Food / Poland-Tea or coffee land? [165]


have you tasted it? Like I said back in #31, it tastes like tea made in a cup with coffee grounds... not a fan.

Language / Oj bidaku ! [22]

apart from kobit(k)a and bida (and bidaku) are there other examples of changing -ie- to -i- for expressive effect?

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]

I had mixed feelings about Brexit before but after the vote, the hemming and hawing from remainers and stonewalling from the EU was indefensible for a democracy.....


EWWWW!!!!! Unwanted images of Angela and Ursula and fingers...... make it go away!!!!!!!

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]


Where I am we were told we have to wear masks but many/most teachers didn't. Newer guidance is that we can dispense with the mask if we maintain 1.5 meters between ourselves and the students... (never mind that the whole social distancing thing was made up out of whole cloth...)

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]


You're out.... why do you still care? Some brexiteers are a bit like stalker ex-boyfriends....

Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]


The ultimate leftist (soft core) dream is that portrayed on many American TV shows, with a color coordinated 'diverse' cast playing characters with the exact seem world view and values. I can barely watch American series anymore.... European (broadly understood) and Latin American stuff is much more interesting and less preachy.

The hardcore leftist dream is the Khmer Rouge...

The dreams of the right aren't much better, functional centrism is where it's at.

Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]


It's a mutually beneficial hostile relationship where both sides gain in solidarity by having an easily visible Other, to use as a bad example.

Humans are a social species but you can't have a flock if everyone belongs....

Law / Applying for short term visa to Germany while waiting for the decision - possible or not? [15]


Actually, no. It depends. By all means apply for the visa with the closest German consulate and let us know what they say (for future reference).

Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]

If they weren't first in line for any kind of handout I might be a little more sympathetic....

Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]

Ask Lyzko... but gypsy populations generally do not want to be integrated and included in the larger national society. There's lots they could do on their own toward that end and by and large... they don't do that.

Some in Spain have (and maybe the UK) but east of the old Iron Curtain gypsy culture is all about maintaining separateness and not becoming like the gadje...

Law / Applying for short term visa to Germany while waiting for the decision - possible or not? [15]


The story seems to be behind paywalls now... from what I could find they may have gotten bad information from an official (who didn't realize their visas didn't allow travel across borders) but they weren't deported (which was a possibility for a time)

given the situation on the eastern border (and where those who get into Poland really want to go) there are probably a lot more checks on the German border now, so even if you get a visa there will probably be greater than usual.... scrutiny...

Law / Applying for short term visa to Germany while waiting for the decision - possible or not? [15]

If your passport doesn't allow for visa-free travel, why would they approve an application? But don't take my word for it, go to a German consulate (a bunch of them in Poland) and apply.


Open borders... not much checking... But, several years ago, there was a case of a couple of Turkish young women who were doing an Erasmus year in Poland and wanted to visit friends in Germany... it didn't end well.

Law / Applying for short term visa to Germany while waiting for the decision - possible or not? [15]


Don't risk it if your situation isn't settled. If you're discovered the assumption will be that you only went to Poland to go to Germany (which has had all the migrants it wants or needs and will be looking to expell you with all possible speed).

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]


It's less applicable in Europe but in the US the democrats are the covid-panic party and almost all of the pushback has been from republicans... esp De Santis in Florida who's being tipped for a run at the Whitehouse in 2024... he's made Florida the Sweden of the US (ignoring Chinese communist policy in favor of traditional pandemic responses).

tvn has a tendency to be a bit alarmist (and I don't watch reżimowa tv enough to know what their coverage is like).

Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]

moved from


It takes two sides to integrate and include... what does a government do with minorities that openly insist on not being integrated and included?

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]


Germany + France together =/= fast

German + France together = quagmire and endless petty disagreements so that it takes forever to get anything done....

Food / Poland-Tea or coffee land? [165]


Like most things in the PRL coffee was.... kind of available but often hard to get and definitely taken for granted as something that was always on the shelf.

That's one reason Inka aka 'kawa zbożowa' (grain coffee) was a thing then. To me inka tastes like weak coffee mixed with tea.... but like many poverty foods some developed a taste for it and it's still available.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inka_(drink)

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


I didn't recognize the younger picture but I recognized her as Michałowa from Ranczo in the video clip....

Food / Poland-Tea or coffee land? [165]

AFAICT tea and coffee serve different purposes in Poland...

Tea is a social and/or pass the time drink and there's traditions of different herbal teas as remedies for common ailments (I remember a colleague recommended linden tea for some complaint I had.... yech it was awful and didn't help). Poles drink a lot of tea but they're not at the same level as the non-stop tea guzzling Russians or Turks...

Coffee is a more need-the-jolt drink and/or special occasion/visitor drink (from when it was a special thing during communist shortages?). The traditional Polish way (pouring boiling water over coffee grounds in a cup/glass is an acquired taste I never really acquired.....

My favorite coffee is in a moka pot... (not overstuffed and placed in water just when the top gets full... which helps reduce bitterness).

Life / Mishmash facts about Poland and Poles [187]


Small doses of them.... "Okay kids, feel that knot in your stomach? Is the light getting a bit dimmer? That's just a tiny bit if what would happen if you eat the whole thing!"


I'm kind of digging that fish-skeleton tree....

Life / Mishmash facts about Poland and Poles [187]


According to my former boss, there are some species that are safe to eat in some places in Poland but dangerous in others, so you need someone with local knowledge to be safe.

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]


If so then PiS are ever more stupid and malicious than I thought... they should look at what happens to countries that take money from China (starting with Australia).


Money, gas, anything from Russia comes with too many strings attached.

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]


Is that what JK had in mind the other day when talking about 'alternative sources' for money if the EU shuts down the flow? I'm pretty sure even he's not deranged enough to expect financial help from the US (after the tvn lex debacle)....

Po polsku / Lepiej powiedzieć "ślepy nie jestem" czy "nie jestem ślepy" i dlaczego? [27]


chodziło mi o to:

Ciekawym, czy (jestem ciekaw(y), czy....

może homofonia wyrazów

ciekawym = ciekawy jestem

ciekawym = narzędnik (r.m.) przymiotnika ciekaw(y)

wykluczy pierwszy?

Po polsku / Lepiej powiedzieć "ślepy nie jestem" czy "nie jestem ślepy" i dlaczego? [27]

@Ziemowit
a twoja teściowa - Ciekawam - czy to nie skrót od 'ciekawa jestem'? A może stworzyła nowy czasownik ciekawać - ciekawam, ciekawasz itd?

Po polsku / Lepiej powiedzieć "ślepy nie jestem" czy "nie jestem ślepy" i dlaczego? [27]


chyba 'Ciekawym jest'

Travel / What are the best countries to live in? [161]


Just what I want when I'm tired and just want to get home and crash.... a full blown hootenanny! My only question is where are the haystacks?

Travel / What are the best countries to live in? [161]


A failing empire is not a good choice....

USA, Canada / Moving to Poland from Canada [40]


It shows her great good sense that she recognized a dry well so soon...

Language / I'm native Polish and I hate my own language. [106]


Then you lack any kind of meta-linguistic awareness (no wonder your Polish is all from google translate)


aka pluperfect or even more commonly past perfect.... impossible to speak English/American well without mastering it (and not a skill likely to be intuitively understood by an adult learner).

Now in Polish the past perfect is essentially moribund. I've heard it maybe....twice, once for sure by the editor of Kultura who had been living in France for decades (it's also important in French). I have the idea I may have heard it another time but I forget the specifics....