History / Matters of Propaganda...Or: how was the West portrayed in Poland? [150]

Good point, Greg. Escape was nigh on impossible given the vast concentration of soldiers and monitoring.

Anyway, this is spiralling into a farce. Back to the topic. Poles still have a fascination for the West in terms of the goods they have. Many Poles didn't even have passports so recent developments have peaked their curiosity.

Travel / Looking for a typical restaurant in Wroclaw [26]

I think it also depends on the layout of the restaurant, Wrocław. I've been to the Sphinx in Wrocław and it's not as good as the one in Gliwice. The one in Gliwice is compact and you get served pretty quickly as a result.

Yeah, the meat isn't exactly prime cuts but it's decent value overall.

UK, Ireland / UK recession on the way? [58]

Well, either way they will be stiffed, Mister H ;) ;)

History / Matters of Propaganda...Or: how was the West portrayed in Poland? [150]

He was just spelling out the logic, BB, nothing else. Plenty of Russians in Berlin before 1989, spreading communistic BS. That must've been a bitter pill to swallow.

News / What is the future of Catholic church in Poland. [154]

I think it still has a steady future but the death of JPII 4 years ago was a body blow to its aspirations. He was a figurehead of the highest order for Poles. I think the number of practising Catholics has substantially dwindled.

History / Matters of Propaganda...Or: how was the West portrayed in Poland? [150]

Do you think it was a coincidence that 1989 became the hallmark date, Seanny? There were forces at work that wanted to wipe the scourge out. Some in Berlin lived in relative poverty and that couldn't continue.

Law / What is a NIP? [8]

You need it if you pay ZUS and taxes here as I do. I have my NIP and Regon on my stamp, it's a quick reference thing.

Law / What is a NIP? [8]

Use the search facility, Lefty. They have some good threads on it.

News / POLISH PRESIDENT & PM ACTING LIKE SPOILED BRATS [15]

Come on, let's hear a Tusk story. What is this man doing?

Life / Polish Protestants [22]

I think the problem with this thread is that Polish people likely think it means protesters and not Protestants ;) ;)

Polish Protestants, wow, you are targetting less than 5% of the population here on a forum. Good luck :)

Travel / Looking for a typical restaurant in Wroclaw [26]

1. Destroy the scales

2. Don't say trout next time ;)

3. Start snapping your fingers :)

4. Yeah, stand up and head for the door. They change their tune then :)

5. Wear a commie sympathisers badge :)

6. That is irritating, they should be redirected.

7. Yeah, there has to be a flaw in that system

8. Explain freedom of choice to them

9. I forgot what you said :)

Polonia / Any thoughts on religion in Russia from Poland? [9]

Well, research the aftermath of the Chechen War. The mujihadeen made it a religious issue and perhaps strengthened the allegiance of Russians to the Orthodox church. I know Fyodor Emelianenko is a follower and he influences many in Russia as the world's best fighter.

They are close to Serbians in this way.

Travel / Looking for a typical restaurant in Wroclaw [26]

I see that you are very aware of what you eat and drink, Seanny :) Maybe I should learn from you. There's one sushi place here and I just assume that he has fresh produce. In Hiroshima, the seafood capital of Asia, I had no such worries. The sushi there was so addictive. Even up in Izumo, by the sea, they had top-notch conveyor belt sushi.

Wrocław restaurant? Um, Sphinx :) Here's a list, wroclaw-life.com/eat/restaurant_directory.php

Only one sushi place gets a mention.

Life / What is the nature of Polish people's hygiene? [76]

Now that's noticeable. The Indian and Pakistani communities in Scotland consistently reek of sweat.

Language / Polish grammar exercises from hell [130]

Delph, right enough :)

Ziemowit, Polish is a context-based language. To use 'pary' gets confusing as it appears to be ambiguous. When you say a pair of pants/trousers/breeks to a native speaker, they will know exactly what you mean.

Language / Polish grammar exercises from hell [130]

Delph, 45 pairs of scissors means 90 in Polish.

Life / What is the nature of Polish people's hygiene? [76]

It's really hard to say, Greg. You will only ever get a sample which is not representative. It can't descend into a national hacking contest based on rough impressions.

Some are stinky and some aren't in almost all countries in the world. When was the last time you heard of a national hygiene ranking?

I haven't taken a bath for a long time now (largely because I don't have one). Ooh, that bath in Vilnius was super. Lovely hotel :)

Life / When on a Polish street you can see... [19]

holes on the road and Polish people

Language / Polish grammar exercises from hell [130]

Any more, Derevon?

Language / Polish grammar exercises from hell [130]

45 pairs of scissors would be 90 in Polish I think. I'd say kupiła because she bought the goods. It's like a non-defining relative clause. Kupili is possible too, though.

I forgot about the cioro ending :( I don't often use it as I keep it simple as much as possible.

Thanks, Gumishu. I was a little quick with it and made some basic mistakes but I felt it reasonably well.

Language / Your Funniest / Strangest / Sadest Moments with the Polish Language [63]

That's true, Osioł. Another favourite for them is grope instead of group, or beer instead of bear.

I sometimes say mam w dupe instead of w dupie and that's a big mistake.

UK, Ireland / Sad life of a Polish migrant in UK. Ch. 3 - Food [93]

I remember seeing a book about Tesco a couple of years back. I was in Glasgow Queen Street station and it jumped out at me. It was a harsh indictment against Tesco but that's a British matter. I think the Poles can be happy with what they have in Tesco, they don't need to see the internal politics of the firm, just enjoy their products.

Language / Polish grammar exercises from hell [130]

Matka razem z jej dwoma wujkami, trzema ciotkami i z piętnaściorgiem młodszego rodzeństwa kupiła dwieście piędziesiąt trzy (troje?) kleszczy, czterdieści pięć nożyczek i osiemdziesiąt dwoje sań w dziewiędzisięciu siedmiu różnych sklepach.

Forgive me, I am not a native speaker of Polish and have likely made some mistakes. I ran it through my head rather than following rules, that's how my Polish tends to be. My grammar awareness is limited but I think that a native Pole may have problems with the above.

UK, Ireland / UK recession on the way? [58]

How are things now? Kwaśniewski, ex PM of Poland, was apparently told that the crisis will stop when certain people want it to. He met some high-profile people who explained it to him.

The UK doesn't mind recessions as, like a Swedish porn star, it is accustomed to boom&bust :)

Life / What is the nature of Polish people's hygiene? [76]

Was that a joke, delph?

UK, Ireland / Sad life of a Polish immigrant in the UK. Ch. 2 - Stress [63]

Is stress really that big of a factor amongst Poles? I don't see it. It is said in a tv commercial that they are more and more tired but I don't pick up on this.

News / Why does Poland love the US? [144]

Because the US doesn't strictly enforce their laws :) :) They can slip in under the radar :)

Life / Polish 'Barbie Doll': What do Polish Women Think? [12]

I heard that the creator was German. He didn't follow through on his idea and Mattel developed it. Maybe I'm wrong but that's what I taught my students at Profi when I taught there.

Language / Your Funniest / Strangest / Sadest Moments with the Polish Language [63]

The difference between cipa and czipa. Also, picia and picza. I once told my fiancee that I was eating Kasia when I wanted to say that I was eating kasza.

Another peculiar similarity is zadbana and zajebana. God created a tough one there :)

Food / What are the most popular drinks in Poland? [23]

Aha, we have the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen :)

Um, yes, I feel refreshed after drinking it. And what of it? ;) ;)