Law / Is there much demand in Poland for real ale? [38]


Really? I have never seen them here in Kraków and I have never tried to make my own beer. That said, I think it's something I might enjoy (I like cooking and drinking beer...that's a qualifier no?). Have you tried the sets? Any good?

Also, if anyone knows a good online brew shop in Poland, I'd be interested.

Work / About taxes ("Umowa o dzielo") and minimum wage in Poland [30]


I worked for a while without a PESEL and it was fine, but I never got sick and never wanted to buy anything that might require credit. I am currently working for a company where I get private healthcare, but prescriptions are still extortionate. First thing I did once I had a contract for a flat was got a PESEL and it has made life much easier.

Life / Polish natural remedies and homeopathey better than English [84]

I would say that it's good the doctors are advising certain things to eat and drink with natural treatments. However I would be wary, by all means increase certain anti-oxidants and things in your diet and eat healthily with natural ingredients. But be careful substituting homoeopathic treatments in place of prescription meds. Natural remedies should be just that, remedies. They are not tested and dosed to be up to the safety standards of prescription medication and sometimes may not even contain a small percentage of what they are meant to.

Again, I am not saying not to use natural treatments, but use them a remedy or as a preventative measure in meals, etc. Don't think that they are a good replacement for modern medicine.


Doctors in Scotland often recommend a hot toddy when you've got a cold. I mean, there's nothing you can do to cure your cold so you may as well make yourself comfortable!

Love / Are Polish girls better cooks? [45]


I got a sushi set from the in-laws at Christmas and, to be honest, I just use the plates and chopsticks. I had never heard anyone in the UK mention making sushi. It's a pain to get the rice just right and you need to trust your fishmonger and it seems like a huge amount of hassle and expense for not very much. But, even after explaining all that is involved, every time I am there it's, "so did you make sushi?". Yes, I could just make normal rice and a bit of cucumber or smoked salmon and wrap it in seaweed like, I'm sure, many do. But that doesn't seem worth all the pomp of "I made sushi".

After veering off topic, I would agree that I know many married men who are getting very keen on cooking traditional Polish food. Most of the women in my work are more swayed by exotic foreign cooking, or at least a Polish approximation of it.

I rarely cook Polish food myself, just because it's not really in my comfort zone of flavours that I know how to work with. I really should experiment more though.

Yeah, so the topic...
*looks back*
It would appear I left it behind me...


I love spending a Saturday making up batches of various sauces and meals that I can heat up quickly. Then I will have a few new, quick (not taking more than an hour or so to prepare) dinners I will make during the week. The rest of the time we are re-heating from the freezer, then I know exactly what's in it and it's unprocessed.

I imagine I will be less keen on that if kids come along or something.

Work / About taxes ("Umowa o dzielo") and minimum wage in Poland [30]




In other words:


If you can't afford it then how do you expect to afford private medical insurance. I think you really need to assess your options about the move.

Work / About taxes ("Umowa o dzielo") and minimum wage in Poland [30]


This is a wrong assumption.

Having a EHI card has a whole lot of issues involved. I had loads of trouble trying to get treated by a doctor before I got my PESEL through and was in the system. Your EHI card, like the E1-11 form before it entitles you to emergency care at the cost of your home country. You will notice it says on the card that you should also have adequate travel insurance. If you don't pay ZUS then you will have to pay full price for prescriptions and you will bounce from office to office to see a doctor. Pay your ZUS, it makes it easier in the long run.

Life / Moving to Krakow (and other questions) [23]


True dat! You can put up with it for only so long. Don't get me wrong I always have instant noodles and soups in a cupboard just in case I get up in the middle of the night hungry and there's nothing in the fridge. But I remember when that was all I could really afford and it wasn't good at all!

Life / Moving to Krakow (and other questions) [23]


I agree with your post almost completely and I would add that, for finding casual work, September is probably the worst time as there are plenty of Students in town then that will work part time for beer money and speak the language fluently.

There are opportunities here but I would certainly say that if you come over thinking you will get a job after you arrive you will probably end up squandering a large amount of money getting there and, depending your situation when you arrive, that could be hard to get back up from. Look for jobs on-line while you are still in the UK and talk to friends that are already there if they know of openings.

Speaking of friends, how well do you know these friends living in Kraków? If you are set on coming in September no matter what, you need to be sure that they will be a good support network and would be able to help in situations that are a struggle without fluent knowledge of Polish. If you met a few ex-pats in the Irish Pub and thought they had good chat then you might want to assess what you will need to be doing when you arrive and what help, if any, they could be.

Love / Are Polish girls better cooks? [45]

I think Polish Girls, like the world over, are becoming less accomplished cooks these days. I think this is down to a lot of factors but mainly having better incomes than in the past, the huge amount of new restaurants driving up competition and down prices and people not having as much time as everyone is working. It's not common to see a woman at home all day doing the housework and cooking. Most people are favouring convenience over quality.

However I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel as cooking programmes on TV are encouraging people to get back into the kitchen and cooking fresh ingredients in healthy and quick ways. People are seeing that they can get great quality food at home in under an hour for less than you would pay in a restaurant. Plus people are open to new ingredients and cuisines which is also building interest in cooking.

Personally I do almost all the cooking in my house, but that is a mix of my love of cooking and my working hours being slightly different so I would need to come home and wait 3-4 hours before having any dinner as opposed to having dinner ready for the wife walking in and I am fed in 2.

Travel / Do you have Ethiopian restaurants in Poland ? [16]


It's pretty hard to compare because it's a completely different style of spiciness. Different chillis, different spices and a different effect on the mouth. Best just to try and find somewhere that sells it and give it a try.

Real Estate / What's with the commitment for rents in Poland? [9]

I think if he only plans on staying 2 or 3 months it would be rather dishonest to tell the owner of the flat that he will sign a contract for a year and then a month later he gives a month's notice. Short term rentals are more expensive but that is for good reason, the time cleaning and prepping the apartment for new people to view it, upgrades, minor repairs between tenants and, of course, the time the flat is sitting empty between tenants.

If, on the other hand, this person is just disillusioned about the length of contract because he thinks there is no way out of it, then he needs to read the contracts closely (get them translated if needed) and check the policy concerning moving out before the contract is complete. My contract is for a year and we need to give 3 months notice before leaving, I really like the flat and it's close to work and there are plenty of shops and stuff. On top of that I HATE looking for flats and the whole moving process so that poses no problem for me.

Food / The Renaissance of Small Brewers in Poland [4]

I have tried a good number of them. It's a mixed bag depending on what you like. Many of the small breweries are moving into more hoppy, almost IPA style beers looking to cash in on the craze of American craft beers around Europe these days. Some of them (Ale Browar comes to mind) do them really well. Others come over far too bitter or just like a pale imitation (see what I did there). Many small breweries are also moving into flavoured beer which I will not comment on because I like beer to taste like beer and the flavours don't really appeal to me.

In saying that, it's good that now we can go to a much bigger range of bars selling a much bigger range of beers, even some breweries that only make Polish and Pilsner style Lagers are making them unpasteurised and unfiltered which gives us much more flavour and a better idea of what real beer tastes like and not chemically flavoured, fizzy yellow water that most mainstay places serve.

PS. I agree Mod, a translated excerpt would be nice, I am not great at reading Polish but I get the gist. Some other readers of the forum may not, and this is a good topic to discuss.

Love / I love a Polish girl, but I don't want her to drink [37]


Even then, I know many Muslims from living in the Middle East and Indonesia who drink. They justified it (not that they had to, it's their choice) by saying that the Koran forbids the imbibing of substances that that will change your mind and actions (I am paraphrasing here), therefore if they only had a beer or wine with dinner then it wasn't affecting them in that way and so it was ok.

Work / Looking for work in Krakow, any ideas where to start? I have telesales experience [7]

There are a number of British and American companies that have their offices outsourced in Kraków. Might want to ask around there or check out websites of companies along the lines of Sate Street, Alexander Mann, International Paper, IBM, etc. A lot of them have English as a required skill and they are happy if you can speak another language.

Related:

Multinationals companies in Krakow area?


Hi I know that Shell, IBM are in Krakow and I think Google either have or will have an office there.

Travel / Asian Stores and Food in Wroclaw? [13]


I am not totally sure if it has already come into effect, but I remember reading a thread on here about ritual slaughter of animals becoming illegal in Poland. If you are looking for Halal meat you might need to hit the internet and get it imported.

Food / The great British teabag hunt thread [66]


I just search on Allegro and sort results from cheapest to most expensive. The price has gone up a bit since I last searched (about 2 months ago, as I said, I am more of an occasional tea drinker) and is now 33.50 with delivery.


Thanks for the tip, but there is no M&S in Kraków so I will stick with Allegro.

Life / Drink driving a bike and losing your driving license in Poland [27]

I used to have reservations about this. But if you think about it, your driving license isn't just about driving a car but about being aware of the rules of the road and the proper use of vehicles. If you are on a bike then you are in control of a vehicle on the road and so the penalties are there. Plus, it's not a hidden rule, most Polish people (and ex-pats) I know are fully aware of the consequences. I had a friend hit by a bike that was flying along the pavement and it put her in hospital for a couple of months plus re-constructive surgery that is still on-going. A bicycle is a vehicle that is capable of seriously injuring someone and not being in full control deserves strict punishment.

Food / The great British teabag hunt thread [66]


I would imagine that the cost of delivery would throw it off somewhat no? I normally pay 29zl inc delivery for 160 bags and I can't really complain about that. Do you not pay by the box load for delivery on british corner shop? I suppose I could buy more things to make the delivery worthwhile, but then it doesn't really make my tea cheaper as I've just paid for a load of stuff I didn't want to get it. Does that make sense? I could sense it getting more convoluted as I typed.

As for regular supermarket tea. I think the Tetley Intensive Black (not earl grey, i can't stomach it) is not a bad brew.

Life / Do people not have "Christmas Dinners" or "Easter Dinners" in Poland ? [9]


I would say the struggle to hunt down a turkey in December is more down to most shops not stocking a huge amount of whole turkeys. I rarely see whole turkeys in most shops, and even then there isn't a huge amount of them.

I would doubt many families are doing the turkey thing on the 25th, there is such a big meal on the 24th and probably plenty of leftovers so why would you bother cooking another huge big meal, seems a bit wasteful.

Food / The great British teabag hunt thread [66]

Yorkshire Tea - Allegro, there's yer dinner!

It's expensive but I don't drink THAT much tea, especially in the summer. I have tried both regular Yorkshire and Hard Water Yorkshire here in Kraków and I honestly prefer the original.

Law / Obtaining Dowód Osobisty on my Karta Stałego Pobytu? Or do I have to obtain Polish citizenship first? [17]

I didn't know that either, does that mean that I can run for election as Mayor of Kraków and not be a Polish citizen?

Law / Obtaining Dowód Osobisty on my Karta Stałego Pobytu? Or do I have to obtain Polish citizenship first? [17]

This.

What benefit, if any, would there be in upgrading from permanent residence to citizenship? Keep in mind the possibility of of having to fill in a pile of forms and things and is it really worth it?

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

If you are really stuck, I see Mlekovit have started selling their own version of cheddar. It's extremely mild and has a more "polish cheese" type texture, but there is a definite cheddar flavour and is at normal cheese prices. Obviously if you are using it for a cheese board or on toast or something it's not great, but for using in cooking (mac and cheese, burritos, tacos, etc) or in sandwiches with something else then it's fine.

Life / So, I just bought a TV in Poland. [3]

I stay in Kraków but I was a bit iffy about shelling out for one and then having it not work, but I see they are really on the cheap side so it won't make that much of a difference. Think I'll give it a go, thanks!

In saying that I'll no doubt end up extending my UP contract to cover TV as well.

Life / Why is Orange Poland such a crappy / expensive network? [53]

Exactly, I hardly use my phone, so there is no point. I would say a good thing for people coming over is to get a PAYG phone, see how quick they are running through their credit and see how much they are spending a month. Then decide.

Life / Why is Orange Poland such a crappy / expensive network? [53]


It depends though, I would rather not be tied down to a contract for 2 years. I had contract mobiles in the UK and ended up going back to PAYG because I wasn't using the full amount that I was paying for and ended up better on the packs for PAYG. I can pay 5zl and have unlimited texts (to orange) for a month and stuff like that. If you are a heavy phone user then I agree contract is much better value, but paying 50 zl a month for a few minutes here and there and a couple of texts is hardly good value.

Travel / Visit Krakow - places to go out at night? [6]

I can second the Jewish district. Also if it's just a short trip and you are just wanting the basics then check out: cracow-life

It's not hugely in depth, but it gives a good outline of places to see and things to do.

UK, Ireland / Sooo many Polski Sklep in the UK, LOL [64]


This is what I've never got. I used to go to the Polish Shop in Glasgow and I would buy mostly pre-prepared Polish food or Deli meats. But you would see people in there doing their full weekly shop in a little tiny Polish shop when there's a tesco across the road. I thought it was mental, but if you were new to the country and unsure of the language then that could be a reason to stick with there at the beginning.

I often go to Kuchnia Swiata to buy Irn Bru when it's in and sometimes Marshall's Cheesey Pasta. Both of these things are ridiculously unhealthy and full of chemicals, not to mention expensive, but it tastes like home so it's nice for a treat every now and again. I would never contemplate (or be able to afford) doing all of my shopping in such a place though.