mafketis
15 Aug 2022
mafketis
12 Aug 2022
mafketis
11 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
I've seen them use phone apps in the local supermarket to translate labels...
"Speak & Translate" app almost exclusively:-)
I've seen them use phone apps in the local supermarket to translate labels...
mafketis
10 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
Not compared to Wrocław or Poznań or Kraków or Toruń or even Warsaw's rebuilt "old town" (my favorite part isn't the main square but the second square (rynek nowego miasta)...
I don't even think of Szczecin has having an "old town"....and after doing some quick google street view I agree with her - so in a way she's making sense here.
Szczecin DID have a pleasant looking Old Town
Not compared to Wrocław or Poznań or Kraków or Toruń or even Warsaw's rebuilt "old town" (my favorite part isn't the main square but the second square (rynek nowego miasta)...
Buildings are still same age as other buildings,
I don't even think of Szczecin has having an "old town"....and after doing some quick google street view I agree with her - so in a way she's making sense here.
mafketis
10 Aug 2022
Food / Polish Christmas Eve Dinner recipes [84]
Is there evidence they came up with the recipe first? Jews have recipes for spaghetti, doesnt' mean they came up with it first....
Jews have the same recipe.
Is there evidence they came up with the recipe first? Jews have recipes for spaghetti, doesnt' mean they came up with it first....
mafketis
10 Aug 2022
Food / Polish Christmas Eve Dinner recipes [84]
Is there even strong evidence that it's jewish or origin? ryba po grecku won't be found in Greece and placki po węgiersku is not really Hungarian...
I like some wigilia dishes but I draw the line at kutia.... to me it tastes like a delicacy for horses...
my favorite wigilia dish is a 'barszcz' from Świętokrzyskie that's made of żur, roasted buckwheat and dried mushrooms, simple and delicious
not a fan of carp which I have more to get some of the scales than anything else....
karp po żydowsku has become traditional Polish food
Is there even strong evidence that it's jewish or origin? ryba po grecku won't be found in Greece and placki po węgiersku is not really Hungarian...
kutia
I like some wigilia dishes but I draw the line at kutia.... to me it tastes like a delicacy for horses...
my favorite wigilia dish is a 'barszcz' from Świętokrzyskie that's made of żur, roasted buckwheat and dried mushrooms, simple and delicious
not a fan of carp which I have more to get some of the scales than anything else....
mafketis
9 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
I get the problem of someone trying to practice not very good English on you (I remember a frustrating conversation or two where the other person clearly wasn't listening but planning what to say next...)
But small talk is about more than grammar....
For one thing Szczecin did not have a beautiful old town.... The one time I was there (mid 90s) it looked pretty beaten up, some potentially nice buildings but very poorly maintained - I heard one theory they kept it a bit run down so as not to be tempting to Germans but I don't know about that.
Poland had some very nice old towns at the time but Szczecin didn't... it doesn't even have any kind of old market square.... it's more an old town in name than fact.
Your interlocutor surely knew Szczecin is not an old town kind of place and probably didn't appreciate you trying to talk it up (and may have felt patronized).
attempting to make
normal small talk with a Polish woman
normal small talk with a Polish woman
I get the problem of someone trying to practice not very good English on you (I remember a frustrating conversation or two where the other person clearly wasn't listening but planning what to say next...)
But small talk is about more than grammar....
For one thing Szczecin did not have a beautiful old town.... The one time I was there (mid 90s) it looked pretty beaten up, some potentially nice buildings but very poorly maintained - I heard one theory they kept it a bit run down so as not to be tempting to Germans but I don't know about that.
Poland had some very nice old towns at the time but Szczecin didn't... it doesn't even have any kind of old market square.... it's more an old town in name than fact.
Your interlocutor surely knew Szczecin is not an old town kind of place and probably didn't appreciate you trying to talk it up (and may have felt patronized).
mafketis
9 Aug 2022
Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1450]
I actually like it, not as an everyday thing but an occasional snack... yeah I like jellied meat with some vinegar....
I draw the line at fish in jello, for one thing I've never been a big fish eater and for another... fish in jello.... (reminds me of a time in Warszawa Centralna in the 1980s where that was all the restaurant over the main hall had... I was hungry so I ate it but enjoyment? brrrrrrrr
the weird jelly stuff
I actually like it, not as an everyday thing but an occasional snack... yeah I like jellied meat with some vinegar....
I draw the line at fish in jello, for one thing I've never been a big fish eater and for another... fish in jello.... (reminds me of a time in Warszawa Centralna in the 1980s where that was all the restaurant over the main hall had... I was hungry so I ate it but enjoyment? brrrrrrrr
mafketis
9 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
if you're in their country, they YOU are the foreigner....
and I have no idea what point the dialogue was trying to make...
a foreigner for speaking THEIR native language in THEIR OWN country?
if you're in their country, they YOU are the foreigner....
and I have no idea what point the dialogue was trying to make...
mafketis
7 Aug 2022
News / Does Poland support Taiwan`s independence? [54]
And note there is perfect institutional continuity between the CCP that carried out the Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Massacre and the current government.
China will never be a true superpower until they junk the useless CCP and Xi who's inflicted massive damage on the country.
Also Tiananmen Massacre or Cultural Revolution.
And note there is perfect institutional continuity between the CCP that carried out the Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Massacre and the current government.
China will never be a true superpower until they junk the useless CCP and Xi who's inflicted massive damage on the country.
mafketis
7 Aug 2022
News / Does Poland support Taiwan`s independence? [54]
Taiwan has never been under CCP control and hopefully never will be.
It is a de facto independent country.
For all its faults, Taiwan has a government that is approximately 784 times better than the awful CCP which was responsible for the worst famine in human history (probably human existence).
The CCP turned Hong Kong, once a thriving free city into a dystopian mess... let's hope they don't get a chance to exert their pestilent rule over Taiwan a country with freedom and dignity.
Taiwan has never been under CCP control and hopefully never will be.
It is a de facto independent country.
For all its faults, Taiwan has a government that is approximately 784 times better than the awful CCP which was responsible for the worst famine in human history (probably human existence).
The CCP turned Hong Kong, once a thriving free city into a dystopian mess... let's hope they don't get a chance to exert their pestilent rule over Taiwan a country with freedom and dignity.
mafketis
7 Aug 2022
Food / Polish Salted Butter [68]
Interestingly (maybe) salted butter is the norm in the US as well (Irish influence? German influence) unsalted butter is available but.... I usually prefer salted.
I was surprised originally how butter in Poland wasn't better, a pretty basic dairy product but for a long time it just wasn't very good.
I was even told a time that margarine was better (compared to the butter of the time... kind of true).
I thought maybe it was just me and then I saw an article by Polish food critics complaining about Polish butter. One of the complaints was that manufacturers would improve their products just to improve their market share and then cut back on quality again...
In recent years it's gotten a lot better though Portugal, Ireland and Denmark are my olympic podium.
Did this tradition originate coz ancient Irish wanted to prevent butter from going off???
Interestingly (maybe) salted butter is the norm in the US as well (Irish influence? German influence) unsalted butter is available but.... I usually prefer salted.
I was surprised originally how butter in Poland wasn't better, a pretty basic dairy product but for a long time it just wasn't very good.
I was even told a time that margarine was better (compared to the butter of the time... kind of true).
I thought maybe it was just me and then I saw an article by Polish food critics complaining about Polish butter. One of the complaints was that manufacturers would improve their products just to improve their market share and then cut back on quality again...
In recent years it's gotten a lot better though Portugal, Ireland and Denmark are my olympic podium.
mafketis
7 Aug 2022
Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]
the pronunciation of "receipt" doesn' thave a p sound... */risipt/ should be /risi:t/?
a mistake, where exactly? BTW, it wasn`t student`s.... :)
the pronunciation of "receipt" doesn' thave a p sound... */risipt/ should be /risi:t/?
mafketis
7 Aug 2022
Food / Polish Salted Butter [68]
That's where I got it... but just once... maybe again some day....
Pity, it can't be buy in Biedronka.
That's where I got it... but just once... maybe again some day....
mafketis
7 Aug 2022
Food / Polish Salted Butter [68]
pretty much, I do think I'm more likely to use eatable in writing than speaking...
Nope. I don't like it.... I wouldn't use it of food, the only use I would have for it would be as a symonym for 'toothy' as in "a toothsome grin" (the implication being that they are teeth you really don't want to see).
Portuguese butter from the Azores is probably the best I've ever had, incredibly delicious and addictive.
a little like potable and drinkable
pretty much, I do think I'm more likely to use eatable in writing than speaking...
a lovely word for something tasty is 'toothsome'
Nope. I don't like it.... I wouldn't use it of food, the only use I would have for it would be as a symonym for 'toothy' as in "a toothsome grin" (the implication being that they are teeth you really don't want to see).
Irish butter is the most expensive one in Germany.
Portuguese butter from the Azores is probably the best I've ever had, incredibly delicious and addictive.
mafketis
6 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
No... all languages are like that. I've heard Polish that would make your hair stand on end "Ja nie ma czas tam iść" (not a real example but similar to things I've heard). That didn't stop it from being completely understandable to the Polish people it was directed to.
All human languages can be put in the wringer and be understood... English speakers are maybe unique in not especially caring about how non-native speakers express themselves....
Which is not so possible in most languages.
No... all languages are like that. I've heard Polish that would make your hair stand on end "Ja nie ma czas tam iść" (not a real example but similar to things I've heard). That didn't stop it from being completely understandable to the Polish people it was directed to.
All human languages can be put in the wringer and be understood... English speakers are maybe unique in not especially caring about how non-native speakers express themselves....
mafketis
6 Aug 2022
Real Estate / Forced to pay for an accommodation without a contract? [3]
Is the university providing you housing? The better approach is to use that until you know a Polish person who can guide you through the shark filled waters of Polish landlords (many are great.... a large number.... aren't).
Is the university providing you housing? The better approach is to use that until you know a Polish person who can guide you through the shark filled waters of Polish landlords (many are great.... a large number.... aren't).
mafketis
5 Aug 2022
Food / British food products in Poland? [334]
aka a crime against humanity! beans and mushrooms are not meant to be eaten in the morning and fried tomatoes are just gross!
English breakfast
aka a crime against humanity! beans and mushrooms are not meant to be eaten in the morning and fried tomatoes are just gross!
mafketis
5 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
English can be a native, ethnic language with high standards maintained and learned mostly by those who care about it or an international language that most people are forced to learn no matter whether they care about it or not.
Can't have both (think cakes and having and eating).
eternal double standard when it comes to English and I'm getting pretty sick of it.
English can be a native, ethnic language with high standards maintained and learned mostly by those who care about it or an international language that most people are forced to learn no matter whether they care about it or not.
Can't have both (think cakes and having and eating).
mafketis
5 Aug 2022
Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]
I simmer them in almost boiling water until they're soft enough to hollow out easily and then stuff and cook them in the oven.
you need to pre heat them first without stuffing
I simmer them in almost boiling water until they're soft enough to hollow out easily and then stuff and cook them in the oven.
mafketis
4 Aug 2022
Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]
It looks like hollowed out zucchini.... stuffed zucchini? It's a common dish in the middle east.... but I only put them into the oven after putting the filling in.
What can you see
It looks like hollowed out zucchini.... stuffed zucchini? It's a common dish in the middle east.... but I only put them into the oven after putting the filling in.
mafketis
4 Aug 2022
Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]
Nonsense... she simply needs to know English better than her students... a large majority of learners of English in Poland do not need native speaker teachers, they need communication skills that can be taught be non-natives just as well. Certain specialists will need native models but they're not the majority.
More nonsense... English is a pluricentric language which means there is more than one standard and things that are correct in one place will be incorrect in another.
"The government are." is not correct in the US (though it is in the UK) and "She had gotten it" is not correct in the UK (though it is in the US). Things are even more unstable with pronunciation.
She'd do fine in Poland (though I really doubt she'd want to).
er English skills would most likely be rather suspect!
Nonsense... she simply needs to know English better than her students... a large majority of learners of English in Poland do not need native speaker teachers, they need communication skills that can be taught be non-natives just as well. Certain specialists will need native models but they're not the majority.
if you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all!
More nonsense... English is a pluricentric language which means there is more than one standard and things that are correct in one place will be incorrect in another.
"The government are." is not correct in the US (though it is in the UK) and "She had gotten it" is not correct in the UK (though it is in the US). Things are even more unstable with pronunciation.
She'd do fine in Poland (though I really doubt she'd want to).
mafketis
4 Aug 2022
Study / I want to know about nursing degree in Poland [7]
@what is.your.nam
just sent you a private message...
@what is.your.nam
just sent you a private message...
mafketis
4 Aug 2022
Study / I want to know about nursing degree in Poland [7]
here, but there's nothing in English (which is very irrelevant to day to day nursing issues in Poland).
nipip.pl/
If you write them they probably can find someone to read it....
do you know website of official poland nursing board?
here, but there's nothing in English (which is very irrelevant to day to day nursing issues in Poland).
nipip.pl/
If you write them they probably can find someone to read it....
mafketis
4 Aug 2022
Food / Polish Salted Butter [68]
I use both...
edible - if you eat it you won't get very sick and/or die but you might not enjoy it
"Those mushrooms taste liks @ss but they're edible."
eatable - depending on context
you can eat it and it's not bad... but not very good either
"The sandwiches in the snack bar are eatble." (but nothing to write home about)
not haute cuisine but... better than expected
"This improvised casserole I made from three days of leftovers is actually quite eatable."
I wouldn't be surprised if eatable originated as a mispronuncation and/or misspelling from edible since in USEnglish the ends of the words are pronounced the same, only the initial vowel is different...
ymmv of course
Edible
I use both...
edible - if you eat it you won't get very sick and/or die but you might not enjoy it
"Those mushrooms taste liks @ss but they're edible."
eatable - depending on context
you can eat it and it's not bad... but not very good either
"The sandwiches in the snack bar are eatble." (but nothing to write home about)
not haute cuisine but... better than expected
"This improvised casserole I made from three days of leftovers is actually quite eatable."
I wouldn't be surprised if eatable originated as a mispronuncation and/or misspelling from edible since in USEnglish the ends of the words are pronounced the same, only the initial vowel is different...
ymmv of course
mafketis
3 Aug 2022
History / Warsaw Rising 1944 - National Disaster or Triumph of Spirit ? [515]
A likely story.....
I said it all on this subject and have nothing to add
A likely story.....
mafketis
2 Aug 2022
USA, Canada / Any fluent Polish speakers in the GTA, Ontario? :D I can help with French and German [8]
is the most awesome! I know only bits and pieces of French but I recognize the accent right away. I always thought that if I were ever compelled to learn French I'd adopt a Quebecois accent just because many/most French people find it very annoying....
Plus... they have country music!
youtube.com/watch?v=ZblQzOPPhyo
the French Canadian accent is the one that
is the most awesome! I know only bits and pieces of French but I recognize the accent right away. I always thought that if I were ever compelled to learn French I'd adopt a Quebecois accent just because many/most French people find it very annoying....
Plus... they have country music!
youtube.com/watch?v=ZblQzOPPhyo
mafketis
28 Jul 2022
News / Poland, Western Europe and the USA - What if Ukraine disappears from the map? [144]
How old are you emotionally.... four? One of the reasons Serbia is so backwards is the infantile mentality of "we never do anything bad, we're always the victims!"... grow up and maybe your country will be less of a shithоlе...
We neither started them, we neither lost them
How old are you emotionally.... four? One of the reasons Serbia is so backwards is the infantile mentality of "we never do anything bad, we're always the victims!"... grow up and maybe your country will be less of a shithоlе...
mafketis
22 Jul 2022
UK, Ireland / Boris Johnson - is the new British PM a popular figure in Poland? [150]
What's wrong with "adult human female" (female being the sex class that produces large gametes) ta dah! I'm a genius!!!!
trans people are deserving of rights and dignity and respect as human beings, but it is impossible to change biological sex, no intervention will make a producer of small gametes produce large gametes (or vice versa)
I doubt it.
What's wrong with "adult human female" (female being the sex class that produces large gametes) ta dah! I'm a genius!!!!
trans people are deserving of rights and dignity and respect as human beings, but it is impossible to change biological sex, no intervention will make a producer of small gametes produce large gametes (or vice versa)
mafketis
22 Jul 2022
UK, Ireland / Boris Johnson - is the new British PM a popular figure in Poland? [150]
Is it a question you can answer non-recursively (without using the word 'woman' as part of the answer)?
Is a question
Is it a question you can answer non-recursively (without using the word 'woman' as part of the answer)?