Study / School meals in Poland [145]

Is it Poland or UK, Lenka?

Study / School meals in Poland [145]


The mother has to put her foot down. Whom has she been speaking to? Catering staff, class teacher? She needs to speak directly to the principal, if she hasn't done so already. If this were 'the west', I'd say that she should tell the principal in no uncertain terms that as the child's mother, she is the final authority on what her child is allowed to eat and the final authority on her child's mental health. However, this being former PRL territory, I would suggest t that mother tries to get a letter from the child's dentist saying that she is not to have sweets or sugary dishes in school.

Sorry, I was assuming this was a friend in Poland! If it's the UK, give the principal an earful and if that doesn't work, get the letter :))

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


I think you're over-cooking them, Lenka. Some kinds of spuds can go from just perfectly done to mush in seconds! Try the following: start them in boiling water, don't bring to the boil from cold. Then simmer them on a medium heat, not too high, not too low. When they're still a bit under-cooked, drain them almost completely, but leave a little bit of water in the base of the pot. Then put them back on the lowest possible heat with the lid of the pot on and give them about another five minutes. Remove the lid and they should be fully cooked and still in one piece :)) Smacznego!

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


What, all of them?? There are about fifteen varieties available to buy. Is it the texture or the flavour you don't like? Why does mashing them help?

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


In the targi in Warsaw at least, they name them. Bascially you have Irga, Irys, Poznanskie and Amerykany, but I really don't like any of them, sadly. There does seem to be a preference for what we in Ireland call 'soapy' potatoes, or as Jon says, 'waxy'. In the true Irish fashion, I prefer floury ones, which are better for chips, baking or mash. The mash here tends to be that kind of creamed/puree type and I like dry, fluffy mash, British Isles style :) Mr Atch has a system he uses to 'dry' the spuds after boiling that involves a lot of tossing the pan around like a madman on a low heat but it really makes me wonder why they don't just develop a dry variety or grow one of the existing ones.

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


I must say that when I saw your first post a few days ago about whether you looked Polish, I assumed you were American and interested in your ancestry. Since then, I've realised that you actually are Polish but you want to know if you're 'truly' Polish, as in your ethnicity, is that right? What I'm still not clear on, is whether you are upset or worried in some way that you might not be 100% 'Polish' or whether you're just interested. I can't see any reason to be upset about having a bit of a mix in your genes.

As for people stealing your organs, how could that happen? Do you mean the testers sell your data to governments who put it in a database and then if you go to hospital for a routine procedure they snatch a kidney while you're under anaesthetic? Can't see that happening in the developed world. I know China has a reputation for that sort of thing, but I reckon you're ok in Poland.

Life / Arts & Crafts Stores in Warsaw, Poland? [18]


I would say it's kind of two different markets. One is the traditional 'folk' arts and crafts which are produced mostly for the tourist and gift trade, the other is the sort of thing people do at home for fun or sale on a very small scale, for example on a market stall. As other posters have said, there are very few dedicated craft supply shops. I've seen a couple of small ones but they didn't have a great range of supplies, but the materials needed for crafting are available in a variety of different places. For example in a haberdashers where they sell thread,yarn, ribbon etc, they usually sell packs of fabric squares for quilting. You can also buy a limited range of craft supplies in Empik, as another poster mentioned. That's a shop a bit like W H Smith in the UK.

Decoupage used to be a big thing here for a while, not sure about now.

decustyle.blogspot.com/p/decoupa-style.html

There are arts and crafts ideas in some of the homes and interior magazines or in women's mags and there are a few magazines that seem to be mostly knitting and crochet oriented.

The main suppliers for craft materials are the haberdashers, 'pasmanteria' in Polish.

pasmanteria.pl/

Some of the traditional crafts are the famous paper cutting:

culture.pl/en/article/folk-art-at-home-a-diy-guide-to-polish-paper-cut-outs

Polish egg decorating, yes people really do this at Easter :)

culture.pl/en/article/discover-the-world-of-pisanki-or-polish-easter-eggs

Life / "Weird" "Strange" "Unique" Polish Customs [36]


It is, but it's not entirely unique to Poland. I think it originates further east as they bless eggs at the Orthodox Catholic services in Russia. Painting/decorating eggs also is not unique to Poland. Polish Easter is lovely though, nicer than their Christmas I think.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


And it's a great pity because you can't make proper 'English' marmalade without them. You really need that bitter, tangy quality. Continental marmalade is always too sweet and sugary.

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


I remember my granny doing that :) She made her own marmalade from Seville oranges and used a strange and ancient gadget produced by a company called Spong, to remove the peel and shred it. It clamped on to the kitchen table, I recall.

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Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


When I make jam, or mincemeat for Christmas, I just put the jars and lids in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, then fish them out and let them dry off, put the lid on while the contents are still hot. Like you, I've never had anything go off.


Oh dear, that's not good.


They haven't had any for a while now. Brexit rears its ugly head again, methinks.

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


Polish people or Polish-Americans? And anyway, so what if you had Jewish blood? Would it matter? And if people make you feel bad about yourself, just tell them to bog off. Don't hang out with anti-Semites :-D

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


You could be French, or Spanish or even Irish. You look very like a teacher I had at school in Ireland. She was from Galway and taught us French and German. What are you worrying about, exactly? That you don't look 'European'? Europe is a vast continent with every kind of face and colouring imaginable. I don't understand why you seem to be worried that you don't look Polish enough.

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

I took a look. Polish faces come in many different types and therefore yes, you could be Polish. However you could also be many other European nationalities,

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


It only works with salt. It has to be salt and vinegar.


Yes, that's so, but it doesn't taste the same and I've only seen rashers of what we'd call streaky bacon, not proper 'back' rashers :(

History / Royal Family still in Poland? [79]

If it's Polish, the original ending would be -ski. There is a Polish surname Matyński but it's very rare. Your name could also possibly be Russian.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Matinsky

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]


Cod in Ireland too but plaice and ray wings are very popular too. Ray is delicious. Hake is a favourite of mine but it seems to be impossible to get in Poland.

Life / Are gas stoves a must in Poland? [6]


There should be no smell from a gas cooker. If there is, it means something is wrong and you should have it inspected immediately. In Poland, if you live in an apartment block, there are two inspections each year. You receive a notification from the building management and an inspection team comes with equipment and checks your installations for leakages. It only takes a couple of minutes.

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


Yes, that's very good too :)


Yes, you're right. That's 'English as she is spoke'. It would be the usual way to express yourself in spoken English, though it doesn't sound very elegant in written English.

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

To be honest, 'I had been given by my uncle' would be the best way to express it. 'I had got' sounds a bit clunky, 'I had received' a bit too formal. It's an interesting thing how mastery of a language always ends up in the ability to make the most, let's say, elegant choice from those available.


Funnily enough, back in the 18th and early 19th century, that would have been perfectly correct and cultured English :) To have something from somebody was a very common usage.

'What a charming fan, Lady Emma!'
'Yes, is it not, Miss Cardew! I had it from my aunt in London.'

Food / Kaszanka and haggis? [34]


Yes, but lots of people still think in imperial measures and you can go to a shop and ask for half a pound of something, no problem. Scales show both metric and imperial measures and places like butcher's shops display prices per kilo and pound. For recipes most people think in pounds and ounces and packaging often shows both the metric and imperial weights. I don't know what will happen post-Brexit. I suppose it will stay the same.

Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [332]


That was your fatal error. As I trained in the Montessori system my mantra is ' all children naturally love work, all children naturally want to learn'. We start from that standpoint, so we never force a child to learn. They will do so when they reach the correct developmental level which is different for each child. Basically you observe the child and if they show readiness you introduce something that you think is right for them. If they show no interest, you leave it. For that reason we offer 'no incentives, no rewards, no punishments' and finally 'no correcting mistakes' - and guess what? It works! :)

Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [332]


If they can read, they don't need any classes. If they're interested, they'll teach themselves.

Life / What do Poles do when they need Cash urgently (small sums)? [15]


I like to buy bits and pieces from street vendors or at the targi so I always have a few bob in cash on me :)

Life / What do Poles do when they need Cash urgently (small sums)? [15]


We have it in all major shopping chains in Ireland, department stores, supermarkets etc. The cashier will ask you when you're paying for something, 'would you like 'cash back'. As I've never been asked that here, I assumed you didn't have that facility. We learn something new every day:)

Work / Teaching English in Poland - better opportunities for an American? [20]


I should hope not - the correct grammar is 'I had gone'. Unfortunately Americans do say 'I had went' as some standard American grammar is basically incorrect, probably as a result of old usages dating back to the 17th century from the original settlers.

@ Dirk Diggler, I'm always gobsmacked when I hear you actually talking sense. It's one of those rare occasions on which I find myself in agreement with you.

Love / Polish couple married for 20 years [8]

It's probably changing nowadays but there is certainly a generation of Polish women who consider that the most important thing is that the man is a good provider for her and the family. If he works hard and provides a good lifestyle, then she accepts that he'll have a bit on the side now and then. Of course if she gets definite proof of it, she'll punish him for a few days or weeks and he'll usually have to do something to make up for it, like her buy her something expensive that she's wanted for ages or take her on holiday, or whatever. As for the men, they're also pretty realistic. They don't expect their wife to be their soul mate. They want a good cook and housekeeper, a good mother to the kids, a good family person. If she ticks those boxes, the man is happy. There's no way he'll give up a comfortable, stable home to chase a dream of 'romance'.

Life / Territorials - Polish National Guard [57]


Nearly a hundred years ago - come on. I've had the pleasure of assisting a young boy scout with making cookies, yes, that's right, to give as a gift at one of their weekend camp things. He came home with a book mark, handmade by another scout. It was covered in green velvet and decorated with painstakingly cut-out gold lettering.Very impressed by their fine motor skills :) but I wouldn't be relying on them for the defence of the country.

Life / Territorials - Polish National Guard [57]

To be honest, I think they're more like boy scouts! That's the role they've filled during the pandemic, delivering food parcels to those in quarantine, disinfecting public spaces etc. Hopefully, they'll never need to be more than that.

UK, Ireland / Does everyone know about countess Markiewicz? Polish connection. [16]


Kazimierz Dunin Markiewicz. He wasn't a Duke. He was supposedly a Count but that's disputed. His family's estates were in what is present day Ukraine and he and Con Markiewicz lived there for a short time after they were first married. He lived in Dublin until about 1913 when he returned to his family home and then moved to Warsaw where he died in 1932 but he stayed friends with Constance and came back to Ireland to be with her when she was dying. They had one daughter, Maeve who never married and had no children. He was an accomplished artist, a writer and quite a character by all accounts. He is aruguably a more interesting person than his more famous wife. There is a book about him, The Polish Irishman: The Life and Times of Count Casmir Markievicz by Patrick Quigley.

One of his paintings below, Portrait of an army officer in the King's Own Scottish Borderers uniform. Oil on canvas.

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