Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

So would many British comedians for that matter ;-)

On a more serious note, look what's happened to Doda.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

'Somebody'??

The World Bank, even. Over €260 per month is upper middle income. Poland is near the top end of the upper middle income countries. 59 out of 195 countries in the world.

But one would expect certain people here to see the glass as half empty rather than half full. However, don't worry,hanks to huge EU subsidies, income levels here may even rise a little further over the next few years.

data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

No Grubas. It's been an upper middle income country for years and is getting steadily richer. it will never be like Qatar unless they get rid of 95% of three population then discover massive LNG deposits. Then import a lot of very poor people to do the dirty work.

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]

The secret is to tear the peppers, never, ever cut them; to add any water later, to add the tomatoes later, and at first, just cook the peppers slowly in oil or smalec.

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]


Personally I wouldn't. I add a small amount of water as necessary, but Leczo is one of those things that is nice because of the clean flavour. There are also usually tomatoes. Some people add zucchini, sugar and garlic though I don't.

Really, all it contains is a lot (in Poland they really do use a lot) of bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, kielbasa, paprika and a little salt.

Sometimes people serve it as an accompaniment to meat, and usually boil it to a mush. In my opinion it is good as a main dish itself, if it isn't boiled down too much.

Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

My feeling too. And pretty miserable if you're on a long haul (or any flight) between two huge people spilling out of their seat.

Given that low cost airlines are getting so fussy about excess baggage and carry on weights, charging for any slight excess, surely there's a case for changing that to just an allowance - passenger and baggage together, say 110 kilos for a man, 100 for a woman and 90 for an unr 16. And an extra payment if they're so fat they're likely to encroach onto other passengers' seats and cause discomfort to others.

edited,,

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]


A summer stew made of bell peppers. When you see people leaving the supermarket here with huge bags of them in different colours, that's what they're usually going to make. Leczo also has kielbasa and onions in. It originally came from Hungary, but is common enough in Poland nowadays. There are two schools of thought about how long it should be cooked. I prefer it fairly lightly cooked, some people like to boil it down to a bigos-like mush. Frozen Leczo from the supermarket tends to be somewhere in between. The secret of making it is to tear the bell peppers rather than cut them. It's a seasonal dish because it uses so many peppers, it's only economical when they're at their cheapest. Delicious!

Actually, Curry is a British creation based on a variety of Indian dishes. Curry as it is served in Europe is very, very different to food in India. Anyway, Dessie, what's with the 'we Indians' stuff? Bought a wigwam?

Real Estate / What do you pay in rent/mortgage in Poland? [144]


Assuming you can get a mortgage in the first place, which many can't in the UK. In Poland, they still hand them out like confetti.

Real Estate / What do you pay in rent/mortgage in Poland? [144]

Median is one of the three forms of average. Don't assume mean is the same as average. And for obvious reasons, the median is the most reliable figure to use.

Real Estate / What do you pay in rent/mortgage in Poland? [144]


I come from an economically depressed ex-coal mining town in Yorkshire. Very typical for much of the UK. Average property prices there (according to home.co.uk) are £138,000. £209,000 for a detached house. The average salary in that borough in 2011 was £19,000, before tax. So an average home is 7.2 times more than an average salary.

Bear in mind that someone on that average salary would find it very hard to get a mortgage in the first place.

The situation is better in Poland.

Travel / How come no one ever seems to pay for the bus in Poland? [63]

Don't try bribing them any more in Warsaw. It used to be normal, now it's not.

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]

Actually, in the form that it's known round Europe they did, Dessie. Food habits are eclectic. Especially in Britain, but also in Poland too. One of my favourite Polish dishes is Leczo, which entered the Polish culinary repertuar from Hungary. Chlodnik Litewskie and szaszlyk also look outward.

What dishes have you enjoyed whilst in Poland?

Language / What should I end my last name with? [16]

Some 'masculine' surnames end in -a. And not all surnames change according to gender. Gretka is one of them.

There is a Polish footballer called Marek Gretka.

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]


Very similar. The Polish ones are (and should be, at their best) soaked in oil and essentially the same as Latkes. A food critic in the UK who is Jewish himself (I think it was Giles Coren) wrote recently that Latkes over the years had probably killed more Jews than the Germans.

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]

Everything in moderation - even bread with smalec sometimes ;-)

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]

Do you mean Bogracz?

Food / Your favourite Polish foods! [180]


Gołąbki?

If yes, then I quite like them too. Generally I find most Polish food extremely bland and stodgy though and particularly dislike sodden , limp and dripping salads. Pierogi can be nice, especially Pierogi Lwówskie, fillers with a sort of Bolognese Sauce. Kielbasa I don't touch - they are very, very bad for you.

My favourite is probably chłodnik Litewskie. A classic. That and Botwinka and Czarnina of course.

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]


Any cheap mild or processed cheese. In the UK market Most people prefer a stronger taste, however if it says mild on the label, comes from a factory and isn't expensive, it should be similar to the Polish stuff.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]


I'm not sure how your mind connects that to football - presumably one of various failed attempts to hijack the thread away from the real issue - the racism in Polish football and how it should be stopped.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]

I don't recall any of the dictators you mention living in Warsaw and affecting my life, but there we go, troll away if you wish. Significant though that the more avowedly conservative someone is on here, the more likely they are to be abusive and insulting - its called Internet deindividuation, and you'd never dare insult me to my face.

Interesting that you contacted Leicester University, who are indeed knowledgeable about the way England solved its football racism problems. It took a lot, but was effective. Here we have yet to see one iota of success in this matter.

Anyway, that is getting away from the issue - a critical issue when European politicians are calling for boycotts and there are already sanctions on the country's main team. How do you propose the issue be solved?

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]

So how exactly does that impact on Polish football racism?

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]

Again, you're avoiding the issue. Though I do feel, and so do quite a few Poles I know, that the world is better off without Lech Kaczynski. His passing is not to be mourned.

To get back to the issue, how do you think Poland should tackle the horrendous problems it has with racism in football?

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]



As soon as trolls start using phrases like that, we know they have nothing really to say. But in fact we knew that anyway.


I don't agree with you, as well you know. Not only is your statement inaccurate; it is also disingenuous.mwords are not 'cheap' and words and actions reinforce each other. There is only one race, and racist behaviour must be stopped, decisively and right away.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]

None of those examples you give are actually racism. However much you think or pretend it has become a 'cheap word' doesn't for one minute impact on the fact that it is one of the worst behaviours of Homo Sapiens.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]


Erm, as I recall, Panorama isn't actually shown in Poland


Given the great success that the English Football Association has had in sorting out hooliganism, I would suggest there's a lot of know how. Know how that Poland and Ukraine evidently lack.

Law / Can I apply to live in Poland while actually in Poland ? [21]

Probably. If you don't register they can't throw you out anyway since as a citizen of an EU country you have a valid legal basis to be in any other EU country. In my case I'm out of PL several times every year and certainly every couple of months at the least so at the moment I'm not bothering with registration. I have documentary proof of my whereabouts and it suits for taxation purposes.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]


More twisting and turning and lamely attempting to divert from the issue. Sad really, as yesterdays events show.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]


So you'd rather the whole thing was ignored. Typical ostrich mentality.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]


Claim??? The problems are a matter of record, and whether or not there was corruption in UEFA this time, it wouldn't be a first.

Since PL and UA were so keen to host it, it is not unreasonable - even entirely appropriate, to expect that both countries might have addressed the problem during the run up to the tournament. But no. They didn't. Though some of the sillier inhabitants are whining on the Internet after the fact.

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]

I don't see any lashing out by Brits at all. Or great delight in racism. What I see is Euro 2012 being hosted by two states who have unresolved problems with racism in football; problems that most other European countries have tackled with varying degrees of success. Poland and Ukraine chose - made expensive bids even, to host the tournament and it is not unreasonable that both countries should have at least tried to address the problem in the period between the bid and the actual matches. They've had plenty of time and people can hardly complain if the issue attracts attention.

A very topical issue, and the only 'cornered animal' here is you.