Much as I enjoyed the article and comments, I have to say as an original Lancastrian whose family will celebrate 300 yrs soon in Lancaster and also being a descendant of Hans Herr and related to Milton Hershey, please don't mistake Lancaster as a model to to copied. If anything, Lancaster is a microcosm of the entire country, all in one county. There is a lot of wonderful, proud history, like Thaddeus Stevens helping escaped slaves get the freeman's papers pro bono, and the community love of fundraisers Amish have to help their own pay hospital bills from cancer or raise a barn after a fire. There is also a lot of darkness there too. Amish are studied by geneologists because of their intermarrying and there are attics where the children of those who married too close are doomed to live out their lives. There are still many others who suffer from being shunned for being the VICTIM of incest by Mennonite preachers who use religion to cover their evil. Lancaster is not perfect. Not at all. But they do have great food!
3
My ancestors arrived here in Lancaster County in the 1700s and received a land grant from descendants of William Penn. Part of that original farm is still in the family, still being farmed and includes the family cemetery with the graves of my people.
I have lived here all my life, including twice in the city, and loved walking to Central Market for fresh meat and vegetables. Now I live in a rural township with many acres of preserved farmland. Unfortunately, we also have a high poverty rate due to a lack of jobs.
The city went through a period when it was not safe to go there after dark, but those days are over. The city is vibrant, beautiful and full of places to eat a wide variety of food, listen to many genres of live music and see many types of art.
Personally I'm delighted to be able to eat so much ethnic food. I'm willing to try anything once and have been introduced to cuisine from many different countries that is absolutely delicious.
Sometimes it's not easy but being a liberal Democrat in Lancaster County, but I'm not the only one and we don't give up. With Trump's record of adultery, lying and hateful behavior regarding immigrants, I hope the Republicans here refuse to vote for him.
The biggest threat to our way of life here in Lancaster is rampant development. We need housing for people with low and moderate income not more oversized houses on huge lots. And we definitely don't need any more stores.
Thank you for a wonderful article.
7
One of our absolute favorites in Lancaster is Himalayan Curry and Grill on E Orange Street. Northern Indian food, lots of great grilled veggies and meats, the naan and dal are addictive.
1
Went to college in Lancaster at 18 and stayed 42 years, in large part for the natural beauty of the farmland, a lovely city filled with architecture from the 1700’s, and the downtown farmer’s market. We moved a year ago to another county in rural Pennsylvania where real estate and taxes are so much more affordable, the traffic isn’t choking, and there aren’t shopping centers and blacktop sprouting up everywhere, but the article makes me miss all of these food opportunities!
It’s true that the Mennonite community in Lancaster has been welcoming refugees for many decades, and Lancaster has become one of the biggest centers in the nation for immigrants today. However, as a former Lancaster city councilman pointed out, it’s been difficult for Hispanics and the black community to feel welcome and accepted for as long as I can remember. Even as an “outsider”’from a neighboring county, I could say I always felt it wasn’t the friendliest place to live. Every place has pluses and minuses.
Thankfully, the tide is turning in some ways. It used to be uncomfortable to be a Democrat when I lived there. The Trumpists abound in Lancaster County, although not completely. So good news for the city that inclusiveness is happening on many fronts, including the food scene!
Finally, a few overlooked food gems - namely the tiny but mighty Mandros store for extraordinary cheeses, bread, and olives, and the annual Greek food bazaar at the Greek Annunciation Church. Not to be missed!!
7
I have happy memories of Lancaster from road trips I made with my parents back in the 1960s. We lived in the DC area, but they both came from Reading, and periodically we would go back to visit. We'd always stop in Lancaster for local goodies, including Lebanon bologna and shoofly pie. Until I read this article and saw the photo, I hadn't thought of it for years.
Thanks, NY Times.
1
With apologies to Life cereal, this is the “Mikey” moment of our lives. As with the food, so goes acceptance, inclusion, and diversity.... try it you”ll like it!
Or just share a Diet Coke and some KFC with Donald Trump where stretching your world means a 20 piece bucket!
Kudos to Lancaster.
2
Re the black garlic ramen photo at Issei Noodle (which looks like a very nice place btw).
What is it nowadays that every recipe has to have a cooked egg dumped in the middle of it? I hope we get past that fad because I think it looks unappetizing.
4
You missed two of my favorite spots. Noodle King for pho and Tsunami Express for sushi.
I LOVE sharing with folks that I grew up in Lancaster County. I recall the early 70’s, when Catholic Relief Services sponsored folks from Egypt; good folks who lived on the first floor of our two story; welcoming neighbors who served me my first falafel when I was six years old. I was amazed and had never seen anything so green (inside). I was living in a story from a faraway world - just downstairs !!!
Only in Amish Country ;-)
What a blended model. Those days were magical.
12
The tradition of this community to outsiders is part of the tradition of Mennonites. Our community of Mennonites, who all live modernly, and intermarry with all faiths or none, don't use horses, etc. They however, along with the Lutheran Church took in many Laotians into the community over 4 decades ago, who are still here 3 generations later, going to college, participating in the jobs in the community, etc. We also have a large Hispanic population, Jamaicans, etc. So, our small town of only 2000, has many food choices, as well as the two neighboring towns, one to the east, and the other to the west.
7
I knew Sri very well when we were in college together. She was a woman of passion and practicality. I am so thrilled for the success of the people who work with her and for her.
Congratulations!
8
Everything sounds delicious. I grew up in the mid-west but didn't understand how good food could be until I traveled to the coasts. I love the food choices and good eating one gets with cultural diversity.
8
You can be old-fashioned and still be human.
7
All looks tasty. Certainly a well researched article re Lancaster food. The Lancaster, PA area is beautiful and always seemed somewhat remote to me. Only remember farmland and Amish carriages and horses with all the cute little kiddos sitting in the back of the carriage peeking their little heads out. So unique in today’s world.
3
I live not far from Lancaster, and while I understand that you needed to portray the area and its Amish and Mennonite people in a positive light, in reality they are horribly abusive to animals (puppy mills), and drive horses to near-death in their buggies, which they drive on highways, before dumping them at auction to be bought by kill buyers when they can no longer work. While I, for one, refuse to patronize their businesses, perhaps there are some readers who are not so sensitive to animal abuse, and therefore will enjoy your write-up.
6
@L.Dougherty
Thank you for mentioning the harm done to animals.
1
@L.Dougherty
I couldn't agree more. Thank you.
1
@L.Dougherty Like every group, there are good and bad. Please don't label all Amish the same. I am from Lancaster (soon having our family's 300th anniversary of arriving from Strasbourg and marrying a Herr to make me one of the 100,000 descendants of Hans Herr). There are cruel and rude Amish, like there are cruel and rude Mennonites who pass judgement and treat refugees better than their own family members--why I left. But we have the most wonderful Amish friends for decades who treat their animals well, are kind and welcoming and even named cows after us and our dog, Sheeba.
1
I see styrofoam clamshell containers and lots of plastic. No, thank you.
4
@Passion for Peaches
Yeah exactly. Even here in coastal CA, far too many restaurants—taco shops are especially egregious—dole out styrofoam, give out straws without asking, and use single use plastic needlessly. We need to be vigilant in demanding more earth-friendly options.
7
Unfortunately, you missed one of the best, The Himalayan Curry and Grill, 22 E. Orange Street. Next time treat yourself and give it a try.
7
All I want to know is if you can still get fresh grated horseradish, free range chicken and duck eggs and a fine baguette at the market like you could when I lived there in 1988
4
@Jcosmo Lancaster ain't Lancaster without fresh ground horseradish! The stand is still there - just a new owner who was given the blessing by the Long's.
4
It’s really a lovely little town and the central market competes favorably with markets everywhere. It has several colleges and a lively arts scene. Glad to see this article.
6
The closest I came to this part of the world was the Reading Terminal Market in the late ‘80s, when I would visit Philadelphia occasionally. I watched the young Amish women diligently rolling pretzels, wondering what their lives were like.
The remarkable final scene of “Witness”—in which a young Samuel Lapp rings the bell at his grandfather’s behest—dramatized the power of the Amish community, which restrains the corrupt and brutal Philadelphia police simply by bearing witness.
In Gee Chun won the Women’s US Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club in 2015. Since then, she has established an educational foundation there.
The Anabaptists’ charity toward refugees and strangers is reflected in the proliferating diversity and bounty of this small paradoxically conservative southcentral Pennsylvania city, a sign of Sprit revealing itself in this part of the world.
Although they embody traditional culture and are mostly closed off to the advances of modern society, the Anabaptists in some respects may be way ahead of the game, given the calamitous changes occurring in the natural world.
We can learn from them and from the ways of North America’s indigenous folks. It may be the key to our survival.
8
Did you read the article? It is not about the Amish or the Mennonites. It is about other cultures bringing their food to the region. The only mentions of Amish style food is the mega buffet Shady Maple (which is a meat and potatoes grub fest) and whoopie pies.
4
@Mark
Yes I did. I wanted to emphasize the connection between culinary diversity and the underlying spiritual charity. Otherwise it would be just another article on ethnic food, which you can find in any large city or college town.
To wit: "That inclusiveness has a long history. The Pennsylvania Dutch first settled in the area in 1709, after fleeing persecution in Europe for their adherence to Anabaptism, a Protestant movement. A banner above a busy intersection downtown reads, “A History of Welcome Since 1742,” the year Lancaster was chartered as a borough.
During the 19th century, Lancaster became a stop along the Underground Railroad, as residents provided protection for escaped slaves. Puerto Ricans and other Latinos began arriving as farm laborers in the 1940s, followed in the 1980s by Cubans who had come to the United States in the Mariel boatlift, a mass emigration to escape economic hardship and political repression.
National religious organizations like the Mennonite Central Committee, which opened a Lancaster office in 1935, and Church World Service, which followed in 1987, have actively sought to bring refugees to the city. In 2017, Church World Service reported resettling 477 refugees here. That same year the city, whose population is about 60,000, took in 20 times more refugees per capita than any other in the United States, according to the Lancaster City Alliance, an organization devoted to the city’s development."
5
@Mark
Were you stuffing a whoopie pie into your mouth when you overlooked these key paragraphs in the article?
Krishna emphasizes the nexus between Lancaster's culinary diversity and the region's history of religious settlement and charitable outreach.
2
This story and the comments are a classic example how we jump to conclusions to categorize people and how it hurts this country.
One commenter wrote the conservative Mennonite community is essentially Republican. Yet they welcome these immigrants. Not what many think of the Republican Party.
Conservative views are not always in lockstep with the Republican Party just as Democrats are not all liberal. That is what really makes America great, differing views and independent thinking. We need to get back to that. I’m an independent simply because I refuse to swallow the two party system and the prevailing attitude of you are either for us or against us.
There is a wide gap between conservative and liberal with many possibilities to right this country. Neither party seems to understand that and we, as a country, are none the better for it.
11
I moved to Lancaster City two years ago from eastern Long Island, and I couldn't be any happier. It's a (generally) affordable, walkable city with a great arts and restaurant scene. I'm also proud to say that I'm a founding board member of The Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition, which has just opened its doors as a community center and more. Sometimes it feels as if all roads lead to Lancaster. I don't know how I got so fortunate.
27
This article captures my hometown perfectly: great food, diverse culture and welcoming. I have lived in Seattle, San Francisco, San Antonio and other great food cities but Lancaster is the only one that has captued my heart along with my stomach.
18
You know, I like this idea of bringing the whole world’s people and cultures to America, that leaves the rest free to be one giant wild animal preserve rid of their bother. Maybe there is no reason why spaceship earth can’t keep all its same amenities while still lowering carbon dioxide emissions, just in moderation and the right distribution.
2
We lived in the DC area for 25 years and Lancaster area was a getaway zone. Chads ford has the Wyeth museum. There is a train museum near where you can ride a steam engine and even sleep in a caboose. Hersey Park is close. Longwood Gardens has seasonal displays that are to die for. Memory includes daughter and her bestie sneaking off to eat cheesecake three times at on site restaurant and not wanting dinner later. Intercourse, PA has a petting zoo and a winery where you can pick up wine that says Intercourse Wine which California Brother always wanted bottles of to give out to friends. One favorite memory was buying home made root beer at a road side stand. Love this area and will now put it on list of trips. Thanks for reminding me of that area.
10
I really miss Lancaster and the adjoining areas of SE Pennsylvania. (But don’t miss all the new housing development.) We lived for several years in nearby Chester County, just outside Kennett Square, about 30 miles away, in “Mushroom Country.” (Do you need an explanation?) . We’d drive up to the markets in or around Lancaster when we had the chance.
5
This is America.
18
As the world burns from climate change- due to over-population- we can all pat ourselves on the back because 'diversity.'. We have so many restaurants to choose from! Yah! When most species are gone and water and energy is scarce we can all bask in our openness. The restaurants will be shuttered because of food shortages but why should we let reality intrude upon our delusions?
4
Check out 1st Friday in Lancaster City. Best around.
3
America is immigration plus time. In Lancaster, the regular old Americans are the Pennsylvania Dutch.
8
@harrym, um...so the more recent immigrants are not “regular” immigrants? Really?
Great article for foodies. However the county is flush with bigotry. It’s the reddest of the red. There is no welcome for the gay or non-religious. The Mennonites sponsor the immigrants so they can convert them.
8
@Richard Yes, it is a very red county. but I know plenty of lgbtqa people. Last Saturday was pride day; at least 8 churches had tables there. Last Monday the pride flag was raised over city hall. All is not lost.
20
@Richard The county is quite large and has many folks who are closed-minded. This article is about the city of Lancaster which is open, welcoming, and diverse.
7
Some (mostly white) residents of Lancaster County outside the city of Lancaster seem to be fearful and distrusting of the city’s (mostly non-white) residents.
When visiting the county from elsewhere in PA, I’ve been given advice to drive straight through the city without stopping, and avoid the City entirely at night. After reading this article, I’m wondering whether such advice was based on true concern about crime and safety, or was based on less legitimate fears of unfamiliar cultures.
1
Great article by Priya Krishna.
Dear NYC,
Please do not ruin Lancaster PA. It is a nice town with lot's to do. It is where my partner and I go to get away from you.
Yours,
Concerned.
8
After living in the NY Metro Area, we just retired to Lancaster two months ago. There are so many wonderful restaurants, bakeries & sweet shops, in addition to art galleries, small craft/hand made retail stores & music venues. The Amish & Mennonite communities are tourist draws. But, the downtown area is revitalized & home to many diverse ethnicities. There is a feeling of inclusivity that makes us feel like we never left NY.
9
I was fortunate enough to visit on a recent trip from North Carolina to Quebec; the market was an exceptional one!
Lancaster has evolved and changed so much in the last 10 years . Great article which I plan to forward on to my FB friends in Chester County PA.
5
May this press bring out all of people who frequent or live in Lancaster - and can attest how Lanc (at least Lancaster City) has deviated far from it's Amish and Mennonite roots and is far, far from being an unlikely city.
Everyone helps everyone here, local and from out of town. This is especially true for Central Market or Market. Shopkeepers know you by name if you're a regular, or it's a comfortable environment for lunch dates. The market is not the dirt cheapest, but they've been striving at carbon footprint reduction (only using local farmers) and many organic vendors.
Regardless of views, and how peaceful that coexistence does still remain, Lancaster has amazing potential for a small city.
13
I am a lancaster resident and appreciate this article so much. There is a lot to be said about the diversity of cuisines and small business owners that exist and have evolved in our small city. I completely understand the point and perspective of this article but do feel some of the inclusions (bakehouse on king, issei noodle) are problematic because they either aren't good or have really deteriorated in recent years or are not promoting diversity? Issei noodle is especially triggering as the staff have become rude and bitter in recent years and yet, have top billing in the print and online editions of the Times. I work in media and I'm shocked that more research wasn't done for this. A quick yelp search would have shown that this is not even a controversial take or unique opinion. Bakehouse is unexciting in every way and is owned by the local newspaper, so it is really just a marketing exercise for them but is not global in really any way + the coffee and pastries are vile.
10
@John Hall
I overheard a waiter there questioning their boss about "taxes" being removed from their paycheck that was under the table; and questioning why they were not being put on the payroll. Last time I ate there. There are more honorable, delicious places the Times could've reported on. Disappointing.
2
Now we just need a Russian Mennonite joint in Lancaster... that would really be pushing the envelope! ;) Zwiebach and Verenke anyone?
3
This is what real Christians look like. Alas,
they are a vast minority.
20
Absolutely!
1
@Bjh Christians don't have a monopoly on kindness or empathy. In fact there are plenty of Lancaster "Christians" who are no better than Catholic priests, if you understand my words.
1
Lord Cheetoh Voldemort is spitting mad right now. His name was not mentioned once in this article. And it was all good news! Fake news, mind you, but good news never-the-less. Keep it coming!
7
Good story, well deserved, Lancaster’s been on the up for sometime now, but neglected to include the longstanding cornerstone Greek community, who have been contributing for 50 years. How about Mandros Market, kaboom!
33
@JJVeronis
Uh, there is a Greek restaurant there.
Stella's Authentic Greek.
Its on Market Street.
1
I lived in PA for years..Mandros is the best!!
2
This city is my hometown. This article does not describe the bubble that downtown Lancaster is in. The county is reliably red and their Congressman, Lloyd Smucker, is a former Amishman. He just won reelection despite the efforts of the Berkeley-educated Marxists downtown.
These rootless cosmopolitans are wholly outnumbered there.
7
@American Man - thanks for the warning, but it sounds like at least the downtown is worth visiting.
9
@ American Man
As an apolitical and non-practicing progressive liberal of the center, I would have defined the "Berkley-educated Marxists" as leftist radical Democrats, openly and crypto-socialist, with the cannabis-promoters and militant vegans attached to their coattails.
4
@American Man Seems like these "rootless" cosmopolitans have succeeded not only in putting down roots but establishing a thriving, happening place that lots of other people enjoy visiting. So sorry, "American Man"!
25
Lancaster, PA, shows that we can and do welcome the stranger — and meld them into a community of care. This is America.
41
My thoughts exactly. Thank you.
5
I reside in Lancaster, and it's changed and grown significantly for the better over the 30 years I've called it home. Thank you for recognizing the vibrancy and diversity our immigrant/refugee community brings to this place. All are welcome here!
15
Why no mention of the early Greek emigrants who make the best Stromboli in the USA in Millersville? Shout out to the Sugar Bowl. I don't get back to Lancaster very often but always get a 'boli at The 'Bowl when I do.
19
@Glen Is the Sugar Bowl still going? I enjoyed their stromboli so many times decades ago! Now that I'm living in Greece, I also missed any references to Lancaster's Greek community.
6
If aliens from another planet ever arrive, they'll be welcomed with open arms... if they can cook. See the Statue of Liberty holding a styrofoam container and plastic fork: Bring us your tired, your poor, your culinary expertise. We lift our forks beside the open door of your cafe!
Feed us and you're one of us. Fusion creativity and traditional dishes alike; Americans love to eat and we'll welcome those who put a smile on our full mouths. It's virtually impossible to hate those who cook the things we love to eat -- the human brain just doesn't work that way.
32
Let's check the celebratory tone: Lancaster's poverty rate has increased as all these wonderful restaurants have opened.
8
This is America the beautiful in reality and it doesn't resemble Trump's notion of America one iota. The MAGA mob could learn something about the true nature of their imagined America.
27
Why does the Times think that its surprising that the most Republican County in Pennsylvania would not be welcoming to legal immigrants? Immigrants have a work ethic that matches or is even better than the Pennsylvania Dutch, which is one of the reasons why Lancaster county is truly a conservative progressive area, real progressives unlike the fake socialist regressives.
6
@Lilly the only reason Lancaster is so red is they are stuck in the past when republicans were real leaders, like Gov Thornburg. They are too stuck to see they have been left behind. My uncle, a Lancaster farmer, had to start driving truck to be able to "afford" to farm, like it was a hobby. Another uncle was drug out of his home as they came to auction it off because he used his home as collateral on the family business that went under after 50 years. Appearances are all that matter to a lot of Mennonites and as long as Democrats are Pro-Choice, they (Mennonites) will NEVER leave the republican party, no matter how many lives are ruined. There's no wonderful red county there, it's full of all kinds of voters, but the rest keep their mouth shut and vote differently. The most gerrymandered district in the US included Lancaster County until it was recently broken up and is now represented by a DEMOCRAT.
I would like to add to the list Flora's, La Cocina Mexicana,Senor Hoagies, Gran Sabor Latino, La Cocina, Annie Bailey's, Federal Taphouse, Zoetropolis, Root Vegan Restaurant, Himalayan Curry and Grill.
24
Amen, all great places to eat.
What a fascinating article and discussion! Now I see why the Lancaster newspaper welcomed my op-ed pieces about some of the Syrian refugees I met in Crete a few years ago. My hometown has really changed. Not enough, apparently, to be interested in the Greek extra virgin olive oil I now write about from my new home in Greece, but in different directions, and in an impressive, enriching way. I was astonished by the comments about Lancaster as an example of an ideally welcoming, diverse American city, since that's not the picture of it that persists in mind my from many decades ago, but this is quite encouraging--even with the qualifications added by some commenters.
17
As a New Yorker from an immigrant family, I lived in the Lancaster area for several years in the mid-90s and visited the market on an almost weekly basis. There were no immigrant food stalls there at the time and no ethnic restaurants-I often wished there was. And no one would ever have compared it to Brooklyn! Glad to see things have changed.
15
Been visiting Lancaster city and county for decades. The market is the US's oldest enclosed market and I have enjoyed many a bagful of groceries from Mrs. Thomas's stand, the Celery Man, and the bologna ladies. The vibrancy of the city is well described. But please, let Lancaster not become Brooklyn, i.e., an unaffordable 'scene.'
13
This article fills me with great joy. To be able to read about the success of a town that I so much love and dedicated a great part of my life to its success and fulfillment is a wonderful thing.
But as a former member of Lancaster’s city council and most importantly as a Latino it also fills me with disturbing sorrow. I can assure that Lancaster city is not best known for its Mennonite and Amish communities. If it would be so we would not have had to fight the uphill battle, and continue to do so, to achieve its wonderful level of revitalization.
Now after it has been achieved the African American and Latino communities are ignored once again. The reason why Lancaster was once a forgotten town was because it is very well known for the existence of these communities who for too long have been regarded as too dangerous and too poor to be considered good neighbors and/or good patrons.
It was and is a tough battle; but one worth fighting. Too bad you chose to ignore it.
12
@Jose E. Urdaneta, I was also quite surprised by this article about the area where I grew up decades ago, and the people mentioned (and not mentioned) in it. I was delighted to learn about Lancaster's new vibrant diversity, but puzzled, like you, that many communities there when I was growing up were not mentioned.
7
@Jose E. Urdaneta
" I can assure that Lancaster city is not best known for its Mennonite and Amish communities."
Yes. It is.
1
@Jose E. Urdaneta
When I drive through Lancaster to visit my parents south of the city, I pass through the black/Latino south side. The disparity between the center city and the south side shows that Lancaster still has a long way to go in becoming a truly inclusive community. Thank you for serving on the city council of my hometown and devoting part of your life to serving its residents.
9
Thank you for this wonderful article! It's a great example of how people from all ethnic groups can support and help each other. I live near Lancaster, and go there often. My father's Pennsylvania Dutch side of my family has Mennonite roots going back to the early 1700s in Pennsylvania. Ten Thousand Villages is a chain of stores founded by a Mennonite woman. I shop there often for beautifully made, inexpensive gifts for family and friends. Sales help people around the world who are struggling to support their families. Take a look at the link:https://www.tenthousandvillages.com/about-history/
13
The good restaurants and immigrant-rich population are great. But Lancaster's poverty rate has climbed significantly in the past decade. Economic justice is in short supply.
5
I spent some lovely summers in the 80s in Lancaster. Glad to see it flourishing.
1
Lancaster city is a great place. A small city of about 60,000 that has everything you can want. A diverse culture with top colleges, food, arts, entertainment and rich history.
I have lived here for over 40 years and watched it grow from a town that was in poor shape to the vibrant place it is.
On the other hand is the surrounding rural areas beyond the suburbs. As several commentators have described correctly, the staunch right wing conservatives inhabit those areas.
Lancaster county and the city are two different worlds. Lancaster city is thriving and the surrounding conservative rural areas are deteriorating.
Actually, the Lancaster City/Lancaster County comparison is an excellent example of the positive results of inclusion of other cultures and the negative results of isolationism.
26
@Phil: As a resident of Lancaster County, I would take issue with the notion of deterioration as, at least in our part of the county, there is civic vitality from one end of town to the other in the form of community parks, a town pool, numerous annual parades, thriving small businesses, and increasing socioeconomic diversity. The condescending tone towards rural areas is probably one reason rural areas tend to harbor so much resentment towards urban ones. Personally, I love Lancaster City and Lancaster County too, and this article does a nice job of capturing both.
13
@BP and as a Lancastrian from the rural southern part of the county, I think Phil is right on the money. The only reason we were accepted by the surrounding people is because our family has been there 300 years and everyone knows everyone and before long, you have something in common. The only people coming in as strangers were those who could be converted. My cousins all did "missionary work" which was nothing more than visiting poor countries to help them so they could convert them. Not saying they weren't genuine, but am saying that if a newcomer was an atheist or something not able to be converted, it was a long time before they were accepted as more than a tourist. Living in the city later, completely different. Almost to the point of being an original PA Dutch feeling as an outsider because we weren't part of the new and exciting newcomer.
Spectacular town, spectacular article. And this is all happening in a part of the country that has been practicing "farm to table" for nearly 300 years.
12
We went to Lancaster last year and had a great time! Wonderful food (including a very memorable burger with tomato confit at The Press Room). The Central Market is small, as city markets go, but packed with the most delicious prepared foods along side the fresh produce. Nice hotel/convention center combo. My only complaints are that Lancaster doesn't do nearly enough to help people find authentic Amish and Mennonite businesses, and the state route signage in Pennsylvania is the pits.
8
@Locavore
I always say that our state transportation department deliberately makes signs difficult for non-locals to follow. I agree, they are the pits!
Wonderful, inspiring article. This is why America is awesome.
10
Bravo. foodie destination; I bet the musical sounds are wonderful too.
5
check out Tellus 360, Annie Bailey's, Zoetropolis, and other sites for great music!
@Nancy
Mr partner and I go to Annie Bailey's every time we are in LANC
This is the best version of the United States: welcoming, diverse, entrepreneurial.
37
@saccosumanno and how interesting that it's all about the area where I grew up, which I have been considering very conservative all these years!
3
I was in Lancaster in early June celebrating my 50-year college reunion (Franklin and Marshall College) and had the opportunity to have dinner at Amorette (401 N. Prince St.) which opened in 2018. Our meal was as good as any that I and my wife have had at Michelin 1 or 2 starred restaurants during our visits to France over the years. Eating in Lancaster has certainly changed over the years.
18
@Marc Hochberg, MD, MPH My son graduated from F&M last year, and we got to know Lancaster quite well from going to visit him. It’s a charming and welcoming town. Besides the food scene, there is also a thriving art scene with welcoming galleries. Our son loves Lancaster, both the town and the surrounding communities. Even though he isn’t religious or even raised in any religious tradition, he periodically attended an Amish church outside town, where his presence elicited both curiosity (we’re ethnically South Asian) and hospitality. I feel that the reporting in this article doesn’t do justice to the openness of the Amish, at least as far as my son was concerned.
Go Diplomats!
11
@Marc Hochberg, MD, MPH
Besides food and amazing innovative higher education (I'm an F&M grad too ), one of the best healthcare systems in the country is in Lancaster (now part of UPenn Health) and there's a wonderfully affordable quality of life.
But as other commenters have said, all parts of the community should partake. The city should focus more social efforts (and funding ) as a rising tide raises all boats.
B
5
There's nothing like starting out the day with this wonderful article. Now I'll be really homesick for the next week.
16
Bravo on a colorful and uplifting story on the current state of our melting pot! Yay, Lancaster, PA and kudos to the immigrants and others who are changing palates and minds!
28
It seems to me as though the commenters pointing out how conservative the area is are missing the point.
*This* is how that changes! With new people, new ideas, and new food!
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A great article that really showcases Lancaster's history of welcoming refugees and immigrants, and the culinary benefits of doing so! I only wish that the author had managed to display as much interest in the unique culinary culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch as in Lancaster's international restaurants - yes, casseroles were a big part of what I ate growing up, but it wasn't just "plain stuff." A bowl of ramen or a plate of momos are delicious, but so is stuffed pig stomach, homemade scrapple, shoofly pie, a nice bowl of chicken pot pie (the slippery kind, a regional dish), or any one of the dozens of flavors of fresh jam that you can buy at Lancaster Central Market.
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Having visited Lancaster many times quite a few years ago I have eaten the Amish and Mennonite and Dutch cuisine. I would have greatly enjoyed the worldly cuisine now available in Lancaster.
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A number of people have mentioned the disconnect between celebrating the area's diversity and the area's politics. While the market might seem to suggest a welcoming environment, the individuals elected to office by the constituents of this area surely do not. Lancaster county has some of the most nasty, conservative republicans out there. Sadly, It's likely because their constituents share these views.l
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This great article only scratched the surface of what's going on in this town. I have to rotate my visits to the Viet Namese restaurants because I can't pick a favorite, although the caramelized fish w/tamarind soup at Rice and Noodles is the best meal in town. We have more than one Nepalese restaurant, and any number of S American and Latino joints were not even mentioned. Micro breweries, like the one part-owned by my Puerto Rican friend who often sends his profits to island relief charities, and small-batch distilleries are popping up, too, not to mention the specialty ice creameries and candy makers. I get fresh produce and fruit from local farm stands, I can walk to the best fresh local strawberries in America, and I can eat a fish sandwich made by Mennonite ladies and get homemade root beer from an older Amish fellow at the Tuesday market.
Of course, not everything is perfect. When I moved here 20 years ago in to a 50-year-old house, there were half a dozen greenswards in walking distance, and I don't walk very far, that now have large homes crowded into them. And the surrounding area is one of the most conservative enclaves in the country. I think a lot of my friends and neighbors have always voted Republican and just continue to do so without realizing how far that party has fallen, like the proverbial frogs in a pot. Our Representatives are conservative hard-liners; I'm pretty sure mine will be introducing a bill making it illegal to NOT own a tommygun in PA.
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@wcdevins
And that's not to mention the traditional all-you-can-eat buffets in Amish tourist country (go in the off season for a better deal), supermarkets who hold outdoor "barbeques" featuring everything from pork and sauerkraut dinners to lobster feasts, and a host of food trucks, including cupcakes on wheels. Other posters have mentioned some of the ethnic and modern restaurants the article missed; it is hard to keep up. When I moved here 20 years ago the people's choice for best restaurant was The Olive Garden. Things have changed! I was originally worried about buying fresh meat, but folks come out of their way to visit the many Lancaster county meat markets, many of which are akin to the best old German butchers in my native Northern NJ. Bon apetit!
12
@wcdevins living in Crete, where we have incredible produce and extra virgin olive oil, I miss Lancaster's sweet corn, blueberries, raspberries, and cherries! Fascinating to hear how much else is now available there, as it was not decades ago when I was growing up there!
5
Thanks for the article. It just shows you what the results are if you welcome and embrace people that have fled economic and political difficulties. It's a win-win. The current social climate has been (consciously) driven in such an antithetical direction I believe that the national psyche has been severely, if not irreparably, damaged. Yes, in this context, MAGA has an entirely different meaning than originally intended.
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All the comparisons to Brooklyn are in error: if Lancaster’s demographics and cuisines have a NYC equivalent, surely it is Queens.
But, more importantly, the need to compare everything and everywhere interesting with one of our city’s boroughs is just a sign of our culture’s solipsism. The Times should aim higher!
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A beautiful soup of culture
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How can you possibly write this article without mentioning the Himalayan Grill on East Orange?
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@Dan YES! our favorite buffet in Lanc!
2
Great article about our town. Lancaster had a large and diverse population going back many years. I grew up with Greeks, Hispanics, Italians and African Americans. Shopping for cheese at Mandros (Greek) or eating exceptional Cuban--Puerto Rican fusion at Flora's is part of the week for me. And yes, the Mennonites' mantra of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked have help make this a cosmopolitan town.
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“To love your neighbor is a really big, foundational part of what we believe,” she said. “It is what people once did for us, so it’s seeped into the cores of who we are as a community.”
How it should be : )
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What a great article that goes to show that America is indeed a melting pot no matter what the white nationalists and Fox News will have you believe. Here in Maine, Portland, Lewiston-Auburn and other small towns are opening their doors to Somali, Congolese and many other refugee families. This is who we are, what we do and the food offerings from these families are a blessing. They come with nothing because they have fled the worst in their lives. But they offer us a wealth of culture and an array of foods that is mouth watering. Thank you to the Lancasters of America for welcoming refugees.
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I went to college in Carlisle, and Issei Noodle was one of our favorite spots! I miss their Okinawa yakisoba. Glad to hear the family is doing so well.
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Yes, Lancaster city is welcoming and diverse, and the city council reflects that. Unfortunately the rest of the county does not. The government of white male county commissioners, state and national representatives, is rooted in the long history of patriarchal religions here.
On a related note, the Amish standholder who wishes market was the way it used to be may have been referring to the loss of farm produce stands over the years. Yes, several stands still sell fresh, local produce, but most do not, reflecting the loss of the world’s best farmland to asphalt and shopping centers.
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"reflecting the loss of the world’s best farmland to asphalt and shopping centers" This definitely deserves mention- as someone who grew up in Lititz, the rate of development is staggering- all the farms are disappearing to make way for strip malls and gargantuan housing developments --often times with prices starting in the $40Ok range- and I'm not sure who can afford those homes, though I doubt the refugees and recent immigrants championed in this lovely article. Lancaster city is great- and the direction it's heading is fun to see, but I'm worried the county will lose it's agrarian roots and is already on trend to price out many. We ended up moving to Pittsburgh!
22
@Michelle Burnett, what a shame if that farmland is all being paved and developed! I grew up visiting the roadside farmers' stands for incredible sweet corn and other fresh produce there....
10
What a great great country this is, and has been for hundreds of years. Filled with the cultural riches of the world, fortified with the muscles and brains and ambitions of people from around the world who sought a better life, and showed their gratitude by enhancing and literally building up every one of the United States. We are the richest country in the world because of this.
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In so many small towns, immigrants make up the labor force and balance outmigration of the children from the prior generation. What makes Lancaster stand out is the history of welcoming refugees. Such diversity attracts creativity and helps fuel opportunities that can retain populations and prevent outmigration. You see some great cottage industry of IT and e-commerce firms popping up in Lancaster now. A diverse community makes for a livable community, which makes for a prosperous community.
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Reading this article made me hungry. Would like to read recipes for some of the great sounding food described.
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@ANNE IN MAINE. There are many cookbooks with recipes from this area. I recommend "The Central Market Cookbook," which includes beautiful photos of the market. "The Mennonite Cookbook" has many traditional recipes for Pennsylvania Dutch food. I have used both for many years and, as a native of Lancaster County, can attest to their adherence to traditional cooking. You should have no problem finding both online.
BOy i wish there had been all these great restaurants in Lancaster when I was there for college in 1971. The most exotic thing I could find in the farmers market was peanut butter fudge. Maybe I wouldn’t have transferred out.
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My kid worked for “ The Turkey Lady” in Lanc Cent. Market when he was a Freshman at Franklin & Marshall Coll., a Great need-blind college in the city. He found that the market had great prices on produce and meats, suitable for a students budget. I hadn’t realized there were so many refugees in the city, but that would help to explain the town’s attractiveness. LANC is a great town!
20
Not to belabor the obvious, but isn’t this America?
Isn’t this proof that the Trumpist prejudice against immigrants and refugees is just plain wrong?
And while I am at it, isn’t this the authentic Christian attitude to immigrants put into practice, not the misguided religious followers of the current GOP approach?
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@Paul McGlasson As a Mennonite, I have to tell you that the conservative Mennonite churches and the Amish, many of whom started voting in 2004, are Registered Republicans. Kerry made homosexuality a key issue in that election.
The Mennonites sponsored Hmong families in the 1970's, before it was trendy. Each church sponsored a family. It turned into a tourist scandal of sorts, mildly amusing to everyone else. The women have exquisite needlework skills. History and family lore are passed down through embroidered cloths, visually telling the story. I have one, showing refugees fleeing. So, the women started quilting for extra money, which paid for private schools and colleges for their children. A few studies claim, because of quilt money, this group did better than other Hmong groups. Tourists became enraged that non-Mennonites produced quilts purchased in Amish Country. The Allentown Morning Call did a series about it several years ago.
There an younger, and generally urban, to suburban group of liberal Mennonites. College educated, and many with graduate educations. The Mennonite Church in Columbus, OH has an openly gay pastor, and partner, which has drawn fire, due the the church's view on homosexuality.
I find people, particularly women, have acquired their knowledge of the Amish and Mennonite from Amish romance novels, which are fiction, and should never ever be used as a source of knowledge about the community.
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Makes it worth while to visit as a tourist site!! Wow, I wished I lived nearby. This is American integration at its best! Fine article, thank you.
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@Jean louis LONNE -- You're right -- this is America at its best. Luckily, I do live nearby, and I'm delighted to read this article. My father's ancestors are Pennsylvania Dutch (German/Swiss/English), with Mennonite roots going back to the early 1700s. It's wonderful to see the "welcome mat" for other newcomers to America in our part of Pennsylvania. I hope it's a reflection of other communities around the nation.
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@Jean louis LONNE I went to Lancaster as a tourist a number of times going back to the 80's, and it was popular and fun to visit then. This adds to the dining options, so it's great to see.
9
What a lovely story on a place I once visited. Time to go back and enjoy the new Lancaster!!
16
Fine reporting on a very special community, which is growing in good directions but with issues to address and improve. Rich heritage traditions here, blending more and more into the lives, culture and employment opportunities for new arrivals from all over the globe. Open void: creative drive needed with some degree of rehab and conservation skills, to help advance retention and re-purposing of the many ignored or threatened historic buildings here -- farmhouses, barns, warehouses, some factories, row houses, etc., many of which, if done properly, can provide affordable housing and opportunities for entrepreneurs. We have more than enough shopping centers! As this on-point article shares, there are amazing historical antecedents to today's welcoming community: religious freedom offered to 17th century settlers by Wm. Penn; the related influx of persecuted, skilled farming Anabaptist/Plain People; racially-integrated support for those Africans formerly enslaved, fleeing the South in the late 18th and early 19th century through this area as a key Underground Railroad pathway; the 20th century immigrants from the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Middle East etc.
39
This is a great article that doesn’t even mention all of the other great restaurants of the past few years also worth checking out; Cafe Barbaret (authentic French bistro), Luca (authentic Italian) , Hunger & Thirst (contemporary American), Calypso (Ethiopian) and more. Also come for small batch distillers, Meade and fantastic roof top dining to take in the views of my adopted hometown. All are literally welcome.
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Now if we can get rid of the styrofoam.
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@Michael -- I agree!
2
@Linda My mother lived at a nursing home that was owned and operated by Mennonites. They recycled styrofoam - I used to take all mine there. How they recycled it, I do not know.
Not all Mennonites are accepting of different lifestyles - as someone mentioned, homosexuality is a sticking point for some. And they are registered as Republicans.
4
What a wonderful article about the Amish and Mennonites welcoming in their midst the oppressed, persecuted, and "damned of the Earth", who enrich the ethno-regional variety of foods and cuisines. Nothinf that could have been foreseen in the days of the settlement of Pennsylvania by the Quakers, Mennonites, and Amish.
I mistakenly thought that the Amish and Mennonites had ritualistic food restrictions, similarly to practicing Jews, or Manicheans and Cathars of old.
14
I live in Lancaster County and wish this article had included the reason for the plethora of international restaurants. It can be traced back to the large Mennonite Community which has a long tradition of helping others and of welcoming refugees. There are several large refugee organizations here and Lancaster County has one of the highest refugee populations in the country.
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@Linda Bell In the middle of the article is this sentence: "National religious organizations like the Mennonite Central Committee, which opened a Lancaster office in 1935, and Church World Service, which followed in 1987, have actively sought to bring refugees to the city." The text around it gives more detail.
37
In the mid 1980’s, a New Yorker recently returning from a decade in the Middle East, I taught my first art classes to first year students at a college near to Lancaster. My homesickness was mitigated by the arrival of an older student, who just happened to be Ethiopian. We bonded over the Queen of Sheba and empathized with each other’s anxiety over political issues on the other side of the globe. I was most impressed with his descriptions of the acceptance, kindness and aid he and his family received from the church organization sponsoring his family’s resettlement in the USA. Knowing such generosity and acceptance of different cultural backgrounds existed in the Lancaster area added to my appreciation of this special ‘New Jerusalem.’
27
@Linda Bell The article did include this information. Read it again.
8
There are some great specialty markets in the area as well, if you like to try your hand at preparing unfamiliar dishes. I'm 30 miles away but it's worth a road trip for the fresh ingredients.
23
I love it here in our little city! It seems like there’s always something new happening here, and I love that we’re finally getting the national shine we’ve worked hard to deserve. The Alliance has been key in cultivating growth that feels deliberate and natural, and they deserve huge kudos for their passion and drive.
Come check our city out! One place that I’d also mention is Decades - they have some of the best mixed drinks in town, and a surprisingly elevated food menu as well. It’s just a little outside the center of the city on Queen St.
Cheers!
30
@Rob M
I love your city! During the years I lived in Baltimore I was up there a lot. It's a little harder from Atlanta but I need to get back up there again.
5
This is deliciously inspiring: "The rural heartland" and new arrivals from around the globe peacefully coexisting, sharing cultures & community through food. Of course, Lancaster has always been a pretty tolerant place. Can we please clone this model around the country?!
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