Life / What's wrong with Poland? I don't see anything. [121]


I think that's about the size of it. Still troubling, though.
A couple of years ago I saw a cyclist lying by the side of the road, on the grass verge. Several cars in front of me drove past, but I stopped, and so did (by coincidence) a doctor former student of mine, who was coming the other way. The cyclist was unconscious and still more or less sitting on the saddle, but there was no obvious sign of injury. Hearing voices, the gentleman awoke and assured us that he was "just drunk" and asked us to leave him to sleep it off.

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1400]

Raw eggs on raw meat. Not for the faint-hearted. You need to drink vodka with this to kill any bugs. That's the theory anyway. The Turkish version of steak tartare is called Çiğ köfte. They make it with hot spices. Highly recommended, especially with Raki, their Pernod/Oozo type booze.

Life / What's wrong with Poland? I don't see anything. [121]

A great deal of the animosity we see on PF comes from one side, largely but not entirely made up of PolAms, who cannot stand any criticism of Poland whatsoever, and others, like me, who cannot stand the self-delusion which is exhibited by the others. A case in point. Some time ago people got very hot under the collar when it was mentioned that cheating is endemic in Polish educational establishments. Everybody in Poland knows this to be true, but the deniers claimed that it was not a problem. This descended into farce as some denied that there was any cheating at all, one member accusing me of not knowing what I was talking about because I am not Polish. In fact I do know what I am talking about as I have been teaching here since 2000. This is just one example. The people who deny that bad things happen here think they are patriots. They are not. They juat make Poland look silly. Which it is not.

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [222]

My name is Peter, or "Pipek" on the pillow. Christ on a bike.

Genealogy / Do I look Polish? (my picture) [375]


I don't look anything like you but you could be taken for (as I have been) Russian, Danish, Polish, Spanish, etc. If only some people would accept the reality that Europeans are, to say the least, a marvelous stew of genes...

Life / What's wrong with Poland? I don't see anything. [121]


Not at all. Not from those two. I just didn't understand how you could compare them with a) an extremely difficult Japanese poem type, and b) the greatest 20th century writer in the English language (whose work is, contrary to popular opinion, not that difficult with a little help. OK, Finnegan's Wake is nuts, but otherwise JJ is more accessible than most people are aware).


OK. kondzior's post does resemble the Cyclops episode in Ulysses, when the character known as the Citizen rants about Jews.

Love / What strange/unnerving/funny things do your Polish wives do? [153]


Didn't you play hide and seek as a kid? Where's your sense of fun?
Most of my sentences at home begin with the words, "Where's the...?"
As others have said, it's not about Polish women in particular. Hey, if women were as easy to read as men, we wouldn't find them so fascinating, would we?

Having said that, when I find the cold beer I was looking forward to drunk but not replaced...oj.

Life / The Polish Wedding - What is it Like in Poland? [338]


300/pair, I'd say, for middle income folks. We were given money, and of course cash is always welcome, but a well-chosen gift will be with them forever.

I know you said they've got everything for the home, but how about this. I gave friends high quality salt and pepper mills about twelve years ago. They told me recently that my gift is the only one they use on a daily basis. Good quality linen napkins or tablecloths will last a lifetime. How about a fine picture frame? Have fun.

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


Sure you're not exaggerating? I'm out on the road every day and I don't see one or two accidents and month; maybe per year.


Any stats for that? My last speeding offence got me six points.

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


There are loads of places with worse driving conditions and worse drivers. Things are far from perfect in Poland, but you can see significant improvements year by year. I just wish they'd get rid of all the roadside crosses. I'm sure the boy racers see them as a challenge.

Food / What's more popular in Poland beer or vodka? [55]

Let's not forget that the consumption of wine in Poland has seen a phenomenal increase in the last decade. When I first came here the choice in most supermarkets was restricted to awful Bulgarian wine, and maybe some Spanish or French stuff at inflated prices. Fresco was the wine I bought most of because it was relatively cheap and the quality (low) was at least consistent. Today there is a good choice in most places, including a lot of South African and South American wine, although I still feel I pay too much for too little. I rarely see genuinely pleasant wine for under 25PLN a bottle. And that's the price of a bottle of good vodka.

Travel / What can Poland do to attract more tourists? Llamas farm? [71]


Quite right. Anyone can have Hollywood teeth. The cobble effect makes a mouth more interesting, especially for dentists on holiday.


Each to his own, I suppose. Today I had to drive 30km on a back road that was more hole than tarmac.


I have to agree. I live in a beautiful but underdeveloped (tourist-wise) part of the country. This place needs jobs, but I'd rather see hard jobs, if you know what I mean, rather than waiters and guides.

Love / Are there any swingers club in Poland? [52]


The last time I used amyl nitrate was in 1991, at a birthday party on a boat on the Thames. I fell in the river trying to save a drunk friend. My DJ got a good soaking but my wife sold it on Allegro when I got too fat for it, about two years ago, so I haven't done too bad, weightwise. My learned friend tells me that poppers are used for anatomical enhancement in circles more cosmopolitan than those I currently move in. Whatever blows your skirt up, I say.

Love / Are there any swingers club in Poland? [52]

How do you pay for your drinks in these joints if everyone is butt naked?

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [441]


Selective memory.


Perhaps because you are a racist.

Travel / Any Anglican churches in Poland? [35]


Staggering ignorance.
By the way, some of us (Brits) do not worship anything or anyone, least of all the heroes of fairy tales told to frighten children.

Life / Why are Poles always so miserable? Why do they never smile? [512]




I'm sure this is interesting to those who understand it. Could we please at least put English in brackets. I think it's PF policy.

Food / Comparison of supermarkets in Poland. Which one is the cheapest? [30]


youtube.com/watch?v=cz1_knWUpVk
Pig Business.


The tax on our bit of agricultural-class land has recently almost doubled (as we're not farmers) so we decided that this year we'd do something with it and asked our Soltys to get his son to plough it. He had a look and said that as the land has been fallow for years, if not decades, it would have to be sprayed with Roundup first. There's no way we're going to do that, for several reasons. Instead we hope to find a slightly greener farmer to help.


You can't have organic food and cheap food. If you can get to a small market town, you could buy veg from old ladies who sit around selling stuff from their own gardens.

History / What do Poles think about Turks? [761]

You are either drunk or completely fkcink crazy. I hope it's the former.

Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]


They might try to offer a local contract, which is a little trick they sometimes use to save money. The BC tried this one on me in Prague years ago. If you go for it, insist on the same rate as a London-recruited teacher.


This is the way to go once you've become established.


True enough, but teenagers who attend private courses tend to be more motivated.

Woops! Just noticed the dates.

History / Poland and Britain started WW2 [307]


Yes, that's it. You joined the forum today and posted a thread the content of which is to assert that Poland and Britain started WW2. You quote as a source a notorious Nazi apologist and expect people to engage in debate? I often wonder why threads such as these, specifically designed to inflame, are allowed on PF.

You are Dublin-based troll with no connection to Poland. I suggest you try one of the many neo-fascist forums out there. You won't get much attention here.

History / Poland and Britain started WW2 [307]


A convicted criminal and holocaust denier.

News / Topless sunbathers acquitted in Szczecin, Poland [128]


Talk about damning with faint praise!

News / Topless sunbathers acquitted in Szczecin, Poland [128]


Can't speak for Poles but I doubt it. If most normal guys want to see women's breasts, they just ask their wives or girlfriends nicely.

News / Topless sunbathers acquitted in Szczecin, Poland [128]


Do you really expect to be taken seriously, or are you just being provocative for the sake of it?
Out of interest, what kind of university do you attend, and why do you study in a country you despise?

Life / Doughnut [Pączki] Day... in Poland [70]


The difference between eating a home-made doughnut and buying one from a shop, however fresh, is like the difference between sex and prn. Don't forget to add half a glass of vodka to the mix to prevent the absorption of fat while frying. I mean for doughnuts, of course.

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]

Polish bus drivers are exempt, as are lorry/truck drivers unless their cabs are fitted with belts. Taxi drivers do not need to wear a belt while they have passengers on board,but do when they are alone. This is according to my wannabe pro-driver student.

News / Does Poland support the idea of Slavic unity? [142]


White supremacists often call themselves Christian but of course they are not. The Jesus I've read about would abhor such an idea.

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]

Healthcare in Poland is patchy to be sure. A new thread would be interesting. Let's stay on topic just in case there are Canadian people watching.

One very positive development is the fact that fines in Poland cannot be paid directly to the cop by the side of the road (with exceptions for tourists).

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]


No. It was me alright. Wrongly busted by faulty technology.


That's a good point. I used to work with an anaesthetist who refused to wear a seatbelt on the grounds that she had seen the results of people who had been trapped in cars while strapped in. Now, this was twenty-five years ago, so no doubt the release mechanisms are better than they were, but how how about this. If you have airbags, why do you need seatbelts?