Thursday, October 25, 2012

Thirteen Amish Proverbs

Collected from my Amish cookbooks


I've bought several Amish cookbooks at local Mennonite stores over the years. All of these cookbooks are from the "Pennsylvania Dutch" country of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Like many church cookbooks, they include some pithy bits of advice for living, in addition to the recipes. Here's a "Thursday Thirteen" sample of some of the proverbs.
  1. There are just as good fish in the sea as ever were caught.
  2. A barking dog seldom bites.
  3. Bend the sapling before it's too late.
  4. A smooth tongue often hides sharp teeth.
  5. Easy got, soon spent.
  6. It's a poor hunter who does not always have one barrel loaded.
  7. Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.
  8. The laborer is worthy of his hire.
  9. If you swear while fishing, you won't catch anything.
  10. Girls with fat cheeks have hearts like flint.
  11. It is easier to fall than to get up.
  12. The old bull keeps on bellowing.
  13. When lost in the woods, look up a tree.
Numbers 8 through 13 must be classics. Each one of them appears in several of my cookbooks, with both the "Dutch" version and the English translation.

    You might enjoy some of the other Thursday Thirteens around the web today.

    WPA tourism poster. depicting an Amish family

    8 comments:

    Kimberly Menozzi said...

    Well, I don't know. I have fat cheeks, but my heart is soft and squishy! Really!

    However, the smooth tongue one is true, I've found. Unfortunately.

    LOL!

    Happy TT!

    CountryDew said...

    #5 is so true! These are great; thanks for sharing.

    Mia Celeste said...

    Interesting. I like number four. Thanks for sharing.

    http://otherworlddiner.blogspot.com/2012/10/what-is-it-about-black-cats-13.html

    Mama McD said...

    interesting! Thx for sharing and happy TT!

    http://ourdesertlife2.blogspot.com/2012/10/thursdays-13-halloween-party-prep-list.html

    Janet said...

    I love these! My mother was raised in PA Dutch country (Lancaster, PA) :-)

    I am Harriet said...

    Trust me- my barking dog will bite you if you come near me and he doesn't know you.

    Have a great T-13!

    Robert said...

    #8, "The laborer is worthy of his hire", is from the Bible. It appears in slightly different forms in Matthew 10:10 and Luke 10:7, depending on what translation you are using.

    Genevieve Netz said...

    Robert -- I thought that one seemed awfully familiar.

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    CONTENTMENT: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry, live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, pray always, forget self, think of others and their feelings, fill your heart with love, scatter sunshine. These are the tried links in the golden chain of contentment.
    (Author unknown)

    IT IS STILL BEST to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure; and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
    (Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867-1957)

    Thanks for reading.