Sad life of a Polish migrant in UK. Ch. 3 - Food

Life is never easy. Thus said Ksysia the Prophet.

Coming to a foreign country, I had to learn everything anew. Which bread is edible, which is good. Where do eggs stand, where do they put flour bags. To go shopping before 5PM, otherwise everything apart from Tesco's will be closed.

After 3 years I'm more-less safe.

Artisan bread comes from Sainsbury's, and they also sell buns for baking at home (Cuisine de France, I think). Breads in foil are to be avoided.

Butter is good - choose any butter.

Milk is very bad, it tastes like water with some powder milk. Sainsbury's SoOrganic is bearable. There's one good brand, Dairy Crest, available from the Kurdo-hungarian shop.

Pork is bad. Avoid it at all costs. Read about how farms are feeding pigs in a closed system, and never buy it.

Lamb and beef are very good, but only the expensive counter meat selection.

There's only one kind of chicken that resembles chicken, the yellow skinned outdoor reared chicken.

Canned drinks are sweeter than in Poland.

Vegetables are good if they come from the cheapest, lowest shelves - not organic or any fancy packagings.

flour is very good, it's drier and finer ground than ours.

Wine is dirt cheap and there are even some wined that are possible to drink - Lussac St. Emillion for example. Champagne is cheaper than in Poland even in absolute values.

Lager is rather tasteless, but there's a wide selection of real ales, like Director's Ale. They taste very richly, like kwas chlebowy.

And soup pasta is imported from Italy - DeCecco. V. good.

It's not possible to buy Jacob's coffee, apart fro the aforementioned shop. Thank God for Kurdo-Hungarian shopkeepers!

That'll be maize fed chickens, chicken is generally tasteless unless you marinade it anyway. the same in Poland in my experience.


the last time i was in England i had unbearable indigestion from the sliced brands. Polish bread is traditional, UK bread has so many chemicals. It seems to last forever.


Its fresh milk the way it shoud be, in Poland milks is cartoned and lasts for months unopened. I actually prefer the taste, but its not the way its supposed to taste naturally.


Lamb in Poland virtually non existant, Beef is as tuff as old army boots unless youre lucky enough to find fillet. Whats this a Pole that likes Lamb?? wonders will never cease!!!! All the beef i buy in Poland (except fillet) needs to have the crap boiled out of it.

There is a fizzy Red Lemonade made by "Hoop" in Poland thats got so many chemicals in it its like effluent from a Nuclear Power station !

What do you thinnk of Scotland Ksyia ?

Yeah, my wife hates it, but the Father in law would eat it if done on the BBQ.

I've never been in Scotland so far - I plan to go to the very top. Past Inverness. Take the car and have a nice long ride through the open.

Scottish shortbreads are awesome :)

Good idea - just what you need to get away from London - would cheer you up no end !

• 
  Durness
  

szkotja2007

Beautiful!

I agree about the beef in Poland not being very good. But I don't use it for steaks anyway, so I only want the gelatine taste that goes in a soup.

Lamb it's possible to buy in Poland, but only frozen and v. expensive - I wonder if we sell all the lamb abroad? Because there are sheep farms.

Hoop lemonade is v. sweet indeed, but I had in mind the Coke kind of sodas - they taste different in every country.

Maybe Chapter 4 should be - "Location:Sad life of polish migrant who should have gone to Scotland instead of London ?"

Ha ha, good one, Szkotja!

I'm in Warwickshire, I only went to London for a weekend.

Warwickshire is the English farm region, their Kansas. Like our Ostrołęka.

Is there hell. Not any that produce meat anyway.


Why oh why would Poles wnat to work in Scotland??

In which way is English milk more watery than Polish? (If that's what you meant) You need to get out of the city where all things are imported and nothing is produced locally.

I can't help feel that you are moaning K...

More positive attitude towards Polish people, more culture ( also a more similar culture ), better scenery, established Polish communities, etc etc etc

Why wouldn't Poles want to work in Scotland ?

Bollocks!


Lake district is better than anything i have seen in Scotland.


Yep she's a barrel of laughs. If there was a Polish olympic moaning team she would be the captain.

Did you get north of Perth ?

Yes i have, i am not denying Scotland has some lovely scenery and i have spent many a good holiday there, but for me the Lakes are easier on the eye and not as rugged or brooding.

So its like saying you prefer the park to real countryside - fair enough :-)


Scottish culture is more distinct. More evident and promoted more than say, for example England.

Define English ( as opposed to British ) culture ?

Good literature, Morris dancing, cricket, erm.....what comes after that ?

What is culture?


Real ale, football, rugby, the Derby, the national, chelteham festival, cheese rolling, music, history.


The deep fried mars bar and irn bru.



and more picturesque, it inspired Wordsworths poetry as opposed to the complete nonsense that is Burns.

English translations are now available.

The mighty McGonagall may be more accessable to the student of literature.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig or in other words it's bollocks in any language!

Burns stands head and shoulders above any metaphysical, homoerotic, foppish claptrap. Each to their own tho......


Or you can give her a stars and stripe bikini and a pump action rifle...........

• 
  Sarah
  

uh-huh - links please! I'm interested!

Here is one Red red rose follow the links for others. Ae fond kiss is another classic.
"Is there for honest poverty" was recited at the opening of the Scottish Parliament

No we have real milk and not UHT. And because it comes from our fine British cows, we also have damn good beef too.


Correct

Stop buying skimmed milk


Yes it is try Asda

What do you expect when buying Asda smart price and Tesco value range and doing things on the cheap.They are cheap for a reason.You get what you pay for.

Thank you but never again. Even their Peiper-Heidsick gave me a headache. It oculd have been past the bb date.

Jacobs instant, evaporated milk, demerara sugar. Bliss.

And nothing at all to do with the alcohol content.



Hmmm

ahaaha now I understand.

Ksysia stop buying the red milk! Only buy the cartons with the blue lids and surrounding labels next best is green lids but do not buy the red lidded milk!

This is a stupid thing to complain about! at least know what you are buying before you buy it!

The cheap copy as opposed to the real Piper-Heidsieck. Stop buying the cheap stuff Ksyia :-)

You can get Jacobs coffee in there

Yes but it's too expensive in there, Kysia is notoriously tight, buys only the cheapest and then proceeds to moan about it.