News / JEW YOUTH SHOULD CLEAN UP THEIR ACT IN POLAND [420]

haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1090911.html

Education Ministry seeks to curb unruly behavior on Poland trips

By Or Kashti, Haaretz Correspondent

Students participating in trips to Poland will not march through the streets with flags, will be held to new conduct standards and will volunteer with Holocaust survivors upon their return, according to new guidelines issued by the Education Ministry, Haaretz has learned.

USA, Canada / WIKIPEDIA'S POLISH-AMERICAN ENTRY [10]

Wikipedia has got an extensive write-up on the American Polonia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_American

How complete and/or accurate is it according to you?

Love / SHIFTLESS POLISH MALES FORCE WOMEN TO TAKE CHARGE???? [10]

I am just bouncing these ideas I have heard from native Poles off you. They do not necessarily reflect my own points of view....

Polish males complain the only happy marriage is when they meekly accept the role of pantoflarz (hen-pecked hubby) and go along with everthing the "boss" wife proposes. If they ever disagree, they are in for a battle -- shouting, ridicule, insults, threats, blackmail, tears, silent treatment -- the lot!

But Polish females see things differently. They would love a husband who takes charge and shares the load. Instead the old man feels he has paid his debt to family and society by clocking in his 8-hour day and spends the rest of the day reading the paper, watching TV, drinking beer, fiddling with some private hobby or going out with his mates. That forces wives to take charge and may make them seem to be bossy, but they say there is no alternative if anything is to get done.

Both the above perspectives are turning people away from marriage or at least delaying it to the limits of safe biological maternity. Biologically the ideal age for child-bearing is 23 -- each year after that increases the risk of complications, congenital defects and other problems. Parents close to grandparental age also deprive children of a normal childhood. Such parents, esp. if fairly well to do, may lavish more money on their kids than devoting personal time and effort to them.

Love / THE TYPICAL POLISH WOMAN? [148]

I've heard it said (jokingly) in Poland that the typical Polish woman:
MA DZIECKO GENIALNE, MĘŻA DEBILA I NIE MA SIĘ W CO UBRAĆ! (Has a kid that's a genius, an imbecile for a husband and nothing to wear).

Another bit of common wisdom contends: If there was only one orange, the French would divide it up equally amongst family members; Greeks would give it to the wise old grandfather, the family patriarch; Poles would divide it up equally amongst the children; and the Italians would wrap it in fancy paper and present it to their Mama Mia.

Unfortunately the anecdote stopped short of saying what would have been done in England, Ireland, Germany and elsewhere.

Any comments?

Food / TINNED CORN (MAIZE) GALORE IN POLAND [11]

In your countries does Pzza Hut sprinkle their pizas with sweet corn or add them to rice-based salads and other dishes? I have even encoutnered fish in aspic (ryba w galarecie) with corn therein -- completely out of step with Polish culianry traditon. Since this "exotic" item first appeared when communism was dumped, many Poles apparently regard it as something trendy. In America, canned corn has long been poor people's food served as a cooked vegetables at soup kitchens for down-and-outers.