Life / BEST SMALL CAR IN POLAND? [21]

What is the cheapest new small car on the Polish market today and how much does it cost?
I have heard that a small Fiat is best because even mechancis in remote rural areas know how to mend them and have easier access to spares as opposed to some of the newer more exotic marques. Would you agree?

Language / ANGLO-MANGLING or "Does your DUMB COW SKI"? [6]

Americans of Polish extraction can rightfully envy their east Slavonic neighbours whose names are in general pronoucned correctly in the USA. The reason is simple.

An eastern Хмелницкий simply transcribes his surname into English as Hmyelnitsky and Чарковский becomes Charkovsky.
A Pole named Chmielnicki or Czarkowski would end up having his surname Anglo-mangled into some God-awful Chimmel-Nicky or Zar-Cow-Ski.
Szumiacki ends up sounding like a Japanese restaurant entré: soo-mee-yakee.
And you can imagine a first former named Dombkowski on his first day of school and class mates taunting him with: Does your DUMB COW SKI?

Even Czechs and Slovaks named Novak do not have to go through life being called NO-WHACK the way a Polish Nowak does.
There is really no solution except respelling the name phonetically: Yablonski (Jabłoński) or patiently correcting each and every Anglo-mangler.
People with lots of cheek may counterattack like a lady I once knew named Wróblewski. When someone addressed her as Mrs Rob-a-loose-key, she would shoot straight back: ROB A LOOSE KEY? HELL, I WOULDN't EVEN WANT TO ROB A TIGHT KEY! Often the Anglo-mangler would become flustered and stammer: Ah, er, um, you mean that's not how you pronounce it?

Have anyh of hyou encoutnered such problems.

History / A POLE, Jan from Kolno, DISCOVERED AMERICA [5]

America was discovered by Polish seafarer Jan z Kolna several years before Columbus.

USA, Canada / Polish American as US Republican vice-presidential candidate? [13]

Pol-Am as McCain's running mate?
Has anyone heard that Sen. McCain is choosing Minnesota Governor, Pol-Am Tim Pawlenty as his candidate for vice-president?

Language / Proper male singular vocative with -ec nouns/translating "merytoryczny" [6]

1. Which form of the vocative singular of masculine nouns ending in -ec is proper: chłopcu, szeregowcu, Niemcu, działkowcu or
chłopcze, szeregowcze, Niemcze, działkowcze and why?

2. How would you translate "merytorczny" (not in general or accroding to some dictionary definitoon) in this concrete sentence:
Zapewniono im pomoc finansową i merytoryczną.

News / Blood libel fresco in Polish cathedral? [35]

A fresco showing Jews draining the blood of a Christian baby for use in making matza (Jewish ritual bread) used to hang in the cathedral of Sandomierz in SW Poland. Anyone know if it is still on display?

Jews have attacked the painting as anti-Semitic and deny that blood libel (mord rytualny) was ever practised by their co-religionists.

Life / WIELORYB AND FEMINISM? [7]

The Polish word for whale WIELORYB is a misnomer, because it incorrectly suggests the whale is a big fish, when in fact it is a mammal. Similarly, FEMINISM de-emphasises such traditionally feminine features as gentleness, caring, selflessness, thoughtfulness, patience, devotion and a strong sense of responsibility, and instead attempts to make women over in the he image and likeness of males. The so-called feminists try to portray the image of tough, two-fisted, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed individuals, highly reminiscent of the egoistic, self-assertive male concerned mainly with his own self-fulfilment, self-enrichment and self- aggrandisement. So rather than persisting in this bit of linguistic folly, they should rename themselves MASCULINISTS in keeping with the macho-style image they are trying so hard to convey.

Food / Polish bread = 40% rye, 60% wheat. Chewy crust? [NEW]

There are all kinds of Polish breads, but the most typical - the kind most families regard as their staff of life and make a steady diet of contains roughly 40% rye flour and 60% wheat flour. It is made with sourdough rather than yeast. It should have a shiny, crackly crust which may be sprinkled with poppyseed, caraway or black cumin, and should have a rather firm, dense and springy body. Also it should have a whiff of unmistakable rye aroma when smelt. Since white wheat flour is now cheaper than rye (used to be the other way round!), commercial bakers are systematically reducing the rye content to around 25-30% where the loaf looks almost like a white French or Italian bread.

In general, Polish bread has deteriorated in recent years. Most bakers are now using bread improves (a packet of chemicals designed to increase yields) which create a texture closer to the cotton-fluff stuff widely eaten in Anglo-Saxon countries, although it's not quite that bad. Yet! But who knows where things are headed. Probably not towards wholesome, natural nutrition but higher profits and that means more chemicals and automation. Still, Germans come to shop in Poland and rave about how good the Polish bread is. So things there must be even worse!

Related: Polish rye bread - the secret to get a thick and chewy crust?


The "secret" is a very hot oven. Preheat oven to 270C or 500F before you put the doe in it. Works every time for me... Try baking with steam (put a pan with water at the bottom of the oven).

Life / WHO OR WHAT IS JOE POLISH? [11]

Anybody know who Joe Polish is? The name has been bouncing about in cyer-space for a while. Even the homeless can make money legally on the net -- says one pitch. Is this an advertising gimmick, joke or ethnic slur?