Harleys and chicken corn soup: The sound and taste of York County, Pa.
This photo shows a Harley-Davidson cycle made entirely from leather at the Harley museum in Milwaukee. This piece is part of a new exhibit, “Collection X: Weird, Wild Wonders of the Harley-Davidson Museum.” The exhibit runs runs through Aug. 21. (For additional photos, see below and at ‘Weird’ Harley-Davidson exhibit has rare items Also of interest: York workers traditionally have made big, heavy things and York County chainsaw artist about Harley carving: ‘I had an inspiration for the bike and America’ and All Made in York posts from the start.
In a Universal York blog post, historian June Lloyd links Harleys and chicken corn soup, two icons that individually and together say a lot about York County.
June was manning the soup carry-out window at the Sunday School picnic at her church, Chanceford Township’s St. Luke Lutheran Church.
Up walked a nice man, probably about 40, wearing a black T-shirt.
He purchased two quarts of chicken corn soup and made extra sure the lids were on tight.
He explained that he was wrenching them down because they were going home in the saddlebags of his bike… .
Harleys from the factory and chicken corn chowder from the farm.
“Pretty well sums up York County, doesn’t it?” June wrote, “Sorry I didn’t have my camera.”
I remembered June’s story in experiencing a similar York County scene.
With development crowding out the rural way of life, farm markets featuring fruit, produce and the best recipes of the Pennsylvania Dutch are cropping up.
They do a good job of transporting you back two decades, or perhaps 20 decades.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in an outdoors eatery at one such market enjoying this throwback experience.
This trip back in time is also popular with Harley riders. Indeed, these markets are prime destinations for bikers.
So the market’s rural tranquility was punctuated by the distinctive sound of arriving and departing Harleys.
Some say that is the throaty sound of money.
So you have factory and farm doing battle at an agricultural business enterprise that specializes in bridging the gap between the past and present.
As June said, this scene pretty well sums up York County.
