Poles - what do non-Poles just "not get" and why?

Only possible to provide examples if you provide the solution !

I'm talking about light hearted minor things. Misunderstandings etc

For example, in my experience Poles have missed the point of British/Irish sausages and often don't like them.

Problem is a lot of the time I think they are comparing them too directly to Polish ones - completely different beast. For us (I think), Polish sausages (and many others on the continent) are associated with deli type products, more belonging to the salami family almost. They are simply not sausages as we know them - they are something else.

I know that we are in the minority totally on this, but that is the way it is.

I think Poles therefore "don't get" sausages in Britain & Ireland for similar reasons.

Poles don't like English style sausages because they tend be a nightmare of a taste (the ones that I prepared stank during frying and still did afterwards - the taste was also not a very pleasant one) - now compare that to a German bratwurst - a bratwurst is not a thing most Poles are familiar with (though it's similar to biała kiełbasa - but biała kiełbasa is not popular in Poland at all) - still a good fried bratwurst is delicious and most Poles do enjoy it

what do not foreigners in Poland get? - Polish politics

They were either rancid, low quality or both I would say. Plenty of low quality stuff about unfortunately.


I'm sure you're right - but you have to help them get it, that's the deal ; )

they couldn't have been rancid because they were straight out of freezer - but yes they were cheap stuff

OK, OK then they were probably cheap/poor quality. If not, you are simply proving my point anyway ; )

Edit - OK, I see your edit now so forget that ^ ^

foreigners also do not get the sour cream and Polish farmer's cheese ;) (and 'ser żółty' Polish style hard cheese) - well I actually don't know - just a guess of mine

[quote=gumishu what do not foreigners in Poland get? - Polish politics[/quote]

we don't get them often either

What I wouldn't do for some kaszanka right now :)

Mmmmmm yum, love that blood sausage. Though tends to need a lot of pepper to bring out the flavour ;)

I could eat it every day, no problem, with pepper or without :)

Well, a lot of it about seemingly but I'm fine with that. Sourness in general I probably don't get (soured rye is it? you know the flavour - often in soup)


Haven't had it but from googling I think I would probably very much get it - sounds like real cheese, not the bland pale stuff I have mostly seen which, yes, I don't get either.


Tends to be Americans that have problems with this one - I love it.

Anything non-food related though?

They don't get why we don't like people who stand on the left on Tube escalators lol :D

The food is too good to talk about other stuff :) I miss the summer strawberry and cherry stands :)

You tried with the thread about Polish sexual preferences, but people insist on changing the urges (talk about food instead of what they really prefer)!!!!! I heard from one of my mentors that 2/3 of the obesity problems are directly, or indirectly caused by problems related to sexuality.

That theme is for me, for unknown reason still censored one to majority, although many argued that topic is that used that as Baudrillard stated, paraphrasing: 'Talks about sex cannot arouse anybody these days, everybody talks about it. Death became the truly forbidden theme, hence death is contemporary prnography'. He was wrong?

It depends, does talking about death turn you on? Is blood the new cream? And is the crypt the new playboy mansion?

many Poles don't get non-Polish food eg. having different taste, more spicy and so on. It is possible that it is genetic and cultural at the same time. Most nationalities like their own food. So food should be off this thread since we cannot really discuss taste.

I know from my students that some don't get the small talk the English style. I had a lesson yesterday and they almost looked bored when I was trying to explain to them why discussing commuting could be interesting;(.

English speaking people (generalization) seem to enjoy the easy breezy convo, while Poles find it phoney.

Poles don't get that listening is a skill;). Solution? I am working on it;)

Often true I think.


I think I know what you mean. "Get to the point" "Why the unnecessary detail?" etc etc maybe?

I have found that sometimes when I answer Poles in a slightly tangential but relevant manner they can get very impatient. However, if I answer bluntly, then inevitably the next questions/points addressed will raise what I had been anticipating may have arisen in the first place!

They don't get this type of indirect,as they see it, small talk because they don't see the point of it. But in the example I mention there most definitely is a point.

I don't know if that makes sense.

But sorry, the thread was really intended for Poles to enlighten the rest of us about Polish Psyche and things that foreigners just don't get or misinterpret etc.

Non-Poles just do not get why it is mandatory to stand no further away than one millimetre from the person in front of you in any queue.

(Although this non-Pole solves the problem by scratching the back of his neck and then at the same time turning to look at something located at 90 degrees from the direction he is facing).

Lols...I thought I was being over sensitive!! Its the same here in the UK, I wouldnt mind if this happened in say a long que,but it doesnt,bags of space and I still feel the waft of lech flavoured breath on the back of my neck. WTF is that all about?

Thanks for a possible solution,but Ive let out a beer fart in one que to no effect so Im not optimistic......

Dude that is nasty!

It sucks when people queue on top of each other, but believe me, queues in Poland are MERCY in comparison to some other countries!

Poles don't get - CUSTOMER SERVICE!

believe me, I've been here for 3yrs, it's a nightmare!

Many times I go to Real (supermarket), get to the checkout, and no matter what time I go, there's millions of people there.
I feel like that guy from the Trueman Show, every frigger copying me.

You can be in a queue for a quarter of the day, you go to the information to complain, and say - co to jest? przestan!

pointing to the checkouts, for her to get more staff on there, instead of filling the shelves with useless crap. And they mumble some crap,

something about its life etc, I scream - klient na zawsze ratsier, jaki masz problemu, czy masz menapausa?
before leaving my trolley up to the brim with shopping, including ice cream etc, where it is to go to a normal store....Tesco's :)

Thank god for normality!

I think the British could teach the whole world about customer service, as we wrote the book on it :)

I'm afraid I didn't paraphrase Baudrillard well. Prnography as a term is used here to denote something forbidden, what people in a way fear from, something that they don't want to be a part of their lives, like it happened before with the real pûrnography. Sex was previously subject to avoid. Nowdays it is the death. the topic we avoid.

He didn't think about necrophilia, and I'm afraid it was understood too literal, concrete which is my fault.
Apologies to Baudrillard, he is dead since 2007, Death is not forbidden for him anymore, sadly...:(

What I do not get is why on 24/12 every single Pole eats the same dishes. And why some cardinal a few years ago "permitted" to eat meat that evening.