Weekly Photo Contest Challenge: 2020 (December 9-16, 2020)

[mollyc]

Eastern PA is known for two different kinds of pretzels. There are the hard sourdough pretzels from Amish Country and Philadelphia soft pretzels, which are magnificently dense and chewy. The latter can only be found in Philly. They cannot be shipped well because they have a shelf life of about 12 hours before they start to get stale. There is something about the mineral content of the water (properly pronounced as “woulder”) in the Delaware Valley that gives bread products a unique taste and texture. The same is true of water in the NYC area. Those twisted strings of bread called “hot pretzels” at all snack stands everywhere are not even close to the real thing. Pretzel buns are a closer approximation, but still not the same. Philadelphia soft pretzels are best eaten with plain yellow mustard.

Of course shoo fly pie is too sweet. It’s molasses sweetened with brown sugar. The flour and egg are there just to hold the sugars together. I liked it when I was younger. There is no way I could eat that much sweet now.

I live in Cleveland now. (My MR profile says Philadelphia because I am from there even if I don’t live there.) There is a large Amish community just east of us, so I can still enjoy those opportunities. I will sometimes take a longer route home just so I can drive through those communities.




Sadly, cultural respect is in short supply too often.




LANC-aster it is. The easiest way to figure out if someone is really from Eastern PA is to ask them to say Lancaster.

I’m originally from Amish country, but on the western side of the state. I know how to say Lancaster. ? I grew up in an Amish built house, designed by my mother on 3/4” graph paper. I don’t think there were any engineering reports or anything in the early 70s. But our house was well built nonetheless.

I moved away as soon as I finished college and I don’t regret moving. But there is something about that county life knit into my bones. It is why I am primarily a nature photographer now, despite living in the closed in, stifling suburbs.

 

[Clix Pix]

I was born in Western PA, but never actually lived there except my first year, just spent summers at my grandparents' cottage and of course we visited during various holidays as well. My early childhood was in a small town in Ohio, then we moved to the suburbs of Chicago, a big difference! -- and lived there for about eight or nine years until we moved back to Ohio. The years in the Chicago suburbs definitely had an influence on me and I much prefer some elements of urban life to small-town life. (Could do with significantly less traffic congestion, though!) When I finished college I immediately headed to DC to attend grad school, met the man who was to become my husband, and, well, just never left this area!

My love of the water and our lovely birds here definitely stems from childhood, teen years and young adulthood spent on a lake. In 1994 when I first set eyes on the small lake where I now live, I knew that this place was meant to be home.... It is convenient to everything but also is a peaceful haven in the midst of surburban busyness. A bonus is that photo ops are available all year around....

 

[deep diver]

I’m originally from Amish country, but on the western side of the state. I know how to say Lancaster. ? I grew up in an Amish built house, designed by my mother on 3/4” graph paper. I don’t think there were any engineering reports or anything in the early 70s. But our house was well built nonetheless.

I moved away as soon as I finished college and I don’t regret moving. But there is something about that county life knit into my bones. It is why I am primarily a nature photographer now, despite living in the closed in, stifling suburbs.

I was born in Western PA, but never actually lived there except my first year, just spent summers at my grandparents' cottage and of course we visited during various holidays as well. My early childhood was in a small town in Ohio, then we moved to the suburbs of Chicago, a big difference! -- and lived there for about eight or nine years until we moved back to Ohio. The years in the Chicago suburbs definitely had an influence on me and I much prefer some elements of urban life to small-town life. (Could do with significantly less traffic congestion, though!) When I finished college I immediately headed to DC to attend grad school, met the man who was to become my husband, and, well, just never left this area!

My love of the water and our lovely birds here definitely stems from childhood, teen years and young adulthood spent on a lake. In 1994 when I first set eyes on the small lake where I now live, I knew that this place was meant to be home.... It is convenient to everything but also is a peaceful haven in the midst of surburban busyness. A bonus is that photo ops are available all year around....

My path was PA to Ohio to NJ to "Chicagoland" and back to Ohio. I'd much prefer to be in Virginia Beach or Norfolk, but that's another part of my story.

It sounds like we could make a PA subgroup.

 

[Laird Knox]

LairdKnox - Grungy goodness (but I actually liked your original color entry better)

Thanks. I felt the grunge look was a fitting choice for 2020.

 

[Laird Knox]

I imagine that they are not happy with the many tourists who blithely disregard their feelings and start firing away.....

Sadly, cultural respect is in short supply too often.

While there certainly is no lack of disrespect in the world I would suspect that most people are not aware of the Amish beliefs regarding photography.