[Madam Theophilus]

It *is* amazing how many schisms are in the Amish churches. We attended a friend’s wedding which had several different Amish also attend. You could tell that various bishops were represented by the women’s different head coverings and dress patterns. Each bishop dictates his own version. Each group kept to its own company, so the wedding reception was divided into the various Amish groups and then “the English.”

Yes, the food is great! We also like the organic vegetable and fruit stands scattered around the neighborhood.

[jboot]

Interesting. Sad, too. As for the food, there is Moravian "Pennsylvania Dutch" blood in my family, but not Amish that I know of. My great-grandmother was an accomplished cook and passed all the ancient dutch recipes on to my grandmother. Now that she is gone I occasionally prepare some of the noodle dishes myself. (But not often or we would be as fat as ticks...you have to do heavy work to burn off all those calories.) So going to a Dutch country restaurant is a special treat for me.

I miss the cheeses, though. There used to be a bunch of utterly delicious "farmers cheeses" sold at the stands (NOT the faux "farmers cheese" they sell down at Whole Foods-these were made with raw ingredients using traditional methods). The various health departments shut that stuff down about 25 yesrs ago. My favorite was called Kusten Cheese or Ball Cheese. It looked like a baseball and had a rubbery, edible rind and a soft core. Went great with beer. Whenever I saw it I would buy the farmer out. I'm now trying to get a recipe...