Law / Opening a Polish Bank Account by a foreigner in Poland. Recommendations. [299]

I have a business account with mBank, and I believe they offer accounts in PLN, USD, and EUR. However, I am charged a fee for my debit card (3.50/month PLN). I'm not sure if they charge for a personal debit card, however.

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]


Strange as it may seem, they have a website...

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]

I saw this graph on NPR today - as I look at the information, something unnatural seems to have happened in the mid-seventies to kick start the obesity trend in America. I contend that this was the introduction of high fructose corn syrup to soft drinks and other foods.

A quote from Wikipedia:

"HFCS was rapidly introduced to many processed foods and soft drinks in the U.S. from about 1975 to 1985."

I concede that this is circumstantial evidence, but I believe that it's rather compelling circumstantial evidence.

npr.org/2012/01/09/144799538/controversy-swirls-around-harsh-anti-obesity-ads
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup

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  US Childhood Obesity
  

Food / Swiss Cheese in Poland [14]


I finally finished the Parmesan cheese I had on hand and was able to crack open the Dziugas cheese today - it is wonderful! My roomie concurs. Thanks for the recommendation, Jonny!!!

Life / What is wrong with Poznan? [197]


This statement is obviously untrue since you spend an inordinate amount of time ranting about "them" in this thread.


Seems like you stepped in it regarding the American bashing, considering the original poster is from Canada. Like AntV, this American is waiting for an apology - however, I won't hold my breath. Guys like you are far-too-common on the internet - making outlandish statements based on prejudice and hatred yet NEVER owning up to the mistakes you make.

You are obviously dissatisfied with your life - please stop punishing us forum members for your unhappiness.

Life / Where to recycle stuff in Krakow? [5]

Merged: Recycling skillets in Krakow

I have several skillets that need to be replaced because the Teflon has started to chip away after several years of usage. I would like to recycle them here in Krakow, but I'm not exactly sure where I can do this. I could remove the handles and toss them into our plastic/metal recycling bin, but I'm not sure how the Teflon coating might affect their potential recyclability (is this even a word???). Any suggestions? Thanks!

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]



You should read my original post much more carefully...I don't believe that my words can be interpreted as definitive by any stretch of the imagination. Your words throughout this thread, however, seem much more definitive than mine.

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]



These statements seem contradictory.

Also, your quotation from the Princeton article is misleading - here is the entire quote:

"Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests," said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction.

The article continues:

"When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]


I am constantly amazed that so many Americans view governmental control of such substances as "infringing upon their freedom" - this is one of the primary reasons that our food is so unhealthy. And it's not just hormones that are added - antibiotics are systematically given to livestock to prevent them from getting sick. You would have to be a fool to think that those antibiotics somehow magically disappear before the meat ends up on your plate.

Another example: I remember a few years back, there was a comparison between McDonald's french fries served in America and Denmark. Denmark had strict guidelines regarding unsaturated fat, but the US had no such guidelines (I believe this is still true today, but I'm not 100% certain). Denmark's McD fries were deemed MUCH healthier than those in America. You can't tell me that the absence of such restrictions in the States somehow makes the food supply healthier - quite the opposite, in fact.

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]


A simple Google search of "high fructose corn syrup" is EXACTLY what I did - and the Princeton research was near the top of the very first page.

Here is another corroborating fact regarding HFCS - companies such as CocaCola and Pepsi started to introduce HFCS to their products in the early '70's. The obesity rates in America also started to increase around the same time. Iron-clad evidence? Of course not...but it's not an illogical conclusion to speculate that there MIGHT be a correlation between HFCS and obesity.


How exactly does post #126 prove that my personal experience is untrue?

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]


Now that is a testimony! Way to refute the statement - with opinion and hearsay. And congrats for ignoring my personal story - you can't prove that it's true or false, so you assume it's false in order to protect your ignorance.

Here is how I prefer to refute your statement - with science:
princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07

Life / Fat People in Poland? [161]

When I lived in America, I walked 4 miles a day 5-6 days a week for several years. This was about an hour of continuous upbeat walking for exercise, not an accumulation of my each day's walking, mind you. Also, I didn't eat fast food more than 3-4 times a month, and I NEVER drank soda. Despite these facts, I constantly struggled to lose weight.

When I moved to Europe, I lost around 12 kg within the first 3 months. I continued my hour-a-day walking habit and ate essentially the same amount of food - but this time, the pounds seemed to melt away. And I wasn't consciously dieting - in fact, I lived across the street from a wonderful bakery and found myself there most days.

My point? The food supply in America is tainted with growth hormones and high fructose corn syrup, and these very well could be the main culprits in the American obesity epidemic. I think you would be lying to yourself if you didn't think that capitalism is a contributing factor to obesity in the West. Unfortunately, those in agriculture are just as interested in making a profit as anyone in the banking biz or on Wall Street.

A side note - how many of you "fat critics" are hooked on cigarettes, caffeine, or other drugs? Or perhaps internet and/or pûrnography? My guess is the majority of you are, so perhaps it's best not to be so judgmental about what you perceive as other people's addictions.

Food / Hip flasks in Poland [7]

I saw flasks at Lidl today - not sure of the quality or price, but it might be worth checking out...

Life / Automobiles vs. Pedestrians in Poland [77]

This is a new low - today, a driver was trying to park his car on the sidewalk where I was walking and actually honked his horn to urge me to move faster. I stopped, turned around, and stared at him for about 10 seconds before continuing on my way. I felt like ripping the freakin' license plate off of the front of his car!

The stupidity of some automobile drivers astounds me. These are the very same idiots who are driving in traffic and potentially endangering the rest of society with their lack of patience.

Food / OKOCIM PORTER BETTER THAN GUINNESS STOUT? [43]

I experienced my first Okocim Porter tonight - I can absolutely state that I prefer Guinness. I have never been a fan of mocne beers in Poland - I don't like tasting the alcohol in beers. It seems all I can taste is the alcohol in Okocim Porter. It was my first and last...

Food / Swiss Cheese in Poland [14]


I picked some up today at Auchan - looking forward to tasting it. Thanks for the suggestion.


I'm a novice at preparing FO soup - perhaps when I master the recipe, I'll splurge for gruyere per your suggestion.

Food / Swiss Cheese in Poland [14]

Thanks fellas - I'm using it to top french onion soup, so do you have any opinions about which type would work best? I imagine both would be acceptable, but I'm trying to be as authentic as possible without shelling out big bucks for gruyere.

Law / Credit card fees vs. Cost of Using Cash in Poland [15]

I could be wrong about the worldwide average - perhaps 3% is on the high side. I found information about Finland's interchange fees - they are below 1% on average. Perhaps this fee is regulated by individual governments - if so, why does Poland allow such high fees?

This thread has been most educational for me - thanks!

Law / Credit card fees vs. Cost of Using Cash in Poland [15]


Did you happen to hear any numbers? The worldwide average seems to be 2-3%, so I'm curious what this number is in Poland. And where did you hear this? On the radio, TV, internet? If you have a link, please post it - I'd be most grateful!

Law / Credit card fees vs. Cost of Using Cash in Poland [15]


I agree wholeheartedly! On the other hand, my students pointed out the babcias that pay with change from their purses - this can also be a time-consuming endeavor. I wonder what the average time per customer is with credit cards vs. those with cash.

Although not related to the topic at hand, here's an interesting article about the quality of food purchases when using cash vs. credit card:

healthland.time.com/2010/10/21/study-paying-cash-not-credit-leads-to-healthier-food-choices/

Law / Credit card fees vs. Cost of Using Cash in Poland [15]

Other than the 2-3% that a credit card company charges a firm, what are some other financial drawbacks of using credit? Fraudulent cards are definitely a possibility, but those costs generally affect the credit company, not the firm. Are there additional factors that contribute to a firm's losses when customers use credit cards?

Overall, do you think the costs associated with cash are equal to or greater than those of credit? My instinct says credit is more expensive than cash, but I'm not altogether convinced of that now. I realize other factors such as time and convenience should be factored into the equation, but those are different topics for another day.

Law / Credit card fees vs. Cost of Using Cash in Poland [15]

Someone must count the money (or oversee machines that do this), then they must pay to deliver the money to a bank. There are probably bank fees as well. I can't think of any other possibilities, but perhaps someone else can...

Life / Internet problems in Krakow? [8]


How did you get the skinny?

Life / Internet problems in Krakow? [8]

Where? In Krakow? Poland? Europe?

Travel / Differences between trains in Poland? [15]

I have noticed that the rates advertised on PKP's website are rarely what I pay at the counter - they are almost always higher. For instance, the online rate last week for a TLK train from Krakow to Opole was 41 zł - when I purchased the ticket that same day at Krakow Glowny, I paid 34 zł.

I'm not complaining, mind you, simply curious - why the discrepancy? When I returned, the cashier at Opole Głowny charged exactly the rate that was listed on PKP. Tickets purchased at Warsaw Centralna have also been consistent with online rates. Any ideas?

News / Couple Busted For Having Sex On Water Slide At Opoczno, Poland Amusement Park [30]

WTF indeed!

Life / Automobiles vs. Pedestrians in Poland [77]

Surprisingly, Polish drivers seem quite courteous when people are in the zebra crossing. Much more considerate than drivers in America. However, they seem to lose this patience when they are driving on side streets and in living zones such as apartment buildings or blocks of flats. This is where I notice the least civility amongst Polish drivers.