If you're from a different culture you may be used to having a variety of things to drink with your meal from ice tea to milk to coffee. Its water for the Amish. But don't forget to have a cup of coffee after dessert while you sit around to chat. Meadow tea is also a favorite.
The Amish Have No Dietary Restrictions
Having no dietary restrictions means they can eat whatever their heart desires. While many Amish stick to a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch diet, we've seen Amish dine at Olive Garden and take their buggies through the Burger King drive thru line.
While we are on the topic, yes, the Amish are huge consumers of soda. To be honest, I've not met too many who are Coke fans. It seems to be Pepsi and Mountain Dew that are popular among the Amish.
Since the Amish do not use electricity in their homes, most often they brew their coffee with a french press or a pour-over.
A typical Amish breakfast includes coffee soup, a bowl of creamed coffee served with freshly baked bread for dunking.
Soups with hearty vegetables like potatoes and carrots for a filling meal or stews with slow-cooked beef are common. Also, baked casseroles with layers of potatoes, cheeses, and meats are usually served for dinner. Do Amish eat pork? Meat, eggs, and dairy products are integral to the Amish diet.
Yes, the Amish bathe, but they often do it without electricity, and sometimes without indoor plumbing. They usually heat the water on a stove in order to have a warm bath. This labor-intensive process is one reason that the Amish don't normally bathe every day.
After giving birth, Amish mothers breastfeed their babies for as long as possible. It's believed that this helps strengthen the bond between mother and child, which is important in this close-knit culture. It also gives them the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy.
As part of their Ordnung, Old Order Amish forbid owning automobiles; tapping electricity from public utility lines; owning televisions, radios, or personal computers; attending high school or college; joining the military; and initiating divorce. All Amish groups expect men and women to wear prescribed clothing.
Instead of flushing toilets, outhouses are commonly used. This is true of the most conservative Amish, the Swartzentruber Amish. Interestingly, even communities that have indoor plumbing, sometimes still use outhouses. Farming communities use waste as fertilizer for their fields.
So, when it comes to wondering if the Amish do eat pork, the answer is yes. It's also true that Amish people are allowed to eat anything unless they belong to a specific sub-denomination that has food restrictions. Amish pork dishes aren't too dissimilar to those found in most American homes.
Amish people enjoy pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, taco salad, etc. And they eat plenty of casserole dishes. But commonly, you will find a hearty full-course meal of meat, potatoes, a vegetable, salad, bread, and dessert, for an Amish dinner.
The Amish have various hygiene practices, just like regular Americans. They take showers, although the frequency may vary among different Amish orders. Conservative Amish don't use deodorant, talc, or lotion. They simply wash, dry, and put on clean clothing.
Each person sleeps on their side of the bed, with a board in between them to prevent any physical contact. The couple is allowed to talk to each other during the night, but they're not allowed to touch each other.
Do the Amish celebrate Christmas? Yes, they do, although their customs are much simpler than our “English” customs. They are oriented toward the family and the religious meaning of the holiday.
The Amish are exempted from social security and reject health insurance coverage, do not practice birth control, and often veto preventive practices such as immunization and prenatal care.
But they don't pick up their children to hug and kiss them. There are no rules against such demonstrations of love… it is just not done. Another interesting fact about affections, is that the Amish don't have a way of saying “I love you” in their language.
In conclusion, the Amish have strict hair rules that are deeply rooted in their belief system. Amish women keep their hair long and never cut or style it, while men are allowed to keep their hair shorter but still must wear hats when outdoors.
I think the level of integration with the modern world varies community to community (some Amish communities are more insular than others) but the most conservative of them will probably use the same methods women used for hundreds of years — wrapping themselves with strips of material, or wrapping their shift/ ...
Leaving the community
Some Amish youth do indeed separate themselves from the community, even going to live among the "English," or non-Amish Americans, experiencing modern technology. Their behavior during this time does not necessarily prevent them from returning for adult baptism into the Amish church.
It is clear that women are valued in Amish culture, and on some levels are even afforded types of equality and freedoms that women outside of Amish society might not be. In Amish weddings, for example, the woman is not “given away” by her father to her future husband, as is often done in non-Amish weddings.
The Amish do use sugar. It's a common ingredient in their meals, and not only the sweet treats. However, this sugar intake is balanced out by the fact that they don't consume sugars in processed foods and sodas like non-Amish tend to do.
An Amish meal is usually served with water to drink. If you're from a different culture you may be used to having a variety of things to drink with your meal from ice tea to milk to coffee. Its water for the Amish. But don't forget to have a cup of coffee after dessert while you sit around to chat.
Amish main meals are usually built around hearty meat dishes, such as pork chops, ham, roast beef, or meatloaf. Dairy products, especially eggs and cheese, are also important dietary staples.