Does the polish immigration cause the increase of the interest in Poland?

Is it a rhetorical question? Maybe, but can you tell that in the last few years brits and irish became more aware about Poland, it's culture, cusine, history and language? Can you observe the general will to learn something more about PL and Poles or rather people dont really care?

The Polish immigration to Britain has definitly had a big effect. The interest is more in the beer, Krakow and the women though.
Polish cuisine is nothing special as its mostly pretty bland(as food from northern and eastern europe tends to be).
Polish history is only interesting if you're interested in history in the first place and then only if you enjoy tales of woe.
The Polish language is a nightmare to learn and lets be honest, if you speak English you dont really need to know anything else in Europe.

Polish culture isnt really publicised or widely known. The only Polish authors I know are Stanislaw Lem and Joseph Conrad and thats because they wrote about subjects outside of the Polish experience and so I wasnt reading them because they were Polish and I wasnt gaining any understanding of Polish culture from them.

It has in my case. I've always wanted to learn another language, but never really had an interest in Poland above any other country. I now share a house with a native Polish speaker and the relatively large concentration of poles in the area makes it the obvious choice, as I'd prefer to learn a language that I'll actually get the chance to use.

Of course, learning the language then sparks interest in the other cultural aspects.
I think for a large number of people here in the UK it certainly has.

Ahh, what a frank and in your face statement. I respect and appreciate that.

Generally, I think it would be too much to expect that suddenly British people will start to read Tetmajer, watch Kieślowski's movies, and listen to Szymanowski's symphonies.

Taking under consideration the fact that just less than a decade ago most of them thought of us and the rest of the nations from the former commie block states as of some kind of Russians, I would consider their knowledge of Kraków and Żywiec as a great strategic success and a good sign for the future. Mark my words, today they are getting wasted drinking Tyskie at a stag party in Cracow, tomorrow they will be listening to Penderecki's "Lament to the victims of Hiroshima"! ;)

The ones who will,will be the ones who always did,Canal was a huge cult movie amongst those in the know even back in the 50s,(OK,I know thats Wajda but you get me..). What tends to happen in Britain is that it takes a decade or 2 and then the culture seems to absorb what it likes and ignores the rest,witness huge interest in Ska and regea in the late 60s early 70s ,about 10 years after the first mass immigrations from the West Indies,and witness britains most poular meal,Curry,not exactly a native Anglo /Celtic meal...:)

hahahah
you're so funnyyyy ;)

Actually, I've just remembered that I like Gorecki. I didnt know he was Polish though until after I bought Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. I also think that me mentioning Gorecki when I first met my wife helped me 'get my foot in the door' so to speak. I also mentioned the Pope and coal production. Spellbound she was.

"Symphony of Sorrowful Songs", eh? Yeah, we Poles like a proper cheerful tune. ;)

On a more serious note, you knowing about Lem, Górecki and Joseph Conrad ( although I do consder him more of a english writer) have a greater knowladge of polish culture than many of my country men and women, who decided to limit their contact with it to "M jak Miłośc" soap opera and "Strictly Come dancing" - the polish edition.


I'm sure you are right. Even now I can see them skinheads and rude boys moonstomping to some large disco-polo record. ;)

yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy....:)

WHO THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE...????....Thank God i was born in the best country in the world.....Why does Britain have 137 Nobel Prizes and Poland only has 12????????.........Maybe its because your not as good or as important as you think you are!!...I'll say no more.

You can take all 137 and shove it up ..... !and 12 as well !

Did i offend you Ironside?

Most of them weren't born in UK. In my opinion many people take care about such peoples origin and interest about the countries where they were born rise.

Not at all!
I simply cannot stand generalizations - I mean it's only your point of view.
Who knows what is important or not!?
....and what is that thingy with Nobel Prizes?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates_by_country

Well, in my opinion they are tendencious but show something 120 of all prizes were given for people with Jewish origin (mostly Americans and Brits) and only 8 for Israel. Japan has 16 half given in 21 century and I find it strange as long as Japan in 21 century isn't so invotvative as it was in second part of 20 century.

Spain has 7

Australia has 9

Anny way, people who get nobel prizes are for sure great but proportions have much more to do with fashion and preferences in particular times... it is like with Oscar or Miss Word.

Personally speaking I thoroughly enjoyed Polish food when I was there. I would actually prefer the cuisine of northern and eastern Europe than that of southern. I really like Swedish food too.

To the point of the thread now:
When Poles started arriving in Ireland in the last 90's it was initially quite exciting because I believed they, along with other immigrants, would give a bit more colour to the place and make things more interesting. I suppose it was a novelty, as there were not very many immigrants in Ireland previously.

However, my initial enthusiasm gradually waned. The Poles who came to Ireland stuck to their own, were generally very conservative, self-serving, closed, grumpy and even sometimes criminal. They gave themselves a bad name and turned many people off.

Even I was rather turned off. This felt unusual for me because I'm a Europhile and pro-multicultural, multilingual left-winger.

Then recently I regained some interest in Poland after going there on a holiday. Even though some people there were incredibly unfriendly, I still came home with a desire to get to know more about Poland and learn some Polish language for fun.

Yes. Before working with and meeting lots of Polish people, I had taken much more interest in Russia than Poland. That is to say, Russian literature, Russian history, Russian oppression of other people, Russian ecology and balalaikas. That really means, lots of things that are found in what is now the Russian Federation that may or may not actually be Russian. Poland seemed just a bit too far away to be easily discovered, a bit too close to here to be interestingly differeny, a bit too small to be well known throughout the world, a bit too big to have the novelty value of a country like St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

It's the people I have met and the time I have since spent there that have made it interesting. Have I ever mentioned that I nearly started learning Brazilian Portuguese instead? Well, only recently, I sat opposite a man on a train who was reading a book about Brazilian Portuguese in Polish. Still an unlikely thing to find, but it would have been even less likely a few years ago.

Heh, tell me about that. And I'm Polish.

I dont, lets murder him.


We're not unfriendly (lets murder this guy too).

The younger Poles, in general, aren't as unfriendly as the older ones. This is something.