Food / PIZZA & KETCHUP served only in Poland? [159]


I don't know why vinegar on french fries would be "ughhh" in uk, they are fantastic in America. It used to be a favorite thing to get them every Friday night at the local racetrack.

Language / Does Polish have a plural of "You"? [51]

In American English, one would not bat an eyelash at the above use of "one". The use of "prat" or "pratty" would sound a bit foreign, though.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]


If we met today in "real life", would you assume I am amongst these vast leagues of the indifferent because I don't walk around with outward displays of my ancestry?

Anyway, to relate back to the original post, however many Americans may or may not be indifferent to their Polish ancestry, those who are not indifferent are far far likelier to be proud of it than ashamed.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]


So, are you saying if people don't go around wearing a shirt with their ancestors' national flag, they are ashamed of their ancestry? I wouldn't agree with that. I can be quite proud of my ancestry without outward displays of it(although my in-laws have come to love our Polish cooking, funnily the biggest fan is my Ecuadoran sister-in-law(and she is an immigrant, not a plastic Ecuadoran, as some of the vernacular tends to be around here))

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]


I don't know if you live in the US, but I really wouldn't agree with that. Then again, the US is a huge place, so maybe some areas are different than others. I certainly wouldn't agree that that's the case within 100 miles of Chicago or Buffalo(where I live). And to the original poster, its been almost 20 years since I've been to Poland, but I never felt superior to Poles, and I certainly hope I never gave that vibe to anyone.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]

Is this thread serious or a satire? Polish-Americans tend to be quite proud of their ancestry. If anything, some Polish-Americans apparently put some people off by being too vigorous in their pride, as witnessed by several threads on this site where they are chastised for feeling any connection to their ancestry and are called "plastic".

USA, Canada / Feminine surname endings in America? [48]

While in America I am not aware of any laws restricting feminine use of surnames, I personally don't know any women who have taken feminine forms when being married or born in America. However, I do know many women who, being born or married in Poland, have kept the feminine form after immigrating to America. I remember one girlfriend I had, whose younger sister was born in Japan. Her sister also kept the feminine form of her surname, so apparently there weren't any laws against it in Japan either.

History / Lwów, Wilno ... kresy - Poland have lost enormoust part of our heritage... [389]


I never did quite understand that. I was surprised when I first heard Lwów used to be Polish as my Ukrainian relatives came from(and some still live) west of there, in current Poland, near Przemyśl.

Genealogy / Polish nationality? Which of the following (if any) determine being Polish. [231]

These arguments always end up to confused to be useful. People argue about what it is to be "Polish" when some obviously are thinking of nationality and some are obviously thinking of ethnicity or heritage. All are different things and not interchangable.

Genealogy / The Meaning and Origin of the Last name Czekaj [9]

I once knew an American girl of Polish descent whose surname was Czekaj.

Language / Listening to music and learning Polish [45]


If you're interested in learning lyric meanings try listening to both the English and Polish versions of Myslovitz's album Korova Milky Bar.

Language / Polish/Ukrainian words similarities [209]

I'm far from being any sort of expert, but I do remember when I spent time in Poland having a conversation with someone, me speaking Polish and her speaking Ukrainian, and we did seem to understand each other.

I once had a Polish girlfriend, who's mother told me that back in Poland they had a saying that Ukrainian was good Russian, but bad Polish.