UK, Ireland / What English food would you serve a Pole? [172]


It's because they all belong to the same people. Here's an article that claims that 9 pub chains own 50% of all pubs in the UK.

Source: oxforddrinker.camra.org.uk/2022/02/the-nine-pubcos-who-control-over-half-of-all-pubs/

One of the companies, Stonegate, alone controls 4,470 pubs. That's really sad, to me, but I suppose its better that those pubs are continuing to be operated, rather than simply shut down once family can't be bothered to keep shop.

Off-Topic / So you guys think there are a lot of sociopaths in Poland? [68]


I actually guessed Pawian's name by accident, one time. He swore me to secrecy.

UK, Ireland / Why Poles will never belong in England [327]


Yes, I was quite amused by this. Does England know that it owes its wealth to Poles? Why Poles, and why not Pakistanis, Kenyans, Jamaicans, or the Irish? The English themselves - are they just passengers?

Life / How much unemployment should I get [7]


In the state that I live in, the maximum weekly benefit from unemployment insurance is $504. The minimum is $124. This is NY state.

During the pandemic there were additional benefits paid out to the unemployed.

Nowhere do people get $4K.

Bottom line: you are an idiot for even framing the question the way you did, because Poland is a country that is far, far less wealthy than the United States and you are lucky to get anything. Don't like your small unemployment benefit, then move to Norway or Switzerland.

Life / How much unemployment should I get [7]


So you want to make more money than the average working Pole, while doing f&ck all, and prefer to use as comparison a country that has a 2X higher cost of living?

How is Poland supposed to fund this generous program, especially when Sralec gets the word out to other people that you can skip working, and still make more money than the people that actually work? They tried this experiment in America during the pandemic. It led to historic inflation, and a lot of working people being pretty pissed off.

Life / What should I get for a gift for somebody who's never visited Poland? [59]


Good. Now I can stop pretending to like it, when speaking to foreigners.

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Life / What should I get for a gift for somebody who's never visited Poland? [59]


Wait, are you telling me that Poland invented Bird's Milk? I thought we invented milking birds?

News / Mr President Joe Biden comes to Poland again [177]


There was a time when American politicians were able to think many steps ahead, and routinely bamboozled their opponents. In the case of this looming specter of a war with China... it seems like something my 5th-grader niece could've thought through with a pencil and a piece of paper.

The plan has been devised on the go, and little thought has been given to contingencies. Maybe that Scholz was not such an idiot after all, and it was a mistake to run behind the BoJo train?

News / Mr President Joe Biden comes to Poland again [177]


Not quite an "Ich bin ein Berliner" moment, but it should do if Grandpa is planning on running in 2024.

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

@razjuk

Can Poland not be experienced whilst on a sober mind?

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


Now that I know the truth, I know where her big nose comes from.

Poles have big noses.

Life / The nature of Polish jokes? [128]


BS. I'm reading some top quality jokes here. Structure and substance very similar to how Russian jokes are crafted.

All you Western haters just don't get it. It's your jokes that are stupid, while ours are brilliant.

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


I have to admit, I enjoy cracking a joke at the expense of my lady. Not too frequently I hope. A couple times she told me those jokes are pretty raw, so maybe it's me that started this. On the other hand, she told me a million times that if it were not for my sense of humor she would never want to be near me.

I really don't mind her thinking I'm an idiot. I think it's charming and cute, because I know in my heart she's really the idiot in the family.


Well... I always thought there was something very suspicious about her last name. I won't post it here to save her from the demons of PF, but let's say it's not a typical Russian or Ukrainian last name. I also knew that her extended family in Ukraine seemed rather small by our Eastern European standards. Then one day I started asking her if she knows where they are from originally, and just like that she said "oh we're from Poland". I asked if it's Jewish, or Polish Polish, and she said Polish Polish. To me it was like the explosion of an artillery shell, but for her - she didn't even think to mention it for the first couple years.

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


Reading this thread has reminded me of that. Also, it has convinced me that there is no such thing as "Polish women", ""Dutch women", "Ethiopian women", etc... Women are just women, wherever they are on the planet. Although... I recently learned that my "Ukrainian girlfriend" is actually Polish on both sides.

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


Funny enough, that just doesn't come up much. Her friend group is something like 40%/40%/20% - Ukrainian/Russian/Other CIS. So even they don't discuss the war much when they get together, because it is too awkward. The topic just kind of hangs there like a dark cloud.

No, I'm an idiot for all the other reasons.

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


I sympathize. My girlfriend's favorite way of spending time with friends appears to be when she's telling them what a rare idiot I am. Whenever those banshees visit my apartment, I try to do the polite thing and come out to say hello, but then try to scurry back to my room as soon as possible. There I pretend to be busy on my computer, however I can actually hear everything!


Wow, this seems eminently reasonable. How about getting yelled at for not turning out the socks before throwing them in the laundry hamper?

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]


Parsley, bro... Until today I did not know that Poles use the same word. Петрушка.

I'm constantly forgetting what the hell petrushka is called in English, and was shocked to see you - an Englishman - using the Polish word instead when everything else you wrote was English.

Also, have to say you write very well about food. Had no difficulties imagining it.

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [414]


You are a real masochist. Any normal statistical Pole would say one Russia is enough, only Pawian would say "give me 12x more".

The Force is strong with this one.

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [414]

@pawian

The primate is in my cage, and that's all I was hunting for. Now that I have you here, tell me - how deep is your love for Russia?

Also, Poles getting lazy.

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [414]

Seeing as I get banned with nearly 100% certainty after engaging in the "Polish Aid to Ukraine" thread, I will ask here - in my safe place.

What are the expectations in the Polish press regarding the impending offensive? Has there been any reaction to what BB had mentioned yesterday, regarding Pistorius being pissed off at all the other EU countries for f*cking Germany's brain for 6 months about tanks, only to have zero ready to ship after Germany finally gave in? Any further discussion on ammunition stocks?

Bottom line, are people in Poland settling into the realization that this year may be harder than the last, or is there still an expectation for a rapid resolution to the conflict?

In American media I feel a tectonic shift, where people are starting to realize that the end is far out of sight.

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]

@pawian

Ok if you are lazy I will spell it out.

1) Khmelnitsky Uprising
2) The Ukrainians begin appealing for Russian help against Poland, after Poland initially crushes their rebellion.
3) Russia enters the war on the side of the rebels
4) Russia occupies Smolensk, Vilnius, most of Belarus, and left bank Ukraine.
5) Sweden smells weakness, and invades from the Northwest with its armies stationed in Pomerania.
6) Torn between two fires, Poland collapses in what is known as the Deluge.

You want to continue insisting that Ukraine is not involved with Sweden's invasion?

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]


Why on Earth would the Turks attack Poland, OVER another country? Seems it would have been Ukraine or Russia's (if we took Ukraine) problem to deal with.


I didn't realize I was back in class. Fine, one day soon, expect it.


Whoa! You are writing new Polish history here. Is this true? Now I must ask you to show me a single authoritative historian who has argued this unorthodox view.

Genealogy / What are common Polish character traits? [425]


This is why we call this person ignorant, and why his opinion is of little interest to us - supremely erudite gentlemen.

Jokes aside, I like how you think. Initially I thought you were a little too... how to say... "radical" for my tastes. That is, I felt you may be a much more spiritual person than me, and that ideas play a proportionately bigger role in your life. Myself, I don't care about much at all, so it's difficult for me when I encounter earnest people such as yourself. It is not the same as talking with Pawian or Kania, for example...

But yes, I actually like how you think. Strip away the dense language and walls of text (I'm guilty of this myself), and usually you are saying something simple but true. In college, I thought there was not enough appreciation for "simple but true", and a lot of emphasis on "seemingly simple, actually complex". Some things do not need to be complex.

Also, to say that what you are saying is "simple but true", doesn't mean I think there's anything simple in your thinking.

Genealogy / What are common Polish character traits? [425]


Really, you can't on the one hand accuse Polish people of possessing an below average IQ, and on the other accuse them of serial deception. As we know from scientists that study the human brain, deception requires the highest order of intelligence. You must be able to correctly gauge the expectations of your listener, and manipulate terms and facts in such a way that accomplishes your goal.

Polonia / Poland in Central Asia [6]

@Alien

And why is that? I'm hopeful it won't be something racist.

If you don't want any Central Asia in Poland, it doesn't mean other people in Poland are so insular minded. They are extremely hard working people, espousing perhaps the most secular version of Islam. Even Turkey seems Islamist in comparison. No hijabs, no beards - just normal citizens of the modern world. A large portion of their population, in some cases, is white. They also produce a lot of energy, which Poland is hungry for. In addition to energy, they produce the entire periodic table of elements. Seems something Poland might need, no?

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]

@Alien

Ehrm... also not an issue? It is an observable fact. We may be trying to give a little trim to its existing borders, but I'm sure that even after this exercise there will be an independent state of Ukraine (hopefully one where all the Austrian and Polish Ukrainians are gathered. They're poor, stupid, and aggressive and thus will make wonderful neighbors to Poland).

Sovereignty, and how one defines it - that's a different question.

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]

@Alien

I have no issue with geographic nomenclature.

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]

After some thought, I think I'm ready to chip in my 50 cents re: greatest mistakes in Polish history.

The greatest mistake in Polish history has been trying to colonize Ukraine. Why?

1) It overstretched Polish resources, and exposed it to distant threats it would otherwise be insulated from (Tatars, Ottomans).

2) Over centuries of investment, return on investment amounted to zero - despite proclamations of "systemic rape" of resources by the Ukrainians. Whatever money the Polish taxman managed to extract from Ukraine was immediately reinvested in security.

3) Being involved with the Ukrainians ultimately prevented Poland from focusing on Sweden, which led to disastrous consequences - some of them, still visible today.

4) Between the Khmelnitsky Uprising, and the Wolyn Massacre - Ukrainians have killed in excess of 1.5M Poles. Some brotherhood that is!

5) Ukraine acts as a constant prize over which Poland and Russia squabble. In effect, Ukraine has prevented the development of Russo-Polish relations for 400 years, something that is undeniably to the disadvantage of both countries - economically and diplomatically.

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]

An additional burden on Russian Poles (peasants), that was not suffered by Austrian or Prussian Poles, was compulsive service in the Imperial Army. For those that don't understand what service in the Russian military entailed, here's some numbers from Wikipedia:

In 1736 it [duration of service] was reduced to 25 years, with one male member of each family excluded from managing its property. In 1834 it was reduced to 20 years plus five years in the reserve, and in 1855 to 12 years plus three years of reserve liability

Given that most guys would be nearly dead by 50, it meant serving your entire life in the army.

@Alien

After the Congress of Vienna, Russia controlled 82% of the pre-1772 Commonwealth. So when discussing liberation of Polish serfs, it makes the most sense to discuss Russian-controlled Poland. In Prussia serfdom was abolished in 1807 (but Prussia administered its Poles as a simple territorial unit, Posen). In Austria in 1848. However, this affected only a minority of Poles.