UK, Ireland / Do the poles like British culture [127]


You seem to have very conveniently forgotten that a foreign power WAS involved - a foreign power big enough to make the USA uncomfortable for the duration of the Cold War - and that quite a number of Polish people were killed during the martial law; definitely not for "lying down and taking it". I somehow cannot recall anyone "applauding" Jaruzelski for his decision either (BTW, are you so in awe of him that you cannot bring yourself to type his name?).

UK, Ireland / Do the poles like British culture [127]


I was also thinking of people who spend hours at a doctor's surgery waiting for their turn while their sick child deteriorates with every minute to finally die; people who allow themselves to be kicked off public transport in the middle of the night because they don't have enough change to pay for a ticket, and then get killed on the street; people who follow their sat-nav's instructions so blindly that they drive into the middle of a river, or cause a fatal accident on a roundabout; I could go on.

Questioning authority is just not part of the English mindset. Even if there is some public unrest, it is a very civilised and restrained unrest in comparison to what other nations would do (excluding football hooligans, who seemed to have been neutered by now anyway).

UK, Ireland / Do the poles like British culture [127]


Total drivel. I apologise for my reaction but I cannot phrase it otherwise. Communism as a system created whole generations of people who would never do as they are told, who came up with ingenious ways of side-stepping and/or disobeying the official rules and regulations, and who even today have a huge problem with obeying authority (any authority).

On the other hand, English people for example are very meek and very obedient as a society. They hate "kicking up a fuss" and are almost genetically incapable of saying "no" to anyone. ;-p

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]


My dad had them as well, but they were all replaced in the mid-nineties by his housing association, so I thought it would be a nationwide move (most of my friends in different parts of Warsaw have had theirs replaced as well at a similar time). Seems you have to stick to the open window routine then... at least you're not getting charged extra for the loss of heat you cause... ;-)

Now I think of it they might not have been actually replaced, just a fancy new regulator added to them... either way, he can turn the heat up, down, or off as he fancies. The housing association replaced all the old windows with new plastic ones at the same time, so energy efficiency really increased.

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]


Each of your heaters at home should have a separate regulator thingy. The heaters come on at the same time, but you are free to turn the heating down or even off if you wish.

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]


This part I agree with. Nevertheless, if the blood vessels in your throat / nose are constricted due to the cold, and you encounter viruses or bacteria, your immunity is seriously compromised, so it becomes more probable that you will get seriously ill.

I almost always get a sore throat after having an iced drink. I am not ill prior to that, but get a fever, lose my voice etc. about a day after. In winter, in summer - doesn't matter. I might be totally alone having that iced drink so it's nor really about human to human transmission.

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]

Anecdotal evidence to the opposite: I used to work (in Poland) with a tough-looking guy from Minnesota. He kept joking how the Polish "cold weather" was beach-going time in MN, never wore a hat or zipped his jacket. Guess what? Within several days he had caught the most vicious respiratory infection ever and could not shake it. He was terribly surprised! BTW, eating ice cream or drinking iced drinks CAN give you a sore throat. It depends on the individual. I almost never indulge in either because for me, it's a recipe for disaster, even in summer. The cold plays havoc with those mucous membranes in the throat and nose that are supposed to be the first line of defence against respiratory tract infections.

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]


I do, too. The problem was (sometimes still is) the availability of the warm jacket. If you don't have a really snug overcoat / jacket / whatever, if your boots leak or are poorly insulated, you add layers and extra socks and whatever seems to help. It's a natural reaction. It's quite hard to find really warm clothes or boots in the UK, at least not for the price I am prepared to pay, so I usually layer... I managed to buy a military winter jacket recently though, so I'm looking forward to winter this year! :-) And I think I might be able to buy a pair of warm boots as well (made in China and cheap as chips, in a small shop in a small town nearby). Already tried and tested by a trustworthy person :-)

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]


Depends on the actual weather, I would say. In a cold year, I wear tights from late September to April, I guess - and it doesn't seem to do me any harm. In fact, I am wearing tights right now! ;-)

But I also often wore a sweater in India (as a child) - to my parent's horror. I seem to be one of the people who crave warmth and never have enough of it. I soak it up like a cat on a radiator! ;-)

About layering - once you have really warm outer clothes for winter, you don't need to layer as much. I remember freezing all winter throughout the seventies and eighties, and bundling up like a maniac to compensate; and then the absolute revelation of my first real down jacket bought in 1992 or whereabouts. The same goes for winter boots.

Life / Poles and the temperatures they heat their homes [36]


I love tights, and I wear them all winter. Yeah, under trousers as well. The one time I didn't, figuring UK winters are mild, I got a terrible case of chilblains I won't easily forget... And I wear a hat from October to April approximately. And gloves. :-)

I think many people in England underestimate the weather and have no clue about dressing appropriately. The number of times I have seen half-naked girls shivering in a clammy, December wind in London... They didn't look happy. But the worst I have seen (and I have seen this many times) is parents with a tiny baby, the parents wrapped up, and the baby blue from the cold, no shoes, no socks even, no hat, with a flimsy jacket on (probably because the midwife told them not to "overheat" the child).

Funny though, this was in London - where I live now, on the coast, people seem to understand that a cold wind from the sea coupled with freezing rain call for sturdy boots, hats, and winter coats. I don't feel out of place with my "Polish winter dress sense" here. ;-)

Genealogy / Is it Likely One of My Polish Ancestors Did Some Funny Business With a Bulgarian? [16]

The mixing and matching might have happened during or just after WW2. People were scattered all over the place then. Just a thought.

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]

With all due respect, what a load of absolute tripe.

Food / The Mystery of Polish Sausage - Interesting kiełbasa link [17]


a percentage of what exactly?


really. that's interesting.

do you know any other adjectives beside "stupid" btw?

I like your style ;-p

Food / The Mystery of Polish Sausage - Interesting kiełbasa link [17]


It's 1 to 6 actually. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. Why would the A - D system be any better?

Language / which one sounds better? widziałem/zobaczyłem [30]

I actually did read some of the blog. The fact that someone is capable of using different registers does not mean that they mix them up inappropriately. You can have fun with language, you know - but ujrzeć is a poetic, bookish verb if there ever was one, no matter what any of us says.

Language / which one sounds better? widziałem/zobaczyłem [30]

Your quote confirms my opinion, actually. The fragment in question is written in highly literary Polish. What I am talking about is normal, everyday speech. If you don't see the difference, I can't help...

Language / which one sounds better? widziałem/zobaczyłem [30]


I never said "archaic". I said "bookish and poetic". All your examples are either one or the other, or both ;-)

You don't use "ujrzeć" in everyday speech. "Ujrzałam młode ziemniaczki w warzywniaku". Would you seriously say that?

Food / Problem to find "cream" in Poland [23]


zott.pl/pl/show/page/id/83

Language / which one sounds better? widziałem/zobaczyłem [30]

"Ujrzeć" is hightly poetic and bookish. "Zobaczyć" means the same and won't make you an object of ridicule. ;-)

News / 1.3% birth rate = Poland's slow death [221]


Exactly THIS. I'm glad I'm not alone thinking that! :-)

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Really? I am Polish, educated, and a woman. And I cannot recognise either myself or my female friends in your description.

UK, Ireland / Should UK Poles be forced to attend English language courses? [10]

It's not a language course they've sent her to, but a vocational course. She claims she doesn't know enough English to benefit from it; all in all, a stupid excuse, but you should read the rest of the thread to see how the other forum members reacted to her complaint. She found no sympathy, suffice to say.

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]


I personally think the choice of "must" was largely influenced by the preceding "necessary".

"Foreign languages are useful. You should learn at least one." A natural choice of "should".

So I think the person / people who wrote the test are to blame, actually ;-)

They MUST be punished!

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]


Well, they basically messed with my -ová ending. It either came off altogether, was changed to -ova, or to -owa. This might seem like a small issue, but it did mean my actual surname would not match e.g. school documentation, so I spent a lot of time rectifying things. ;-(

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]


What if the laughter is nasty? I can tell good-natured banter from unpleasant, snide remarks, and the good-natured banter is pretty thin on the ground, believe me... What some Polish people think of as "funny" rarely translates well into Czech. E.g. the ubiquitous lists of supposedly Czech vocabulary that float around the internet (szmaticzku na paticzku, dachowy obsraniec etc). They have nothing to do with the Czech language and everything to do with a very immature and frankly tasteless sense of humour. When Czechs poke fun (in a much gentler way, BTW) at Polish though, the Poles are usually indignant! ;-p

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]


I wouldn't know about the Těšín area. I was born in the Czech heartland :-) And there, they would probably insist that their spelling was the real one, just like the Polish authorities who tormented me with various "polonised" versions of my surname when I moved to Poland ;-)

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]


I seem to remember an interview with her back in the day where she explained that the Mlynkova thing was a bit of a marketing ploy (to make her seem more exotic).


The Czech alphabet has no "ł" or "w" that's for sure. So yes, if she were born there, they might have spelt her surname Mlynková. I used to have a similarly formed surname myself :-)

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]


No, I look completely different :-) Also, isn't Halina Polish, only born in the Czech Republic?


I agree. But it backfires sometimes, too. E.g. Polish people sometimes attack Czechs or laugh at them or their language around me (not knowing, ofc, that I am half Czech myself). I never know what to do then. Should I "reveal" my ethnicity and make them feel ashamed? Should I let things be? I feel uncomfortable either way. Then I go to Bohemia and experience the same thing, only the other way round. ;-(

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]


Right you are! ;-)

But it also means I'm forever sitting on the fence.

History / Czech and Polish character in World War two [81]

What is there to tell? Polish dad, Czech mum, mixed PL/CZ upbringing in Poland :-)