Do you automatically associate "Amish" with wholesome quality when applied to food and craft?
Asked by
ibstubro (
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June 24th, 2015
It seems to be a popular marketing ploy in the Midwest.
Quite frankly, we had a country auction a couple of years back and the Amish that attended were disgustingly filthy and stank to high heaven. It largely put me off the notion of Amish = wholesome.
I once discussed this with a friend on Askville who lived in the much touted “Amish Country”. She found the sect in her area largely annoying, always wanting to use her phone, bum rides and unwashed. She had been told by an Amish man that body odor was a sign of hard work and that God prized hard work. Therefore, the more you stink, the more God loves you.
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27 Answers
Sure. I’ve never met a filthy Amish.
No. Amish potato salad is an abortion.
I’ve never seen any stinky Amish, and I have met them in many various locations. I don’t necessarily associate them with wholesomeness, but I think there is plenty they can be admired for.
The community behavior tends to run according to the leadership of that particular community.
I have met a couple of women who seem snobbish, but not stinky.
I have purchased some of their wares, and I was happy.
Years ago Walmart used to let them set up in the entryway and sell baked goods. I’d usually buy something, and it was usually decent to good. One day I bought a pie and it was “terrible”. The crust was about like the unsalted soda crackers we used to use for communion at church. Next time they were in, I inquired about the pies. “We’ve modified the recipe a bit to make them travel better.” And taste about as good as a winter tomato.
That was the beginning of my wariness.
Quality of work on handmade, sewn products and furniture, yes. Wholesome, I haven’t considered.
Outhouses are numerous in Amish country; I haven’t a clue how they ago about bathing. Their odor is probably what most of the country smelled like before indoor plumbing became the norm.
“It seems to be a popular marketing ploy in the Midwest.” I think it’s unfortunate that sneaky marketing is undermining the reputation of the Amish-made products.
Phrases like ‘sold in Amish country’ are used, which means the product probably has a Made in China label on it. Shoppers catch on quick that Amish made products are way out numbered by foreign products being sold in ‘Amish Country’.
Yes it’s a brand name that I still instinctively react to without thinking.
You have to watch for people who dress as Amish but are not.
Where I work there’s a farmers’ market where some Amish or Mennonites come to sell produce and baked goods. They don’t use butter, they use oil, which I regard as a cheap way to bake with increased profits. I don’t buy their stuff.
I have purchased a dresser and solid cedar trunk directly from an old Amish guy and his son. Good quality, right from their homes, made by them.
Wholesome like Kelly McGillis in Witness? I’d buy that for a dollar!
Yeah, I think I subconsciously associate it with handmade quality goods. I haven’t ever bought anything Amish though.
It’s often used as a gimmick, @Lawn. “Made in Amish Country” means nothing. Everything made in ‘Amish Country” is not made by the Amish, obviously.
And as noted above, even the Amish don’t have to stick to their roots, especially if they are making goods specifically for re-sale outside the Amish community.
Edit:
I should probably also note that I’m within easy driving distance of a true Amish community and I have bought some delicious cheese curds there. I’m not running Amish down in general, but saying that it’s probably not to take universa quality fro granted from the community, either.
That makes sense. I suppose it is a bit like the “100% Natural” label on food. Subconsciously, I still associate it with being more wholesome, but consciously I know that it is mostly just a gimmick.
Yes, @Lawn, and Casey’s pizza doesn’t just taste like homemade, it is homemeade, right there in the store.
How is Casey’s pizza any more “homemade” than, say Pizza Hut?
No, I think of their cooking very much like garnishing a steaming turd.
From what I have experienced of the Amish, they are unfailingly polite, and very mice people. On the other hand, I think I would describe their cooking and crafts as old-fashioned, which sometimes does, but does not necessarily mean wholesome or good quality.
I very much enjoy eating in Amish restaurants. And I love, love, love whoopie pies (although I can’t eat them now).
I have been in close quarters with many Amish people many times, and I have never smelled any body odour.
Are you sure that you’re not generalizing anf stigmatizing a whole group of people based on a few bad experiences?
Many years ago I worked in a furniture store where they had a “style line” called “Amish Country”. It was good, inexpensive furniture, but I could see it was “Made in Taiwan”. When I asked the store manager about this, he said the “Amish Country” label was descriptive of the style, not the place of origin. Ever since that I have been wary of anything that advertised something about being “Amish” without the correct provenance.
uh, they are a cult that rejects technology. how would that automatically improve their quality standards?
When I hear the word Amish I think of old fashion clothing, bonnets, beards, wide-brimmed hats, horses and wagons.
I think of well-built furniture and puppy mills.
The first thing I think of is fine woodworking. Then a devotion to God, respect for the community, and a simple life of hard work.
@ragingloli Actually, no. They reject anything that makes them reliant on the outside world. Their seeming rejection of electricity has more to do with the electricity coming from elsewhere than anything inherent in technology. They also make exceptions for medical reasons. Their rejection of automobiles is similar; it’s not that it’s a car so much as it’s something they can’t make/repair on their own, nor can they fuel it themselves whereas they can grow feed for a horse and chop down a few trees to make a buggy.
Casey’s pizza is advertised as “Homemade”, @Dutchess_III.
Possibly, @marinelife, I’ll give you that. But I’ve had more than one unpleasant experience with Amish. Probably no different from the rest of us with good and bad. Hence my question. I’ve never eaten in a purportedly “Amish” restaurant, nor a true one. How many bad experiences than ‘a few’ does it take to generalize?
Wise, @Yetanotheruser, in my experience.
Hand craft, @ragingloli. The foundation of the myth. Superior quality because it’s made using techniques long obsolete.
Caricature @kritiper.
Not heard of the puppy mills, @dappled_leaves
You might have had a superficial acquaintance with Anish, @jerv
@ibstubro A quick Google search will turn up a lot of stories about the Amish and puppy mills. The top result when I did the search was this site with information about their activities in Illinois, and includes videos that might be disturbing. There are many such examples, spanning decades.
@ibstubro So Casey’s advertises their pizza as “home made.” What, exactly, does that mean? They get their dough, frozen from corporate kitchens, along with all the toppings, just like Pizza Hut does.
They roll, or toss the thawed dough in the store, just like Pizza Hut does. Then they add the sauce and all the toppings in the store, like, Pizza Hut does.
I fail to see how Casey’s is any more “home made” than Pizza Hut.
It is like “fresh orange juice”.
It means fresh from the bottle.
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