumpkin Pie. I did enjoy it. Given that 1.5 billion pounds of the fruit is cultivated each year by Americans and then excavated from their Halloween lanterns, I do understand that it might as well be eaten. Nonetheless, I wouldn't say it was quite as great as sweet British winter staples Apple Pie and Crumble. However opinions differ and it is clear that pudding quality is in the taste-buds of the beholder!
After a sleepy afternoon – induced by a saturated stomach and a soporific Football game – my hosts took me on a driving tour of the area. I soon got my first glimpse of the local countryside. The land in the area is richly fertile. The fields are deep greens and dark brown in colour and I was able to get a good sense of its agricultural side, as the magma sunset led to dusk.
That evening, I was quickly was acquainted with the area’s USP for tourism. The Amish people are a common sight on the area's roads. Horse-drawn carriages and buggies are frequently seen on its country lanes – a constant hazard, given they typically lack electric lighting.
Okay, a (Wikipedia assisted) historical explanation. Lancaster was the site of the original Amish settlement in the United States and today the "plain" Christian group in the area, numbers approximately 25,000. They are famous for their very traditional means of living, plain dress and general tendency to eschew most modern conveniences. The Amish wish to avoid perceived "temporal" and "un-godly" frivolities and instead live a life which is pure in the eyes of God. The Amish way of life has changed little since arriving in the area from Europe in the Seventeenth century, when they were initially attracted by William Penn's promise of religious tolerance.
Plain, dark coloured, their clothing is simple. Buttons (considered superfluous and showy) are typically not worn. I soon found out, whilst we were driving that evening, that Amish homes and farm houses can easily be identified by the lack of wiring to the central electricity grid and by their extremely long washing lines – which, in lieu of a tumble drier - stretch (I guess) about 20 metres up the side of their buildings. The danger of vanity in life is similarly respected in death - an Amish cemetery we passed was remarkable for the small size and simple font used on its gravestones. Their lands are ploughed by horses, rather than petrol driven machines, bringing to life images I had previously only seen on quaint paintings of pre-industrial England.
Those wishing to learn more will be interested in Harrison Ford’s 1986 movie “Witness” or Satirist Al Yankovich’s “Amish Paradise” (found on youtube).
From my understanding, the Amish have a reasonably tolerant attitude toward other cultures. Their church is dedicated to the principles of Ana-Baptism – reserving the choice of entering the Church through Baptism to consenting adults (rather than infants, as is the custom in most other denominations). As such, they respect the right of their children to marry into other churches (when they do, they typically join more moderate and local Menonite congregations). However, they take a tough view - and often shun completely -those who are Baptised in the Amish faith and then turn away from it. The Amish are also grudgingly acceptant of the large numbers of tourists who visit them, though upset when photos are taken of them.
After exploring Amish land more thoroughly the following day, it was hard not to be impressed by the calmness that this apparently anachronistic group of people went about its day to day life. To some the Amish are backward and masochistic. To others, the Amish present a flattering light on Christianity that – in (arguably) one of its most fundamentalist manifestations –it is so placid. Both perspectives perhaps have some validity. I was sure that despite its virtues, it was not a way of life I would personally be able to live by.
The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the other sites that the locals claim fame for. Lititz is home to North America's first Pretzel family (presumably brought over from the Swiss or the Germans sometime around the Eighteenth Century). This is of course a "Big Deal" and there's a museum and tour, which I lacked time for. Their chocolate factory meanwhile is – so they claim - unquestionably the greatest in the US, particularly superior compared to that produced by local rivals, Hershey's.
Our whole group came together on the second evening of the weekend. The area has a reputation for large appetites and, as such, we shared a big meal including its-world-famous-within-Lancaster chick-pea pie. Amongst the international factions of our large group, we each had to produce a presentation on our home country and national identity. Struggling to think of something that identifies us as British, we performed Danish Diva Whigfield’s Classic “Saturday Night” and also showed the slower locals whereabouts Britain is on a map.
On my final full day in the area, I took the two-hour drive West with my hosts Don and Gayle, to The Gettysburg battlefield. Site, in 1863, of the most significant engagement in the Civil War, I found it hard to comprehend the size and scale of what had happened there. Gettysburg was the furthest advance of the Southern Confederate force in its effort to assert its independence from the Northern United States – so that it could preserve the use of slaves on its agricultural-based economy. Four months later, President Abraham Lincoln used the site to (arguably) re-define the American raison d’être declaring the chance of “a new birth of freedom” and the necessity of a "Government of the people, by the people and for the people". Years later, Gettysburg’s empty fields and serene hill sides give little impression of what happened – but the quiet surrounding its memorials and its sites of bloodshed remains an eerie one.
On the Sunday evening we returned to New York. We were glad to have experienced another side of American life: quieter and less cosmopolitan perhaps, but fascinating, generous and hospitable also. The people I met operated at a slower pace of life than I had grown accustomed to in New York, but were more world-aware than I had realised also. The cultural divide exists – but is narrower than I expected. I came back determined to travel and extend my understanding as far as possible, in my remaining months in North America.
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