Cognisant of the fact that the English, Scots, Welsh and Irish are separate nations, both Poles and Brits of the above ethnic groups as well as observers of other nationaltiies can often be heard saying things like:
-- Polish women make better wives and mothers, are better cooks and homemakers in general; -- Poles attach greater importance to the family which in surveys far outstrips careers, money, travel, etc. in terms of importance; -- Polish food is far superior to the cotton-fluff stuff (white bread), bangers and other chemically treated substances which pass for food in the Isles;
-- Poles attach greater imporatnce to time-honoured traditions such as Wigilia; -- Poles are far less mean and penny-pinching and more hospitable in line with the saying: "Gość w dom, Bóg w dom" -- when a guest enters the home, God enters the home;
-- Contrary to the colonial tradition of suibjugating nations regarded as inferior, Poles have always adhered to the maxim: "For your freedom and ours", -- the belief that a fight for freedom anywhere in the world is a struggle for a free Poland;
-- Unlike the bloody religious anonimosities between Catholics, Anglicans and Puritans (including quite recent Protestant-Catholic tension in Ulster), Poland has traditonally been a haven for dissenters, accounting for the large number of Jews who fled England and other countries of the "enligthened" West to settle in Poland;
-- By and large Poles in the Isles do not dance naked on pub tabletops, vomit on other customers, urinate on the walls of defecate in corners.....
My opinion: Talk of one group of people being "superior" to another never leads anywhere good.
And everyone of your points is either highly disputable or a double edged sword.
"-- Polish women make better wives ..."
They also expect a lot more control at home and over their husbands and are no more faithful than Polish husbands.
"-- Poles attach greater importance to the family"
So-called family values are good up to a point, but when they're too important (arguably the case in Poland) they lead to nepotism (you don't hire the most qualified, you hire your cousin) and corruption (the public aren't family so it's okay to cheat them).
"-- Polish food is far superior to the cotton-fluff stuff"
Polish food is higher quality than most of western europe, but the variety is less than amazing. You can eat very well in England as long as you limit yourself to non-English food.
"-- Poles attach greater imporatnce to time-honoured traditions"
Again, respect for traditions is good up to a point, but can also lead to stifling innovation and progress and the continued existence of ideas (like 'national superiority') that really need to die.
"-- Poles are far less mean and penny-pinching and more hospitable"
Less penny-pinching? Excuse me (HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!) hospitality can be nice but also takes intrusive bullying forms (forcing guests to eat and drink long after they want to stop). There's also phony hospitality "gość w domu, masło do lodówki" or "gość w domu, pilnuj żonę" (see point above)
"-- Poles have always adhered to the maxim: ... the belief that a fight for freedom anywhere in the world is a struggle for a free Poland"
Like supporting Georgian aggression against Russia?
"-- Poland has traditonally been a haven for dissenters"
Yes, Radio Maryja just _screams_ "tolerance".
"-- By and large Poles in the Isles do not dance naked on pub tabletops, vomit on other customers, urinate on the walls of defecate in corners....."
No they reserve that behavior for private parties (probably a good point overall)
Scottish women are pretty good around the house too. Homemaking is sth of a tradition in places. It's a female trait in general.
Sorry, us Scots have strong family values too, stemming from religion and social conditioning. Not to mention our ancient clan system, where we connect to our history and genealogy. If I had a Scottish surname, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'd have the kilt of my name.
Also, Polish food is quite basic (tho very good) and is often borrowed from other countries. Leczo, gulasz and bogracz being just 3 from Hungary. Pierogi are produced in other Slavic countries. Some traditional Scottish foods are similar to the likes of bigos. Ask PD or any other Scots here if you doubt me. It's Hunters Stew for God's sake. Stew is Celtic (Scottish/Irish). Gołąbki, well, quite original but I had sth similar in primary school. Cabbage rolls, the food that everyone dreaded. It was cheap and mass produced.
The Scots honour all manner of traditions, Burns Night being the main one. It'd take me a LONG time to discuss this and my fiancee needs the computer. Travelling is hugely important and the Scots travel far and wide.
Poles are far less mean and penny-pinching? That's a laugh!! Eh, Poznań and Kraków? Sorry, the hospitality industry in Scotland has a longer tradition than in Poland. Read as many sources as you can P3.
Need I comment on Scotland and freedom? I think not!! You have relative freedom, we aren't independent yet.
Freedom to be Catholic in some parts. Despite the drawbacks, I'm glad that Scotland has a more even division between Catholics and Protestants. More open minded and broad thinking. Why are you Catholic? Oh, because my parents are. Sorry, that doesn't wash/cut the mustard.
Poles in the Isles get very drunk on vodka, they feel more liberated away from home. Almost everyone does. Even been abroad P3?
Gołąbki, well, quite original but I had sth similar in primary school. Cabbage rolls, the food that everyone dreaded. It was cheap and mass produced.
Gołąbki are just Turkish dolma adapted for local ingredients (cabbage instead of grape leaves, and the earliest versions used buckwheat or barley instead of rice).
I especially like them Hungarian style with a spicier sauce than Polish versions and sour cream slathered on top.
Yeah, European food has remarkable overlap if you look closely enough. I've just glanced upwards and read Woopee's comments. Nicely put!!
Even łazanki, a food Poles rarely speak about but which is really tasty, cannot be considered as Polish to the end. Pasta squares with sausage. Eh, Italian and German spring to mind. In Scotland, cabbage is a food for poorer people for the most part.
Before Poles get too defensive, I've stated elsewhere that I'm a big fan of the food options here, no more so than now. The soups and stodgy foods keep the innards warm. Trust me, ask any Scot on this forum, they'll say that Scottish soups are superb. I'd agree with them. Polish soups may be fractionally better. I'd prefer to see it as both of our countries producing top-notch soups.
Mafketis, I like your style. I prefer spicier foods but spice is not too popular here. A madras would be too spicy for many here. Never mind a vindaloo or ceylon.
Trust me P3, Asian food has much more variation. I tried food from different countries there and the range of ingredients is greater.
For a long time, this was hard WB. I wonder if P3 would change his tune had he lived under the conservative administrations of Britain. I guess so. Family values were the buzz words a lot of the time.
This thread should be closed, it's very essence is inflammatory and just wrong. Hitler espoused superiority with catastrophic results. As Wrocław correctly said, all these issues have been discussed elsewhere.
Didnt you forget to mention that you often over hear people say that.....
Poles are very cold and aloof Poles can be quite heavy going and dont have much of a sense of humour Poles take things way to seriously Poles are over emphatic on matters such as how intelligent you are rather than taking the person as a whole Poles often dont show much emotion or body language making it hard to engage with them
You people in this EU should really treat each other better. How can you be a "Union" when you're constantly so divided? I don't believe in better or worse.
The cultural difference, upbringing and some values might be different, but not necessarily better in either. The strong 'family" ties thing is questionable. If we love our family so much - why don't we hesitate to leave them for a dollar or a pound? Often, the children are abandoned because of that.
Some threads draw in the punters more tho. Era made some valid points when referring to some Poles but it's the same with any country. I was shocked at just how little engagement there was on Japanese trains, complete detachment actually. However, in bars, it's quite different. Set and setting :)
Taking things seriously is often the case but I know many who are completely different. How many times do you hear a Pole say 'mam w dupie'?
Compared to Celts, some Slavs are a bit colder, I'd agree. However, there is much evidence to show their joviality.
I would have to say that generally the Polish seem to behave better in public, generally more courteous (except on the road perhaps :-) ) and very definitely have better food! I think even the most fervently patriotic Briton would have to give them that!
