Rules of Etiquette in Poland

What are they? Not the ones written in books covered in dust or applied at a table or in conversation in some circles of so-called high society, but just everydays behaviour of you, your parents, friends, enemies,...Do you find it striking when they are absent or don't care at all? Do you have sex the way my ex-house-mate when in sleep I started to think it was me doing his girl-friend? Do you sip your soup like a vacuum-cleaner? Do you open a door for a woman or an old person? What bothers you in its observance? Are there myths about other people's etiquette rules?

I learned to adapt depending on the environment but i want to make this a little bit more interesting so here are the crazy ones...

- I saw a guy with my own ayes stick a finger in his butt and then greet someone
- I've seen a guy puke in a bar and then wipe his mouth with his g-friend hair.
- a few times I talked to people on the phone who were occupied with a # 2 in a bathroom
- i was invited to a dinner party once and after we were done with it, we were was asked to put our plates on the floor for dogs to "clean'em". (Harvard educated peeps, not the dogs)

- i had a guy bring a cut off deer head to the office for show and tell
- i had a guy masturbating in his cubicle during working hours
- someone once wet-sneezed in my face and told me to "back off next time"

....

I had a similar case, but the hosts simply let the dog on a chair and he ate off my left-overs even though I wasn't finished yet. The host's mother said that if I want she would kiss her dog's butt just to assure his "cleanliness". I politely refused the demonstration.


This is ... Damn. Reminds me seeing on TV a hidden camera of a cook who was making some soup in a restaurant and his long, greying, dirty Harley Davidson-like hair fell into the soup. Guess what he did??? He squeezed the last drop out his hair into the soup, brushed it away on his back and went on adding spices.

OMG, you should have asked her to kiss your ass lol

When i was in the Navy in the persian gulf I saw this one guy scrape his barefoot with a knife, it was hot and there was no water to wash, but the sight and smell of it made me puke. Everyone of course laughed at me. I have that image/smell embedded in my head for life now.

One time on an allied forces ship we had a choice of cooked fish served for lunch. When I spited the meet out I noticed white maggots moving in there. I just got up and walked away from the table.

Do you think it was rude of me not to tell anyone else about it?

Public restaurants are where you see some humdingers:

I've seen a busboy play pocket pool, while cleaning dirty tables.
Also saw a mechanic gnawing a pork chop bone, as though he were a Pit Bull!

Yeah, definatelly

When i was a kid I worked at local pizza place after school and i "accidentally" walked in on the restaurant's owner fuck1ng a waitress in one of the supply rooms. I felt really awkward, shy, kind of scared and confused as hell...

Well i got a raise and he made me a late shift supervisor for not telling to anyone. True story. I could give you his name, LMAO, but i think that would be too much...

anyways, was it rude of me not telling anyone about this work incident?... I think not. ahhh all those happy childhood memories....

I don't suppose bodilly fluids survived the oven, but did any costomers subsequently notice imprints of buttocks on their pizza slices?

Hasn't the government deemed that a disability yet? Certainly he can get time off until this 'disease' is cured.


Didn't you say, "bless you"?


Did he charge you extra?


Nothing wrong with multi-tasking.
___________________________

But (not) seriously, at a party, one woman showed off her incredible flexibility by chewing her own toe nails. After this demonstration, I asked her if she wanted to chew mine. She declined.

Or they could use some exorcism, lke that used on Tedd Haggart. Oh wait, he also fukced with the US, government, although I don't believe he spent time with ush in a cubical.

You should have specified that you didn't mean the nails. You might have been lucky that day :)


I hope he did - they looked like those stringy sprouts the cooks add to the spring soups in Asian restaurants. This adds a bit to the value, no doubt.

I think they noticed that the pizza was baked pre-cut by a very dull utensil. They would also have appreciated the glazed topping.


I think you served your countrimen by increasing their protein ration while on military duty. In other countries it is considered heroism. It was courageous and loudable, Havok.


I think it is the other way around. People for centuries were trying to artificially select for dogs which look like humans: chiahuas, chupacabras, pitbulls - all are just human faces. So, that mechanic looked munching like human and pitbulls "synthesized" to follow our natural deviances.


Not her, it would have been my wife or gf who would have to prove my "cleanliness" to be honoured to eat out of the dog's place. I was alone there that night.

He decided to bring a gun to work one time, for self-defense or so he claimed. The employer called the cops and fired him on the spot. It was Friday, most likely that ruined his weekend.


I just asked her to cover her mouth next time. She says OK and didn't even apologize. Cute but dumb as a rock.

Very bizarre custom to offer someone to lick dog's ass in order to verify its cleanliness.
...and that's how etiquette of ass to mouth begun ;)

Was that in PL?

I once read in an advice handbook for travellers visiting Poland that one must be very careful when presenting bouqets of flowers because Poles are all still aware of the specific meanings attached to each type of flower, and thus, for example, giving red roses to the wife of one's business partner would be very bad because they express sexual intentions. Is this knowledge of floral signification still widespread in Poland?

any type of flowers given to wives of my business partners is equivalent of kiss and tell in my book

shall i rip on this one or is anybody else available?

It all comes back to intentions. You can't always second guess or presume things in this day and age. My wife receives gifts for her professionalism and I have no issues with that. I trust her and most relationships should be predicated on trust. Granted, I would be a little peeved if she got flowers on a repeated basis but we need to let people explain their intentions. There is a difference between appreciation and people trying it on.

I'm not sure if that falls into "etiquette" category. It's probably more about customs and traditions,
but it always strikes me how welcoming and friendly people are to foreign tourists in Slavic countries.
Example: I was driving through Lviv once and I asked an older man for the nearest hotel. When he
realized that I was from Poland, he offered me accommodation at his home (as his guest - free of charge),
I thanked him and got directions to the hotel, but not being able to find it, I asked another person on my
way and was offered a sleepover in the person's house again :) Also, on my trips to Bulgaria, Slovakia
and the Czech Republic I never experienced anything else than warmth and friendliness from the locals.
Generally, when I travel to any Slavic country, I feel almost like I'm at home.

Just an observation, but it made me wonder if a Bulgarian or Ukrainian would be offered a bed in a Polish
house while travelling through Poland? Are we becoming westernized quickly and losing our Slavic heart
and hospitality? Hopefully not...

Oh yes, you can definitely see it in Western Ukraine - I've been there a few times, always speaking Polish - and always received help, even if they didn't speak Polish. I'd like to think that Ukrainians would be treated the same way in Poland :)

I remember one time, spending about 20 minutes in a tea shop, trying to decide on the best tea to buy. I couldn't read the Cyrillic alphabet, but the kind shop assistant took the time to carefully explain everything to me in what seemed to be a mix of Polish and Ukrainian. Ended up coming back to Poland with about 300zl worth of tea/coffee due to the absolutely splendid service.

You don't speak Polish, don't try to pretend you do. You're British and the ukrainians knew it.


They're treated well and are most favourably regarded of all of Poland's neighbours.

I don't think Poles would be any different. They'll undoubtedly be as much hospitable to Bulgarians and Ukrainians. As long as we don't touch history there is always warm feelings among us. Personally, I had some nice encounters with Polish people.

Merged: Work culture/etiquette in Poland?

What's the work culture like in Poland? Let's say you were to give advice to somebody who is going to start work in Krakow. What are the dos and don'ts? How friendly should I be or should I not be? I ask because I tend to go gung-ho on the friendly part. Some people in other countries seem to be a little stiff about it. So what's it really like working in Poland? Maybe you can also list some things to avoid. Or things that I must do. For example in China people bow.

everything is normal

None of it in Poland.
As a new employee, and let me stress "new"

Don't show the boss (or anyone above you) that you are smarter and/ have better solutions.
Unless you have extraordinary diplomatic skills.
Poles tend to believe that they know best

Don't flirt in the workplace.
That goes for any country..

Be on time.

Avoid gossip about co-workers.

After 6 + months when you figure out who is who, you might bend/adjust those rules.