Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]


Umm, I wouldn't. That was the point of the joke.

Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

@time1865

Maybe the Poles you are referring to are just trying to assimilate by displaying some Jersey attitude!

In all seriousness, though, you are talking about dealing with shop personnel. It has to be a vulnerable dynamic for them to begin with, and you're talking about the added stress of the Christmas rush this time of year. They are probably dealing with many Polish-Americans who, by your own admission, know less about Polish culture than you. I can imagine that can get tiring, especially if they feel they are expected to "perform" Polish. Perhaps you may find more the experience you are looking for by joining a Polish-American social club, attending Polish festivals, or, if religous, attending a Polish Church.

Life / Babcia or Busha - any social class difference? [359]

jon357


I would think "busia" is more likely an evolvement in a Polish-American dialect than a holdover from Polish not used in Poland anymore. My Polish grandparents were from the same generation as many others mentioned in this thread. However, they were farmers not around a Polonia community. There was no "busia" in their language and I think the reason is the lack of exposure to other polonia and that "busia" was not part of their language in Poland.

Food / PIZZA & KETCHUP served only in Poland? [159]


I don't know why vinegar on french fries would be "ughhh" in uk, they are fantastic in America. It used to be a favorite thing to get them every Friday night at the local racetrack.

Genealogy / Ancestors from Galicia - does this mean you are Polish? [18]

My father's side of my family was from Galicia, in what is now Poland(very near the crossing at Medyka). They were very definitely Ukrainian. That being said, my relatives that still live there have been intermarried over the last couple of generations with (ethnic)Poles. I only converse with them in Polish and I would imagine the younger generation only think of themselves as Polish.

Re: Paul Waletko born in Galicia about 1884

"looking for any information on my grandfather paul waletko born in galicia about 1884"

Waletko is probably Ukrainian. Maybe your relatives were Lemko like some of mine. Do you have any immigration records? It may show Paul's native village.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

Regarding the dispute about Bransk, I have no dog in this fight, but was just curious how such a dispute over what should be easily verifiable fact comes up. In doing some quick searches it looks like Harry is right about the non tolerandis Judaeis and such, at least until after the partitions. It also seems that later the town had a larger and larger Jewish population. Could it be from later on that the documentary is referencing? Could you both be right, but not talking about the same time periods?

Language / Does Polish have a plural of "You"? [51]

In American English, one would not bat an eyelash at the above use of "one". The use of "prat" or "pratty" would sound a bit foreign, though.

Genealogy / Americans of Polish descent. How many of us are on Polish forums? [216]


I am here! I read a lot and post rarely. I am an American of mixed Polish and Ukrainian descent.

I do still talk(well, write) with family in Poland. Although, funnily enough, the relatives I still have contact with, are descendants of my Ukrainian side of the family. Where they live(and always have) is in Poland, near the border crossing at Medyka.

Most of the traditons we still celebrate have to do with Christmas, and food.

When I was young, in the early 90's, I got to spend a couple of summers in Poland in the summer language program at Jagiellonian University, and also got to meet my relatives in person then. At the time, I was very tempted to stay. Then it was very easy for Americans to get jobs teaching English. What ended up dissuading me was the quality of health care then. I had a couple of friends have some really bad experiences after falling ill there. Were I only that age again now...

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]


If we met today in "real life", would you assume I am amongst these vast leagues of the indifferent because I don't walk around with outward displays of my ancestry?

Anyway, to relate back to the original post, however many Americans may or may not be indifferent to their Polish ancestry, those who are not indifferent are far far likelier to be proud of it than ashamed.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]


So, are you saying if people don't go around wearing a shirt with their ancestors' national flag, they are ashamed of their ancestry? I wouldn't agree with that. I can be quite proud of my ancestry without outward displays of it(although my in-laws have come to love our Polish cooking, funnily the biggest fan is my Ecuadoran sister-in-law(and she is an immigrant, not a plastic Ecuadoran, as some of the vernacular tends to be around here))

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]


I don't know if you live in the US, but I really wouldn't agree with that. Then again, the US is a huge place, so maybe some areas are different than others. I certainly wouldn't agree that that's the case within 100 miles of Chicago or Buffalo(where I live). And to the original poster, its been almost 20 years since I've been to Poland, but I never felt superior to Poles, and I certainly hope I never gave that vibe to anyone.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]

Is this thread serious or a satire? Polish-Americans tend to be quite proud of their ancestry. If anything, some Polish-Americans apparently put some people off by being too vigorous in their pride, as witnessed by several threads on this site where they are chastised for feeling any connection to their ancestry and are called "plastic".

USA, Canada / Feminine surname endings in America? [48]

While in America I am not aware of any laws restricting feminine use of surnames, I personally don't know any women who have taken feminine forms when being married or born in America. However, I do know many women who, being born or married in Poland, have kept the feminine form after immigrating to America. I remember one girlfriend I had, whose younger sister was born in Japan. Her sister also kept the feminine form of her surname, so apparently there weren't any laws against it in Japan either.

Language / What were the first Polish words and phrases you have learned? [63]

dzika świnia

I don't know why, but my great-grandfather found me saying that extremely amusing.

History / Lwów, Wilno ... kresy - Poland have lost enormoust part of our heritage... [389]


I never did quite understand that. I was surprised when I first heard Lwów used to be Polish as my Ukrainian relatives came from(and some still live) west of there, in current Poland, near Przemyśl.

Genealogy / Polish nationality? Which of the following (if any) determine being Polish. [231]

These arguments always end up to confused to be useful. People argue about what it is to be "Polish" when some obviously are thinking of nationality and some are obviously thinking of ethnicity or heritage. All are different things and not interchangable.

Genealogy / The Meaning and Origin of the Last name Czekaj [9]

I once knew an American girl of Polish descent whose surname was Czekaj.

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How do you pronounce your Polish surname? [128]

If I ever moved away where no one knew me I'd insist on people pronouncing my name correctly. However, my parents and grandparents never did so it is too much of a pain to try to get people who have known me my whole life to relearn how to say my surname. It makes it a rare treat when I come across someone Polish who naturally says my name correctly, or the odd person who goes out of their way to learn how to pronounce it.

My wife isn't Polish, but I've taught her how to say our name correctly. She even knows her name should end in an "a" instead of an "i".

Language / Listening to music and learning Polish [45]


If you're interested in learning lyric meanings try listening to both the English and Polish versions of Myslovitz's album Korova Milky Bar.

Language / Spelling "aunt" in Polish [142]


Interesting, back when I took Polish classes, I was taught different, and I just looked up my textbook to see if I remembered right.

What it says is that wujek is a maternal uncle (your mothers brother) and that stryj is a paternal uncle (your fathers brother).

Language / Polish/Ukrainian words similarities [209]

I'm far from being any sort of expert, but I do remember when I spent time in Poland having a conversation with someone, me speaking Polish and her speaking Ukrainian, and we did seem to understand each other.

I once had a Polish girlfriend, who's mother told me that back in Poland they had a saying that Ukrainian was good Russian, but bad Polish.