Life / How far apart do Poles stand when they talk? [46]

I've never noticed anything odd about person to person distance whilst taking part in conversation with Polish people, although I have noticed that Spanish, Italian and Greek people I have spoken to, tend to stand closer. I don't know where to look this kind of thing up (what the hell does one call this subject?) Taking it to be a north-south thing, one would expect Norwegians to stand even further apart, whilst Eskimos would merely shout at eachother across several metres of icy northern landscape, although I have a feeling Eskimos stand closer together.

We have on this forum, Poles, Britons, Americans, a couple of Greeks, at least one Spaniard, a very famous Serb... I was hoping someone might chime in with some interesting (... yawn) facts about this matter, but I'm even boring myself with it and resorting to words like "intercourse" to try to liven it up.

Love / They seem nice, but could Polish girls be "gold diggers"? [196]

Are gold diggers "Polish girls"?

Find somewhere with the right kind of geology to yield large amounts of gold and do the comparison.
Goodnight and God bless.

Food / What is your favorite Polish Vodka? [653]

No more for another 39 days or so for those of you observing Lent.

We had been working our way around vodkas from other countries. I think it was the Smirnoff that nearly killed me (hint: if you have predictive text on your mobile phone, key the word Smirnoff in and see what you get). Finlandia was alright, seemed quite clean. That one comes from Suomi, wherever the Helsinki that is. Then there was Absolut, again not too bad. Still not my favourite thing ever from Sweden, although maybe preferable to Ikea.

I have considered doing a consumer test of various Polish vodkas. I could do it right now. Right next to me is my drinks cabinet (bag). I still have a splash of Żubrówka for the taste of the tropical side of Poland (anyone else think of coconut?) Then there's some Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka, which does have a nice flavour (I'm not sure what particular special bitter herbs are used in it). Then for the plain vodka, there is half-an-hour's worth of Mazowiecka żytnia (Mazovian rye vodka) and half a bottle of Wyborowa.

I am far more tempted by plain vodka, drunk a shot in one go followed by a swig of apple juice rather than the fancy flavoured varieties, although I am always willing to try. (Okay, so not exactly always - I have to do other things from time to time such as work or sleep). As with whisky, something produced from a single variety of grain looks a lot more tempting than something thrown together from a mix of barley, oats, potato and the like.

Should I drink or should I leave it? The Mazowiecka has not returned to the bag quite yet.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

Cholera

There's an old chap at work whose swearword of choice seems to be cholera. He was off work today seeing the doctor. I imagine the doctor telling him that, no, he isn't actually suffering from cholera. He doesn't exhibit a particularly choleric character.

USA, Canada / WHAT IS THE US POLONIA LIKE? [42]

So is Chicago like a really big version of Slough?

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [623]

Ghetto is not as easy a term to grasp as "camp" (often accompanied by words like concentration, extermination or death). Ghettos have existed for a very long time, but have varied from being something close to the "camp" type of thing, so simply areas of Jewish communities where people have chosen to live together in close proximity. 1938, as Bzibzioh has pointed out, is a little too early to study the nastier side of things. To understand the situation before WWII with regards to Jewish communities in Europe, and specifically Poland, it is necessary to look further back than just before WWII.

News / Is NORD STREAM dangerous for Poland's natural enviroment? [540]


Mountains, temperate rainforest, vineyards, palm trees, glaciers, ancient buildings and stuff. Geologically it's quite a varied place.

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [222]


Daisy. The kind of thing that grows as a weed in lawns. Bellis spp. although particularly Bellis perennis.


Nice.

Language / Interesting Polish tongue twister. [69]

Someone at work wrote this down for me, but his handwriting was so bad I can't make out most of the letters. Perhaps writing it is as difficult as saying it because I'd been finding it nigh on impossible to read. I'd still like to know exactly what it means. I've got three out of four words!

Language / Polish Swear Words [1242]


... which is itself an ancient word. Just because it is deemed to be rude doesn't mean it doesn't have roots all the way back to the hypothesised proto-Indo-European. Well, maybe.

Language / Polish Swear Words [1242]


The question is not "do children use this expression?" but "is it actually acceptable in polite society where children may be present?"

My girlfriend tells me off for saying things that I think aren't too bad, then I hear her say things that to me, sound even worse in front of the kids. I've never been able to find out exactly at what level piździ is.


But in Silesian?

Language / Polish Swear Words [1242]

Is that Polish pirate speak or a more correct rendering of this saying's local pronunciation?
Is it okay to say it in front of the children?

History / Yalta Conference and Poland [78]

That was Neville Chamberlain. How is BW similar, can you tell me Lukasz? Did Neville Chamberlain ever call anyone a silly k***?

But there are lots of people who fit that description. It doesn't mean they're all similar to eachother.


Father knew Lloyd George, Lloyd George knew my father.

I hope you haven't been giving away other countries' territory again, BW!

History / Yalta Conference and Poland [78]

BW, are you really Neville Chamberlain?

History / Polish mathematicians who solved the Enigma machine [86]

Trouble is, although the whole thing was a combined effort to beat a common enemy, some of the descendants of those from all parties involved have to try to prove how big their -------s are.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

Last time I posted on here, I reminded everyone that Sweden is an option. This time, I could suggest that you could include Lusatians / Sorbs / Wends if you want to, even if you've never met one, never seen one and don't really know anything about them.

Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]


No it isn't. Well, bits of it are. What we don't need here are sweeping statements.

No! Sweeping statements are precisely what we do need!

Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]


Cheese. Blue cheese. Soft, creamy blue cheese with a delicate flavour, possibly made with goat's or ewe's milk.

I'd also like the music to be better. Don't get me wrong - the jazz is great stuff, but the modern popular music of Poland that I've heard (and I'm not just talking DP here) doesn't do anything for me. I'd send some of that Swedish indiepop across the Baltic, perhaps a bit of Brazilian Tropicalia as well.

Stella Artois? No thanks. Polish beer is more than good enough as it is.

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


Polish girlfriend happy then?

Food / Buying alcohol, wine in Poland. It's very difficult. [85]

Walk into 24 hour petrol station. Approach fridge. Pick up cans or bottles. Place on counter.
"Dobry wieczór." okay, so it doesn't have to be evening.
Hand the lady or gentleman some złoty.
Leave shop with beverages.

Is it not always that simple? It worked for me more than once.

Wine may be a different matter, as wine isn't one of Poland's national beverages as vodka and beer are.

Life / Cannabis / Weed in Poland... How much does marijuana cost per gram and how easy is to get it? [355]

Is cannabis bad for one's grammar and spelling?

Life / Olsztyn life; I'm Indian and I like the place [43]

Care to tell us any more?

Why does the name Olsztyn make me think "Olsztyn, Texas"?

Love / Polish Women Versus Your Local Women ? [289]

Hot... at this time of year?

Language / Polish Swear Words [1242]

K-Report

Krzysztof, Robek, Alek and Alanek have all been heard using the k word.
George says: "These people swear too much."
Edward says: "I don't like to hear it."
Charles says: "I don't like beer. I prefer gin."
Ziggy "Where are the Spiders" Stardust says: "F****** hell, that's some ****ing totally ****ed up ****!"

You may have guessed by the unlikely names that I have slightly mixed things up here. So who said what? Who even gives a gówno?

Za duzo przeklinac w kurwia mnie, apparently.

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

Isn't it a bit like "Is Polak offensive in an obscure language in the interior of Papua New Guinea?"
I would imagine it depends entirely on how the word is used. If a Pole wanted to be offensive to a black person, it is most likely they wouldn't be speaking Polish to them, and there are more than enough offensive words, of which some may be known to Polish people anyway.

Anyway, back off topic...

If some British accents are plummy or peachy, and the New Zealand accent is obviously kiwi, I reckon mine might be somewhere between fig and loganberry.

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

What about plummy?

Brummie doesn't sound plummy, does it?

But on topic at last...
Have there been moves by anyone to blacklist the word murzyn? As it is an old word, it may be deemed as wrong simply because of that (by certain nutty PC types).

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

pithy?

Food / Polish Potatoes [48]

Be careful if you offer a bilingual Pole a saucepan of boiled potatoes. Masz.

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

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