I was recently perusing the internet and discovered an appalling number of errors in Mennonite bread making. I know there were errors in the past – the historical record is replete with disputes over baking. Not, it is true, in the “mainstream” historical literature, but they’re there if you know how to look. They were … More Bread of Contention
There was a scene, back in episode 1, when Bronco Novack proudly identified himself to Noah Funk as a detective. Noah was, appropriately, unimpressed. If episodes 1 and 2 set up the difference between the Mennonite and the secular communities, episodes 3 and 4 make valiant efforts at bridging the gap through the unlikely alliance … More CBC Pure S01E03 and E04: Law and Ordnung
A number of years ago, my daughter’s grade school class was given the task of preparing and presenting a short speech to the class about their personal family history. No problem. We’ve got that covered. Or, we did until a week or so before her turn when one of her classmates presented and told the … More An Ignorance Both Deep and Wide
The posters have been all over bus shelters for months. The trailer’s been online and there have been a few promotional interviews. Canadians are supposed to be all atwitter in anticipation of a new CBC drama called Pure. It’s about Mennonites! Drugs! Crime! The early reviews are pretty positive. But I don’t care about them; … More Oh, what fresh hell is this?
By now, you have probably been to four or five Christmas gatherings. Maybe you’ve eaten your share of pfeffernuss and are readying yourself for portzelchy. Maybe you’ve already alienated the other Rook players in your family and have strained the goodwill of the Dutch Blitzers. You have almost certainly exhausted all of your polite small … More An Entirely Appropriate Mennonite Party Game
Growing up in a Mennonite community, when it came time for my adolescent rebellion, I had it pretty easy. My wild rebelliousness consisted of such rule-breaking as playing cards in study hall and hosting a square dance (once). Yup. I was one badass Menno rebel. I expect that wherever two or three are gathered, there … More Breaking the Rules
I first published this post on the old site in June 2015. June is upon us and that means that we are full into wedding season. Not that I get invited to a lot of weddings. Though drunkenness often occurs at weddings — even Mennonite weddings — most people don’t actually seek out drunks when … More My Big Fat Mennonite Wedding
With Halloween coming upon us, it is the season again to consider all the various creatures of evil that fill the movie theatres and frighten innocent children everywhere. You know – such frights as vampires, werewolves, zombies, Voldemort-style villains, and, of course, Mennonites. Before seeing that Google searchers like to declare us evil, I would … More Creatures of the (Menno) Night
If you have been reading my blog for awhile or have found another way to become educated in the basics of 21st-century Mennonite life, you should understand by now that Mennonites are not now (and never have been) contained to farms, farmers’ markets or quilting bees. I know this can be an uncomfortable thought. Look … More Approved Mennonite Careers
This post was first published in August, 2015, serving as an introduction to the topic of Mennonite understandings of Geography. It was also an excuse to nerd out over the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — this is a post perfectly situated to reach that niche audience of Mennonite Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fans … More A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Mennolands
