A day off from the Hershey stuff today - instead, we drove into Lancaster County to see some of Amish country. We had been told, "You have to go to the Shady Maple Smorgasbord - it is amazing!"
Pennsylvania has some interesting town names... Blue Ball... Intercourse... Lititz...
Yes, I am a juvenile (some might say: delinquent) in an old man's rickety body. But, I laugh a lot.
Heading into Lancaster County, we both detected a pungent aroma... before I could say, "That's not you, is it?" we came up behind this...
A truck full of live chickens! I'm guessing they were shitting themselves if they had any idea that this is their "last ride." But, chickens are not bright... "Hey, the farmer is taking us to tour the Tyson processing plant - sounds like fun!" "Yeah, I wonder if we'll get any free samples? Um, what do they process there?"
A bit further down the road and we came to the Shady Maple Farm Market... a grocery store, a "goods" store, a bakery, fabrics, a bunch of other stuff, and on the top of the hill: the Shady Maple Smorgasbord...
That is a file photo of the Smorgasbord - here's the view we first had from down the hill...
It is HUGE! Bigger than any buffet we've seen in Vegas or Laughlin (and those people know buffets).
Their "claim to fame" is "over 200 feet of buffet selections," but that really doesn't tell the whole story, because their are grill stations coming out from that 200' as well. It is traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cooking as well as other cuisines. As you might imagine from the title of this post, I had savory roast beef, BBQ pulled pork, fried chicken, a meatball, a bunch of other tasty stuff, and... it all had a delightful fresh flavor. They say their produce comes from the surrounding farms, and I believe it! The lady who took us to our table explained how it all works and ended with: "You are at table 93, in case you get lost - just ask any staff person to guide you to table 93."
In checking, I found the buffet dining area is 110,000 square feet, with more for a banquet area. The price was very reasonable and they point out "no tipping." Downstairs from the Smorgasbord is an 80,000 square foot gift shop. Of course, we spent some time wandering around there, too...
No, there are no dolphins in Lancaster County, but this shirt made me a bit homesick.
Joan said, "Board games are making a comeback!"
Ahem...
OK, this is more my style...
LOTS of cat (and dog) stuff...
A separate quilt store...
An endless supply of knick-knacks, shirts, toys, signs, etc, etc...
A more upscale way of saying, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Universal.
Lots of great looking fields and farm homes. And, some roadside stands...
And, of course, people getting around by horse and buggy...
Some of the fields looked might big to be plowing, planting, and harvesting with a team of horses. There are cars and pickup trucks in some farm yards. I wondered about cutting all that wood for making the furniture that is so popular here... electric saws? It is a different lifestyle.
Coming back, we ran into some rain... more good timing to get our "chocolate running" done yesterday, since today was more about touring by car.
We'll be moving on again tomorrow, but have enjoyed our time here.
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