Lisa Browder

I’ve always had a fascination with different ethnic groups and unfamiliar traditions. Even though I often yearn for a simpler life, I’m a product of my upbringing and travels. I’m afraid I’d be far too liberal. I would find the Amish traditions restrictive and would spend my time negotiating which rules I complied with and which I didn’t.

Have you seen the movie Witness with Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis? Good story, beautiful country, lovely traditions . . . from a distance. I’d love the country life, caring for animals, and learning handcrafts. But live in bonnets and ankle-length dresses? Nope. Drive around in a horse-drawn buggy? Uh, no.

Oh, and my foul mouth? I’m pretty sure that would get me shunned long before I started bitching about the bonnet.

Nevertheless, I find them interesting. From what I’ve read, the Amish church and its traditions began in Switzerland in 1693. A group of Swiss and Alsatian Mennonite Anabaptists split into two groups – Old Order Amish and Amish Mennonites. It was in the early 18th century that many immigrated to Pennsylvania. That’s where I’ve always thought they lived but, as it turns out, they have communities across the United States, from Idaho in the west, down to Texas, across to Florida and up to Maine. But I was almost right about Pennsylvania. As it turns out, 2/3 of the Amish live in three states: Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

I’d recently heard about Yoder’s Restaurant in Sarasota, Florida, where there was also a fresh produce market and a gift shop within walking distance (in the same parking lot as it turns out). I thought a day trip for breakfast and a little shopping would be fun. I’m not sure what I expected – perhaps a stray bonnet glimpsed from a distance? But no. It was clear this was truly an Amish community in the middle of Sarasota (and not the shy, don’t-you-dare-take-my-picture country folk I imagined). There were even women trundling through the parking lot on electric bicycles, once a no-no for their culture. Those living in a rural setting still travel by horse and buggy as it is said to foster a slower pace of life.

I tagged onto the back of the restaurant line that was out the door. Directly in front of me was a handsome Amish couple and their children. They too were kind enough to allow me a photo. And then they went back to their conversation in the Pennsylvania Dutch spoken in their communities.

Yoder’s is a quaint little restaurant bustling with activity. The Amish community is known for its baked goods, homemade garments and woodworking. But the first thing you see when you finally get inside the door? The pies. I vowed to take one home and settled on a strawberry rhubarb.

I then headed next door to the market. Inside are shelves of boxed and bottled goods and perishables. Outside are rows of the freshest produce you’re likely to find anywhere.

Having just eaten, more food didn’t appeal to me, so I decided to check out the gift shop. I loved this place. I’m a sucker for handmade stuff anyway so this was right up my alley. They had everything from gorgeous quilts, decorative woodworking items, books, candles and more. I loved the fact that they even thought of a small step stool so the children in the store could reach the water fountain. I mean, who else would think of that?

The beautiful, framed Amish woodworking piece is made from reclaimed barn wood from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Each piece in the store is one-of-a-kind. And yes, I had to have it. It’s over my fireplace.

Yoder’s is a great way to spend your morning. If you want to walk off your meal afterward, you can mosey down the street about 15 minutes to the Big Cat Habitat. Although the habitat is nearby, there are lots of things to do in the Sarasota area so you can easily make a day of it.