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Posts by DominicB  

Joined: 28 Sep 2012 / Male ♂
Warnings: 1 - O
Last Post: 23 Sep 2020
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Posts: Total: 2706 / Live: 547 / Archived: 2159
From: Chicago
Speaks Polish?: Yes

Displayed posts: 547 / page 8 of 19
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DominicB   
22 May 2017
Genealogy / Kuzdeba: Is My Last Name Polish? [14]

It's originally a Ukrainian name, usually transliterated as Kuzhdeba in English and Kużdeba in Polish. There are 23 people with that name currently living in Poland, and their pattern of settlement highly suggests that they were relocated from what is now the Ukraine after WWII. Your grandmother may have considered herself ethnically Polish rather than Ukrainian, especially if she was Roman Catholic Latin Rite. There wasn't as sharp a line dividing Polish from Ukrainian ethnicity at the time, and there are plenty of cases of two siblings, one considering themself Polish, and the other Ukrainian.
DominicB   
22 May 2017
Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

"From Slavovitz"

There is no mention of any place named "Sławowice" or "Sławowicze" in the Polish Geographical Dictionary.

The only thing that is even close is a village called Sławkowicze (Slavkovichi), 8 miles southwest of Hłusk (Glusk), which is near Bobrujsk (Babruysk), which is near Mohylew (Mogilev) in what is now central Belarus.
DominicB   
21 May 2017
Work / Poland's National VISA and work permit [10]

https://polishforums.com/law/visa-refused-going-make-appeal-59775/2/#msg1484233

You'll just have to provide what documents you can, and hope that the consul finds them convincing. For example, if you have held a job in your own country, it shows that you have been able to find employment there. If your family is wealthy and owns a family business which you will inherit, that is also convincing. But this all has to be on official paper.
DominicB   
21 May 2017
Work / Poland's National VISA and work permit [10]

I've been hearing that VISA application can be refused... Are these supporting documents enough for the VISA to be granted?

That's correct. Even if all of your paperwork is in order legitimate, the consul can still refuse your visa for a whole bunch of reasons. For example, if they believe you might be a security risk or are not convinced that you will return to your country of origin when your visa expires.

whats the percentage of granting/rejecting the VISA in this case?

It's greater than zero. How much is anybody's guess. Averages and probabilities are of little utility in deciding particular cases. This isn't a lottery.

Bottom line: don't quit your current job until you get your visa.
DominicB   
21 May 2017
Travel / Pot in Poland for tourists [285]

How about under high pressure sodium lights ?

There are three reasons why people grow indoors under lights:

1) For profit. This requires a very large, high tech facility and a reliable market for high-quality product, huge amounts of capital, and experienced qualified staff, including an environmental engineer and an experienced agricultural biologist to design the setup, and probably an architect, as well as other experienced technical staff. Even so, there is a learning curve and even a well-designed operation will take a few years to optimize production. This has indeed been attempted in Poland:



It wouldn't surprise me if similar facilities exist.

2) Just to have a supply of pot. Unfortunately, small-scale indoor operations are never economically feasible, so if all you want is a supply of pot, it is always cheaper to buy on the street. Most people who set up small-volume fail and give up before harvest, and few of those who manage to harvest continue for long because of the exorbitant costs and lack of know-how. Smaller indoor operations would only be feasible using natural sunlight in greenhouses.

3) to have a supply of high quality pot, costs be damned. Yes, there are a few connoisseurs out there who grow it as an expensive hobby.

There's a bit of a scam involved in selling lighting and supplies to clueless rookie indoor growers. The suppliers know full well that it is not economically feasible, but understate the difficulties involved and expertise required. They just want to sell expensive lamps and supplies and a hefty mark-up.
DominicB   
19 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

The reason for its popularity in Polonia is that the first wave of Polish immirgants to America (starting around 1850) came mainly from hte Prussian occupation zone

Not a one of which was to be found anywhere near where I grew up, which was populated by people from the Suwalszczyna and Galicja, and who had little or no contact with Poles from the Prussian partition.
DominicB   
19 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

czernina/czarnina

By far more familiar to Polish-Americans than to Poles. Apparently, it was considered quite the delicacy in 19th century Poland, and immigrants to the US made it a popular and integral part of their cuisine, whereas it died out in Poland. I never encountered it at all during my twelve years in Poland, though, nor anyone who had ever eaten it. The only times I heard it mentioned was as a direct literary reference to Pan Tadeusz.

Superb if cooked well. One of the culinary high points of Polish American cuisine. Truly awful if not (noodles or macaroni???????). Haven't had it in years, though, since my grandmothers died. Suspect it has mostly died out here, too.

As for "secret ingredients" that give soups in today's Poland their characteristic flavor, completely unfamiliar to Polish Americans, they are Vegeta, an flavor enhancer imported originally from Yugoslavia, Maggi, "European soy sauce" originally imported from Switzerland,and Knorr bullion cubes, a German invention. All three contain MSG. And, of course, salt. A lot of it. I never touched a salt-shaker during my stay in Poland, nor had any reason to.
DominicB   
17 May 2017
Work / Regarding demand of physiotherapy in Poland [21]

@Sijo joy

It's not going to happen. Getting your qualifications recognized would be very difficult if not impossible, and there is no shortage of physiotherapists in Poland. In fact, Poland exports physiotherapists to richer countries. Healthcare jobs in Poland are paid very, very low.
DominicB   
10 May 2017
Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

@Goodguy

There is, or was, a place named something like "Pigułów" or "Pigułowo" somewhere in Poland, or in a place that formerly belonged to Poland. It could be a city, a village or a manorial estate, for example, the last being most likely. The name of that place was derived from the Polish word "piguła", which means "pill" in English. A person associated with that town could take the surname "Pigułowski", meaning "from Pigułów/Pigułowo", or, loosely translated, "from Pilltown/Pillham/Pill Hall/ etc." Why the place was given that name is anybody's guess. It's quite possible that the place no longer appears on any map, or that it has completely been forgotten. There is no mention of any place with that name in the rather exhaustive Geographical Diction of the Kingdom of Poland, so I suspect that it was a manorial estate or family seat, or a very small village that lost its name or was otherwise lost.
DominicB   
9 May 2017
Law / Lost without my daughter - father rights in Poland [32]

Now my interpretation of this is that she knows you may not the father (and you may well not be the only one she's squeezing for goodies).

My thoughts exactly when I was reading through the whole story in his previous thread.

She also admitted it was her last chance for a child and saw me as good man to be a father.

What kind of woman would see a mentally handicapped man as a good man to be a father?
DominicB   
8 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

@jon357

Had a fantastic homemade one at my favorite restaurant in all of Poland, Dworek in Cieszyn, right on the Czech border. Best placki I ever ate in my life, too. Better than my grandmother's, and that's an accomplishment.

dworek-cieszynski.pl
DominicB   
8 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

What is the point of borsch? It's essentially red water.

When done well, it has a rather robust flavor, both from the beets and from the spices. Quite nice on a cold day.

As for chicken soup, that is, unfortunately, very difficult to make because practically all of the chicken sold in stores is far too young to have any flavor, and practically no chickens are allowed to live long enough to develop any flavor. You need to have a connection in the countryside that can provide you will an very old rooster or hen. Sometimes, you see them at the farmers market, but only if you get there right at opening time. You'll never see them in stores.
DominicB   
7 May 2017
Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

@Tomw

Conversion of German feminine ending "e" to Polish feminine ending "a". Also, there is no Polish sound like the final "e" in "Seide". "A" is the closest approximation.

@Polonius3

"Polonified" is correct. "Polonized" is less common.
DominicB   
7 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

@rozumiemnic

Seems you're right.

youtube.com/watch?v=68m8nFupThI

I spent a half-year in Colchester in the 1980's, my colleagues kept telling me I absolutely had to try them when I visited London. It sounded intriguing, and was eager to try them. Sadly, the opportunity never arose.
DominicB   
6 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

@Polonius3

Older Americans associate the texture of zsiadle mleko with a once-popular dessert: rennet custard (Junket). For some reason, it lost popularity. Quite like it though myself.
DominicB   
6 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

@jon357

It's not really all that popular among Poles, either. at least younger ones. Americans find it strange because the texture of gelatin is associated entirely with sweet deserts. Surprised that you said that Brits would find it strange. Isn't jellied eels a big thing there?
DominicB   
5 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

A lot of shop bought kaszanka can be quite bland, but you can get some really good stuff off the beaten track.

Quality varies enormously. When I lived in Skierniewice and Łowicz, the local butcher shop in Łowicz made a very good version, and it was a regular part of my diet. After I moved to Wrocław, I never could find anything decent, and stopped eating it altogether. The best Kaszanka I had was grilled over a fire in an oil drum by a Belarusan woman at the market at the old stadium in Warsaw. It's on my list as one of the top ten things I have ever eaten. Respect.

Kiełbasa also ranges from sublime to inedible. Generally, price is a good clue. If it's cheap, it's almost always bad.
DominicB   
5 May 2017
Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [139]

Presenting visiting Polish-Americans with a placek węgierski provokes a bit of WTF. It's not part of traditional Polish-American cuisine and the concept seems bizarre: putting Dinty Moore on placki??? Who would do such a thing?
DominicB   
2 May 2017
Law / Work permit + national visa in Poland for India citizen [91]

Practically zero chance, unless she gets the job BEFORE she comes to Poland. Make your plans on the assumption that she will not be able to find any kind of work work at all after she comes to Poland.
DominicB   
28 Apr 2017
Real Estate / Moving to the Katowice area soon! Safe neighborhood for an Irish man? [38]

@Annitta

I'm not really sure what you are asking about. There would be only a small number of vacancies at the VP level in the whole country, a good number of which would be filled internally. Showing up in Katowice cold and expecting to chance upon a vacancy for a VP position at a bank would seem to be a bit overly optimistic, even if one did have relevant experience. Why are you asking?