Intercourse and Making Whoopee
Visiting Pennsylvania would be incomplete without a tour of the Amish Country. So many mysteries and misconceptions exist about the Amish, including why we call immigrants from Germany “Pennsylvania Dutch.” They are not Dutch at all, but apparently Americans interpreted Deutsch as Dutch. The Pennsylvania Dutch are descendants of immigrants from Germany and Switzerland who speak a form of high German. About 10% of the immigrants were Amish or Mennonite.
Now there is a question...What is the difference between Amish and Mennonite? As far as I can tell, they are essentially cousins. The Amish tended to settler near the Mennonites. Today, 95% of the world’s Amish are in the US with 5% in Canada. The Mennonites are all over the world. Amish are very conservative, with the men wearing beards and the women wearing plain clothes. The Mennonites are clean shaven, and the women can wear patterns and more colors. If you are driving down the road in Lancaster County PA and slow down for a grey horse drawn carriage, it is Amish. If it is black, you are behind an old order Mennonite.
The issue of technology is very interesting. The Amish make it clear that the Bible does not prohibit using technology, and that there is nothing wrong with it per se. The prohibition is owning it, not using it, and comes more from the lack of community it creates. Amish don’t have a church. They celebrate in the members’ houses every Sunday. Community needs to stay close together, and cars would allow people to spread out and destroy that sense of belonging. They are the original off the grid pioneers, and with our excess reliance on cell phones, computers and social media, they don’t seem so far off the mark. The members can use a computer or phone at work, just not own one. They can have appliances that run on natural gas or batteries; they just cannot be attached to the grid.
We saw several Amish and Mennonite families in their carriages, as well as at their businesses which ranged from restaurants and farm stands to furniture and quilt stores. They are living their everyday lives, and are not a tourist attraction. Do not take their pictures without permission, but do enjoy a chance to see them living their everyday lives.
If you want the best soft pretzel in the universe, based on my experience only, you can’t miss Immergut in Intercourse. Fresh from the oven, soft , warm, buttery, salty,,,,heaven!
But let’s talk about Intercourse and whoopie, shall we? The town was given the name because of the intersections of roads, and one of the local delicacies is Whoopie pies...along with shoo fly pie. You can live in intercourse and make whoopie all day long. Or, you can just pass through and sample a little whoopie on your way. Shoo fly pie is a whole different story...
