Food / Polish Pizza !! The best in the world? [330]

Penn, I haven't yet, no, but it sure looks good :) I have to say that, on the rare occasion when I allow myself, I enjoy the pizza here but I've enjoyed pizza in different countries, e.g Scotland, Japan, Thailand and Serbia, and I can say that they were all good in their own way. This best in the world stuff gets dry. Each has their own flavour and we should enjoy the differences :)

Food / Polish bacon doesn't fry up? [70]

Morliny is a firm, right? Morliny and Krakus are more about quality than quantity.

Food / Polish bacon doesn't fry up? [70]

I bought the smoked kind that PennBoy was talking about. I guess it'll be for sandwiches only :) :) Boczek likely doesn't fry up well but does bekon? I gather they are 2 different things.

Travel / What is the weather like in Poland where you are now? [211]

23 degrees and balmy :) :)

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]

PennBoy, please type 'dyktaturą' into the search box and it will direct you to the 'rozmowy po polsku' section. Worth using :) Polish is pretty difficult as I see when I try and write. I had some speaking practice in formal lessons but the bare minimum of writing. I know quite a few tricks but I need to think about it a bit :)

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]

It's not so much about words in this context as English is an agglomeration of words strung together through its evolutionary nature and excessive borrowing.

PennBoy, I guarantee you that even you would have problems with high-end Polish given your natural inclination to think in English. For example, z Tobą and u Ciebie. Without a double take, I'd've said z Tobą also. Pgtx agreed with you, which just goes to show that you have been out of regular contact with flowing Polish for a while. I say this in a very nice way as I know how it might come across.

I suggest that we all haul a*s to the Polish-language threads to separate the wheat from the chaff. I'm the chaff :)

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]

Urszula, there are Polish language threads here where Poles, or even good non-Poles like some here, can see just how good you are. How about it?

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]

High-end Polish is really hard to use. It can really put you to the sword. For any non-Pole to say it is easy is having a laugh. Most who know me say I have a flair for languages but modesty is important and I can humbly say that I'd feel awkward if at a well-to-do dinner table with Professor Miodek and co.

Language / Why is the Polish language so difficult? [309]

Oh, excellent post. This is a worthwhile program to watch. Even I fared better than some of the Poles and I'm not Polish. Then again, Poland has a lot of smart people who would do better than them but the point is to show that Poles sometimes have trouble in their own language.

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]

I don't think haggis would be so popular there.

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]

Any coastal area is like that. They get the munchies and pig out on that garbage passed off as food.

Plumpish, maybe. Many Polish girls like their meat (no pun intended) but still seem to keep their weight down. Scotland is the capital of coronary heart disease in the world so good luck to them.

Food / Polish bacon doesn't fry up? [70]

She probably figured it was cheap so you can pay next time for the more expensive meal.

As for Polish bacon, I'd love to try some but my waistline has grown a bit recently after some weight loss.

Food / Polish bacon doesn't fry up? [70]

Commoners food ;0 ;) Still, I believe those well-to-do arty-farty types need to taste a bit of humble pie :) :)

Cheapest thing on the menu, quite right!

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]

A braveheart pizza? Oh, Arbroath was the first to start that nonsense. It quickly spread to Montrose and then all around Scotland. I guess some Poles there have tried it and taken 10 years off of their lives.

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]

An interesting combo but I'm traditional when it comes to haggis :)

Food / Polish bacon doesn't fry up? [70]

Definitely, Dave :)

Add some bacon to that and hope your heart doesn't explode.

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]

Haggis is a food to be served as a meal, IMHO. It's not a stand-alone food and most definitely isn't a snack. The Burns Night dinner is lovely :)

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]

Haggis, for me, is a world apart from kaszanka which is gross black pudding. I had haggis quite often as a kid so it was sth of a tradition to eat it with turnips and tatties. Kaszanka is a food for those who wish for an early grave.

Food / Polish bacon doesn't fry up? [70]

Polish bacon doesn't have anything on Lurpak (Danish) and that's surprising as Poland generally excels in meats, cold cuts and the like. I dare say those chunky bits could fry up ok if sliced but I haven't got round to making it yet.

Love / What to do for my PL girlfriend on her name day? [6]

Provided she doesn't have an obscure name, you should quite easily be able to find a keyring with her name on it :) It's a nice, added extra.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

Then look at my post 23 and PennBoy's post 25. We post that and then posters ignore it and continue on with their nonsense. Mods, I recommend comments from yourselves to say 'good post' so that other PF posters can go from there. Otherwise, it will descend into a farce where nobody discusses.

So I suggest we take this from 23 and 25 on the first page. Agreed?

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

It's not about being superior, just different. Variety is the spice of life! My advice stands, use stereotypes as an icebreaker for a laugh and nothing more. I haven't heard of any significant layoffs of Polish workers in the UK, for example. One strand of intelligence is adaptability. They seem to have done so remarkably well so that is another plus for them.

One slight thing against the Poles is their over reliance on what papers/certificates they have. Obviously, they are important but Poles should know as well as Scots that there are too many people chasing too few jobs these days. A stupid person will be blissfully unaware of this and come a cropper. However, many Poles showed their smartness by accepting jobs outwith their chosen study area. They had to swallow their pride but they accepted the humility element, another smart decision.

You can be as smart as you like but if there are no jobs, there are no jobs and your mind can decay :(

PolskiMoc, please ignore such numbers. How can you pin a number on an individual candidate who may be exceptional in his area? Imagine if people actually believed the stereotypes, Poles would be off to a bad start and that's wholly unfair as they tend to work more efficiently for less.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

There are various stupidity stereotypes ;) The focus is on those stereotypes.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

Oh, I've chatted to 3 Canadian Poles and they are well thought of there. According to all 3 of them, 1 whom I met in Japan, Poles are fun and love partying. This is a stereotype that is true to a point. It depends which part of the country you live in. Many here in Gliwice are conservative and boring but you can still see the party instinct. They are all aware of the dumb Polak jokes but, like anyone else who is comfortable with the truth, laugh them off.

Boletus, Monia's post was swept off to random so you too are off-topic here. This is about stereotypes.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

It'd be interesting to see the how the stereotypes have changed over time. Quite a few Poles were in Scotland long before 2004 and the stereotype was one of a hard worker, whether it be connected with harbour work (no, not that, lol) in the NE of Scotland or as determined pilots dedicated to saving lives, both Polish and British I might add. They earned the respect of many Scots.

Now, I feel that many are unjustly viewed as a kind of parasite for allegedly being a drain on assets. The stereotype may be more one of a job thief but that would be grossly unfair. Many Scots tend to remember the good things Poles have done for us.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

Please remember, legend, such people need to make money. I don't believe you can accurately assess the IQ of a whole population, I really don't. Besides, there are so many forms of intelligence these days. Long gone are the days when it was perceived as 'Einstein-style' in form. Representative samples also don't work as an effective measurement technique.

I might begin to pay attention to huge gulfs but only then. Also, people in different countries have access to different facilities and tools and have the benefit of their use. There are so many factors which could distort the measurement process.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

Poles would do well to vociferously state their opposition to the war in Libya. They had a big march in Warsaw in Feb about Kosovo being stolen and should do the same here as NATO goons could place Europeans, and thus Poles too, under direct attack. Many Poles are not stupid and they have to show the world that they reject what their govt is doing in taking part in wars.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

Yeah, there are a few variations. It's quite interesting how it is seen as hick. The focus is more on the language than on the person. Strange as we often call the person a hick (as a noun) rather than the language as being hick (adjective).

It's typical arrogance, really. Colonial and idiotic empires that are still causing unnecessary problems. Poles are certainly smart in their anti-war stance. Tusk is using troops to placate NATO and keep them sharp but most Poles don't see the benefits and they are clever for that.

I just wish Poles were a little tougher on hawks in the government. I think Radosław Sikorski is one such hawk but he has been Westernised.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

It's not hick, Penn, it's a thing of dialect. My mother in law is most definitely not a hick but she changes the vowels in the way that you outline. It can make people sound stupid to some but I think an element of snobbery is in those that say so.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]

I only counted a small part of the common population, legend ;) ;) It's a selective figure ;)

Hehehe, buroki is Silesian. Buraki is Polish.