Work / Black English Teacher going to Wroclaw [247]


What's this all about? I don't really get this - or is it a perception based on black GIs in Vietnam or something? If so, racist with a back handed compliment at the same time - kind of.

Wierd anyway.

Work / Black English Teacher going to Wroclaw [247]

Well said CD.

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]

Ooops, sorry. There is only one prog. The original: rock.

; )

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]

Yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about jwojcie.

I've heard a little Riverside - very good. Anyone else you know of?

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]

Thanks for the links McCoy - great stuff.

Prog can be very smug alright. Personally I just like the angular wierdness aspect. I hate most jazz so if it's jazzy prog I generally won't listen, although one big exception here is KingCrimson who stray into the jazz arena occasionally but I love them.

Re cold music - I know what you mean MareGaea but there is a different coldness to the prog I like - mathematical, unsettling, dissonant etc. The coldness of wanky jazz funk is just instantly forgettable for me - elevator musak.

Must check out those bands then!

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]


It's a loose term in fairness. Pink Floyd were arguably the best known - but they would definitely be on the commercial side, great though they were. Floyd, ELP, Yes, Genesis were the big guns. The likes of King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, Camel were more cultish.

If the songs are long, have lofty concepts, flirt with strange instrumentation, feature virtuoso musicianship, have wierd time signatures, aren't that hummable and don't have many female fans - it's probably prog.

These days it just mean any wierd experimental rock that isn't metal I suppose.

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]

Nice stuff MareGaea!

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]

Like it or not English is the international language of tourism as well as business - whether a visitor to Poland is from LA, Helsinki or Bucharest their language of communication is going to be English.

If a country wants to develop as a tourist destination - and Poland probably has a potentially greater source of income here IMO - people who do (or could) derive any of their income from tourists need to speak at least some English.

Of course if people don't want repeat visits from tourists, that's fine. Poles should not feel under any pressure to speak English - it's Poland and Polish is the language - but the simple fact is that a lack of spoken English will stunt tourism revenue.

Life / In need of good Polish jokes about Polish culture, people, etc [226]

I like this "joke"

An Englishman, Indian, Irishman, and Frenchman are having meal in a multicultural restaurant.

The Irishman orders some stew so the Englishman laughs at the “savage paddy”.
The Frenchman orders some French food. Paddy Englishman laughs at the “frog bastard.”
The Indian man has a curry and the Englishman calls it “Paki muck.”
The Englishman drinks warm flat beer and eats his charred roast beef ( real fuggin’ food innit) and then tells Paddy jokes, Frog jokes and Paki jokes, before molesting the waitress (for a laugh), attempting to glass "the fackin' Paki" and ending his night by puking into the table and sleeping in his own vomit.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


Not to each other but generally yes, to people in their host country.


Not my experience at all. The French are a bit different though.


Well I'm not criticising anyway.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


Sorry, don't know what you mean - can you explain?

I'm not talking about within the industry by the way, just that if someone from X country goes to Y country it is likely that the common language used to converse between tourist and host will be English. That's all I'm saying.

Do you think I'm wrong?

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]

I don't think that even Americans expect that "almost everyone" will speak English in Poland.

Their expectations however are infinitely more realistic than the reverse situation of course.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


Well I think so, yes - do you not agree?

Take Ireland: crap weather, expensive, no outstanding attractions to speak of yet people come here in their millions - and it's not jsut the native English speakers. If we can reinvent the country this way I'm sure Poland can.


Other than to encourage tourism, no reason.


I know : )

Well I mentioned France was different earlier on. A few reasons:

France doesn't need to try very hard - it will always get tourists. Beautiful country with great food/wine culture and mostly good weather. Having one of the world's top city destinations helps too.

Many tourists in France are middle class English who generally can speak some French.

Actually many French people can and do communicate in English - they just won't if you don't make any attempt in French whatsover. The French are much more pleasant and accomodating than they are often depicted.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


I agree and I do.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


In theory, yes. Not in practice generally.

I've met loads of Americans and have spent time there. Very few can speak anything but the most basic Spanish. My Spanish is possibly "mid-intermediate" let's say, but it's far better than the average American level as far as I can see.

This applies to non-hispanic Americans by the way and those not living near the Mexican border.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


Way above basic. Mid-intermediate at least, probably upper.

Law / Wish to start an Indian Store in Poland [34]


Are you sure Poles would go for it?

I've almost killed Polish people here with curries that I've made - and they weren't hot.

They don't seem to be that accustomed to spicy food from what I can see.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


Depends on the country though. Often they are doing themselves and their country a favour in terms of tourism revenue.

E.g.The economies of Spain, Portugal for a start would have collapsed a long time ago if English wasn't as widely spoken as it is.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]


Well you heard wrong! ; )

Obviously not everyone can speak English, but many do and usually pretty well.

Not sure about Italy though - I would imagine there is a bit of the French syndrome there.

Travel / My visit to Poland - Likes & Dislikes. [137]

There are plenty of countries with attractive weather.

My point is that the two are very closely linked. If English wasn't spoken widely not nearly as many tourists would go there.

History / Should David Irving, Holocaust denier, be allowed to run tours to Poland? [246]


Well he did - he certainly got some.

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]

Thanks for that Stormzealot


Maybe not so minor it would seem!

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]

Are you assuming that Poles in general are proud of being Polish then?

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]

It could have been a lot funnier and not at all offensive.

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]


Oh dear. Oh no. Many admirable Polish achievements but chocolate is definitely not one of them. Aside from American & German, the worst I've tasted I'm sorry to say. Tastes like cooking chocolate.

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]

OK, so Wedel is the one then - can't honestly say if I've had it or not. Maybe I just had the sh1te stuff.


What do you mean - that you can get lots of different flavours of the above in Poland?
Nothing unusual in that.


Well, not really. There are limited edition variations (e.g. blackcurrant, lemon, strawberry) and if you exclude actual McVitie's Jaffa Cakes, other manufacturers do all sorts of flavours regularly: cherry, raspberry, lime etc etc.

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]

To sum up Poland very succinctly and to paint a picture that many others will understand and relate to it is necessary to resort to stereotypes - as BB has done.

I don't think it's very easy to do otherwise. Some of the stereotypes may have truth to them but they are ususally inaccurate on a few levels. To be pithy, you must overgeneralise - unless someone wants to submit a thesis entitled "The Magnificence of Poland" ??

But knowing this site, someone probably already has ; )

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]


You forgot coal.

The list is now complete ; )


Nor have I, fair enough.

But watermelon, cherry, chocolate, passion fruit etc gum - yep.

Teryaki, poppadom, garlic bread crisps etc etc Dozens of yoghurt flavours...

I'm not being deliberately argumentative by the way - just don't see much unusual in what you mention other than the hazlenut crisps.

USA, Canada / Why are Polish Americans mocked in the American media? [226]

For an easier life I'd say with respect to confusion over pronunciation etc.

E.g. Kietel is not Harvey's real surname, neither is Kinski the real surname of Nastassja