UK, Ireland / What do you like about living in Britain? [134]


Sinister? Perhaps it's just that they consume more calories than they burn. Most (and I mean most) people turn on the TV as soon as they get home from work (of after they get up, in the case of the unemployed) and eat high-fat, high-sodium processed crap. This wasn't the case in the 1950s, when, believe it or not, many families would go for a walk together after a home-cooked dinner made from fresh ingredients. It's simple. Consume 3000-4000 calories every day and do no exercise and you'll get fat.

Work / HCL 3500 PLN GROSS, Krakow [8]



You really should have checked this out earlier. I live in a village in the east and 3500 wouldn't be anywhere near enough even here. Is it too late to renegotiate? If I were in your position, I wouldn't bother coming. Sorry to sound negative but you're going to have a low standard of living on pay like that.

History / 1937 travel brochure for Poland [15]


So do I.


I'm away from my etymological dictionary at the moment, but how long is a long, long time? I'd have guessed the 1910s-20s.

UK, Ireland / Is moving to UK now a good idea? - antipolish prejudice of the Brits [231]






HH. You've made your point. You don't want Poles in the UK. Now f*** off and find a nice Pakistani site to infest.

History / 1937 travel brochure for Poland [15]

Interesting to read that Warsaw was Poland's gay capital as far back as 1937 ;)

UK, Ireland / Is moving to UK now a good idea? - antipolish prejudice of the Brits [231]

It seems that the offspring of Poles who grew up in Britain have a much more mature and reasonable view of the situation in 1944-1945 than those offspring brought up elsewhere. Or have they just been brainwashed by those nasty Norman robber barons they suffer under?

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]

Is it just my local Lidl that never seems to have more than one person at the checkout? Apart from the British week and the very nice curries I hate the place.

UK, Ireland / What do you like about living in Britain? [134]


Then you should. A well-pickled egg eased into a bag of cheese and onion crisps by a curvey English barmaid is a thing you can't die without trying.

Law / Allegro for non-Polish users -- Cancel order, bank transfer, contacts for help, etc. [19]


Not true. Click on kupować bez rejestracji.

Life / Trick or treat in Poland [24]


Guising came to America from Europe. Demanding treats in return for not playing tricks is American.

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]

I though it was Dutch Hugenots who started selling fried fish on London streets.

Life / Trick or treat in Poland [24]

That's right. The sight of a cemetery in the evening, bejeweled with candlelight, is mesmerizing. The American children's threats with menacesis unlikely to supplant this solemn and beautiful tradition.

Life / Trick or treat in Poland [24]


Perhaps it will; America's 'cultural' hegemony has a long reach. As it is, the teenage lads in my village still bid us a polite 'good day' when they pass our gate. In the city a dirty look from a rap-loving hoodie would be more like it.

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]


It would be a little difficult to explain to the neighbours that the party was in celebration of the hanging, drawing and quartering of a Catholic for trying to blow up a Catholic-persecuting parliament.

Joking aside, it's not a bad idea to have an ethnic party from time to time. My Bloomsday party always attracts a good crowd.

Life / Trick or treat in Poland [24]

Nothing where I live either. Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that trick or treating is an american activity, and this is Poland.

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]


I never buy Polish sweetcorn. The European Corn Borer kills up to 90% of the crop, so those nice folk at Monsanto do great business here among maize farmers. I've proofread scientific articles on the ECB and pest control and it's scary stuff.

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]


You may have seen the root vegetable part of parsley. It looks very similar.

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]


When I asked my mother-in-law about this, she said that brukiew were fed to people in the camps during the war, and perhaps that is why they are now fed only to livestock. She got hold of some seeds and grew some for me a few years ago. Delicious cooked with carrot and then mashed with a little butter and black pepper.

Last October/November I bought 12 packets of Lidl's cheddar and finished the last packet in, I think, March this year. The last packet had a few calcified crystals but it had kept really well in our always-cold storehouse. I'm going for 15 tomorrow.

Classifieds / English cuisine week in Lidl shops in Poland [203]


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UK, Ireland / What do you like about living in Britain? [134]


My mother-in-law serves pierogi with fatty fried bacon and then spoons melted butter over the top. We do not expect to live long.
I have a large collection of cookbooks, including several books on traditional British cooking. There are so many wonderful dishes from the British Isles but people just don't cook them anymore. Processed and junk food are cheaper and easier, so busy people live on them instead.

I challenge any carnivore to try my steak and kidney suet pudding with beer, steamed for four hours, and tell me British food is bad.

Travel / What are some of the "must do" activities when visiting Poland? [43]


I live near Białowieża forest and I can tell you that you've made a good choice if you like trees, as I do.

There's not a great deal to do except walk in the woods, although the standard of hotels in the village has shot up in the last ten years. The Żubrówka hotel is the best (Best Western) and has a great restaurant which serves game, and is very reasonably priced. There's a Russian restaurant called Tsarska nearby, which has sensational food but is expensive by Polish standards. When I have stayed in Białowieża I stayed at the cheaper hotels and ate at the better ones.

You should take a walk along a route called 'Żebra żubra'. This starts near the village and goes through the forest to the Bison Reserve, where you can also see Lynx, Moose, Tarpan and Boar.

Another place most tourists miss (I know several locals who had never heard of it) is 'Miejsce mocy', the 'Place of Power'. This is an ancient religious(?) site with stone circles. It is believed by some to have magical healing powers. I heard a guide say that foresters sometimes observe injured deer coming there for a while, like a hospital. The less romantic fact is that the place has naturally high radiation levels.

A tour of the 'strict reserve' (you have to have a guide) is expensive and, in my opinion, not worth it unless you are a professional botanist or biologist.

If you're coming in winter, try a sleigh ride in the forest. Avoid the hotel-organized tours and contact a guy in Czerlonka who does it for a fraction of the price. He's not hard to find. PM me if you want more info.

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]


Your profile says you're in Nottingham, which would explain a lot! There are lots of regional accents in England, and you just have to 'tune in'.


The l sound is the same but the vowel sound is different. called has a sound like door or more in 'standard' English pronunciation, but cold has a vowel sound like old or over.

UK, Ireland / "If it's not Polish, it's shite" - What is great about Polish Beer in UK? [78]

London Pride is a bitter, not a brown ale. As for being popular only with oldies, I can't believe that. Courage Director's is another great London brew. One of the only things I miss about the UK is the real beer, especially Theakstone's, Boddingtons and Bass in the north, and the wonderful Green King Abbot ale in East Anglia. It really is worth exploring English beer when visiting the country. There are so many, and I really don't know why people prefer the gassy disco-p1ss served in pubs at three quid a pint when they have the opportunity to drink real beer.

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

The fact that you can hear a slight difference shows that you have a good ear (probably two, in fact) for English. When you say called you can feel your tongue touching your alveolar ridge, the hard part of the roof of your mouth just behind your top teeth (sometimes burned when we eat hot pizza). Does your tongue touch this part when you say cold? It should.

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

/Ʒ:/, as in nurse, is a problem for Poles because they don’t have this sound in Polish.
/Ɔ:/, as in door, war, more, is another one. Try getting your student to repeat lists of words after you, e.g. nurse, norse; hearse, horse; bird, bored.

/æ/, as in cat, is another tricky one for Poles. So is /˄/, as in but.
Again, try minimal pairs, like cat, cut; hat, hut; bat, but.

/Ө/ and /ð/, as in thin and this pose real problems, with Poles taking the path of least resistance and uttering fin and viss, although estuary English is making these sounds more acceptable!

UK, Ireland / Is moving to UK now a good idea? - antipolish prejudice of the Brits [231]

I just heard John Humphries on BBC radio 4 interviewing an English guy from, I think, Middlesborough, who receives 1600GBP/month benefits to keep his family of wife and three kids. Asked if he was willing to work, he said no. Why work? So it seems a great time to go to the UK and parasitize on the tax-payers. If you want to go there to work, be prepared to be treated like a fool by the lazy sods who seem to think they have a God-given right to live free of charge.

Work / Englishman seeking non teaching work asap - to stay in Poland or ..? [37]


You are man enough to accept that you're not ready to teach at the moment, and some posters have, I think, missed that. Poland, especially the big cities, is a tough place for foreigners to survive in. My advice to you is to cut your losses and get back on safe ground. If you would like to get into teaching English, take a good course back home and then come back armed with the bits of paper required. I wish you luck.

UK, Ireland / Poles working in Manchester, England - request for facts [34]



The real story sounds good. Poles have done well in the UK and their contribution should be recorded and exhibited. Be aware, though, that anything that shows Poles in anything other than a glowing light will be jumped on as polonophobic by some, especially Americans of Polish ancestry. Good luck.

Love / Any suggestions for wedding venues in South of Poland [28]


A wedding party for 50 is going to cost you a bundle wherever you hold it. Try to agree with the venue that you can bring the booze. This will save a lot.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]


Rates are negotiable. Quote at least 100 PLN and don't come down more than 10%. See if you can get them to agree to pay you for cancelled classes. This happens a lot in company teaching: quickly arranged meetings, too busy, etc. Dress at least as well as the clients. Get them to fill in a needs analysis form. It makes you look professional and is helpful. Be fully prepared every time. Make sure you establish payment dates (big companies often pay late). Be prepared to work hard. They know they are paying you for a value-added service, so provide one. Ensure your classes are a balance of heavy and light work. These people work hard in jobs they may hate. Make your class something to look forward to.