News / 20 YEARS ON A BETTER POLAND -- ALSO BETTER POLES? [21]


290th?
Better look it up

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

Ciechan Miodowe is awesome. I tried some other honey beer (it was a dark one), but it was much too sweet; honey Ciechan is just right and still tastes like beer.

Also, yesterday, I tried Ciechan Porter and it's great, too. This one, for a change is quite bitter; it's got a very rich aroma, so the bitterness is just a part of the composition (unlike in just bitter mass-produced lagers). If you like Ciechan, you should try their Porter - I promise, it's not a girly beer like Miodowe.

I must try out all other Ciechans now.

Finally, there's some good, traditional stuff in the shops. I think it started being distributed all over Poland quite recently.

News / What's the stupidest question asked about Poland? [414]


Yeah, that's better. LOL, I didn't even know the word 'anserine'.

News / What's the stupidest question asked about Poland? [414]


??????
Are people really that ignorant that they can't tell a political union from a continent?
And what, do they think e.g. Moscow is in Asia?


Niechaj narodowie wżdy postronni znają, iż Polacy, nie gęsi, iż swój język mają! (May all the other nations know that the Poles have not the language of geese but of their own - Mikołaj Rej, Renaissance writer).

And to be serious I don't see any reason why foreigner should recognize the sound of Polish language, but it's really an ignorance not to know, especially for a European, that there some Polish language in Poland. Polish is not one of 300 languages spoken in an African country with a former colonizer's lang. is he official one.

News / What's the stupidest question asked about Poland? [414]


So what? What does EU have to do with it, anyway? We already were in Europe 900 years before the idea of EU emerged.


Before 1989 travelling was restricted, but after it there was no problem obtaining a passport. Polish people have travelled freely all over the world for 20 years. What changed after EU accession was the time of crossing the boarders - before EU, you needed a little customs clearance, and now you just wave your ID and go.


Hmmm...
As far as I know, during the 80s, there was a lot of stuff about Wałęsa in international media. And, of course, there was the pope.


Well, I don't have access to Korean culture and entertainment, neither have I met any Korean tourist crossing the Polish boarder freely, but I know that in Korea they speak Korean and not, e.g. Chinese.


Well, Belarus had never been an independent country until 1918; then, after a year or two, it became a part of the Soviet Union and regained its independence only after the fall of Soviet Union. Poland started being an independent country in 966. After a few hundred years, it lost its independence and regained it the same year that Belarus declared its independence for the first time. And since then, it has never been incorporated to any other country. So if one thinks that the status of Poland as an independent country is the same as Belarus, then one is just very ignorant about the European history. Stable, independent Belarus is something new in Europe, while Poland has been there for some time.


What do you think, people of PRL didn't party? Of course there were discos! Maybe they weren't always as cool as the Western but in those times nothing was as cool. You have a strange idea about Poland before the fall of communism. We even had a big rock festival in PRL in the 80s, mainly associated with punk today.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarocin_Festival

Language / Problems Polish People Have with Learning English [63]

Main problems:
-articles - Polish doesn't have any
-constructions with perfective aspect - no equivalent in Polish. You can either translate the so-called 'Present Perfect' into present or past tense.
-th and ng sounds
-words ending with voiced sounds. Instead of 'eggs' most Poles say 'axe' and instead of 'and' - 'ant', and so on
-phrasal verbs

Genealogy / Obtaining Original Poznan Parish Records, Greater Poland archives? [22]


Impossible. Original parish records are entries in big parish books (in Polish "księga ślubów" - the 'book of weddings'). They won't send you the book or tear a page out.

But they can make you an extract which serves as an official document and contains all the information that are in the book.

The best thing to deal with a parish red tape is a personal visit. If it's impossible, it would be better to write to them. But not in English, in Polish! (I can help you, I'm Polish, done some stuff with parish records). If it is something very old, there is a possibility that the parish no longer exist. Or maybe they don't keep very old books. If you encounter such problem, write to the diocesan curia to which the parish belongs - the curia keeps copies of all the parish records.

In the letter you should provide all the information about the marriage you know - the more you tell them, the easier it will be to find the right record. The most important thing is the date of marriage.

As far as the letter is concerned, it should be a formal letter, in which you write that you are from America and you are looking for information about your ancestors, so you kindly request to obtain the extract from the book of marriages concerning the marriage that took place in the year N, between X and Y, who were your (name of relation). And all that polite formal stuff and additional info. Write it in English and PM to me, or if you don't trust me (why would you?), post it here and I'll post my translation, so that anyone could read and criticise.

I'm not that fluent in the question of donations.

Food / Name of this particular Polish sausage [18]

melbel,
have you got a pic of that sausage, but not grilled? The one you posted is grilled and it's really hard to say.

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

I found a longer list:
nonsensopedia.wikia.com/wiki/S%C5%82ownik:Masturbacja

Polish language is indeed rich :D. My faves: iskać mandryla, wskrzesić £azarza, dzyndzolić fiflaka

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

More for masturbation:
szarpać Michałka
głaskać ebonita
ładować fajeczkę
obierać banana
oświecić odrodzenie
grzać parówę
prowadzać penetratora
pukać w jajko
pompować budyń
blaszczyć pytonga
pucować torpedę
obierać pora
czochrać predatora
czesać pafnucego
poprawiać namiot
młócić capa
jechać Jasia
marszczyć freda
bić Wacława
trzepać prącie
smyrać gwoździa
obsługiwać peryskopa
śmigać wała
pstrykać pytę
pienić rurę
muskać pieniek
drapać konara
fałdować mutona
męczyć pałę
gładzić grzecha
fasować szwunga
tasować dżordża
strugać kołka
obierać parówkę
brykać tygryska
trząchać kapcia
brechtać serdla
siekać wafla
rąbać szkapę
nękać jaszczura
szlifować stalagmita
strobilizować tasiemca
ćwiczyć młodego
tuczyć wieprza
musztrować jungsa
heblować belę
ciągać strzałę
klepać miecza
ciskać kałasza
stukać faję
stroszyć bobra
patroszyć śledzia
głaskać węgorza
palić kubanosa
drażnić byka
iskać fistaszka
łupać orzeszka
łuskać kaczana
polerować kolbę
głaskać misia
woskować lufę
szorować wyciora
kręcić tuleje
oprawiać gnata
dusić flaka
studzić pręta
grzać muła
rypać źrebaka
odkręcać Kubusia
chłostać fikacza
frezować trzonka
pukać ćwieka
plumkać wajchę
prostować druta
kulać bobsona
jechać bilarda
robić buta
niańczyć smerfusia
imać drąga
wbijać smyka
ryrać dzidę
ciosać pala
łapać jaszczura
chapać organa
wyżymać wisiora
gwintować końcówę
gruchać frędzla
dobruchać kata
szturchać smoka
błogosławić plebana
stroić fleta
cykać świerszcza
rąbać kłodę
podkręcać knota
cyklinować klepkę
cucić kapucyna
szkolić majstra
wysuwać qqłkę
falować ogóra
gnębić karminadla
chapsnąć wędlinę
łapać ptaka
bzykać trzmiela
klepać rynnę
pędzić kaktusa
urywać sopla
targać wihajstra
straszyć węża
karcić prezesa
tuczyć ephraima
ciumkać bigosa
szorować zbroje
kierować dyszla
masować szyjkę
grać bilarda
smażyć kiełbasę
ubijać schaba
tłoczyć galaretę
odkręcać kranik
kłuć żądło
maltretować hot-doga
stawiać wieżę
ścinać tłoka
pitrasić minoga
lać lenia
karczować foresta
toczyć majoneza
czarować różdżkę
łypać kłosa
pracować główką
wyrywać korzenia
gibać goryla
walić gruszkę
prężyć strunę
skakać małysza
łapać gołębia
turlać walca
ruszać fafika
obracać rożen
wyciągać batona
strzepnąć pitola

Language / Free and accurate Online Polish-English / English-Polish translator? [49]

There are no accurate online translators. Accurate electronic translators are, so far, science fiction. We are not enough technologically advanced to create a program, that would understand human language, and without understanding a sentence, you cannot translate it. To choose how to translate each word, you must understand its context - and that is something computers can't do yet.

So, just forget it!

Life / Womans day in Poland? [242]


Moon is obviously him. Anyone who knows Polish language at least a bit knows that.


For some reason the flower most associated with Woman's Day is tulip.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

A niech to gęś kopnie!
Motyla noga!
Do jasnej anielki!
Kurcze pieczone/blade!

Genealogy / Why Polish aren't white?? [272]

It just reminded me of a cartoon in one of my school handbooks:

A black couple wearing some kind of traditional African clothes is standing in front of a clerk in a Polish office. The woman is holding a baby (as black as the parents). The clerk says (in a balloon): "Well, if you both have got Polish citizenship, it means Makumba is Polish, too".

Life / Tribute to Stanisław Lem - recommended books to read? [13]

Hard to say... I really liked "Niezwyciężony" and "Solaris", but everything he writes is just great.

Work / What jobs pay 10,000 zlotych per month? and Where can i find one? :o) [101]


But such people don't look for job where they're paid 10 minimum wages...

Language / Chodzic versus Isc. When and why? [18]

to put it simply

chodzić: to go
iść: to be going

Chodzę do fryzjera - I go to the hairdresser's.
Idę do fryzjera - I'm going to the hairdresser's.

Life / Polish and Slavic Art [48]


more or less:

In 1800 prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski bought the painting and gave it as a present to his mother, Izabela Czartoryska. It was on display in the Gothic House in Puławy. During the November Uprising it was taken to Paris. In the end of the 19th cent., circa 1880 it was brought to Kraków to the Czartosyski Muzeum that was founded there. In 1939 the painting was stolen by the German occupants and it served as a decoration in the Wawel residence of Hans Frank, next, it was taken to Germany, from where, in 1946, it was again brought back to Kraków.

Life / Polish and Slavic Art [48]

Oh, yeah, I spend quite a lot of time in the museum, sitting in front of the original and staring at it in amazement. Here, the size matters!

A great painting.

Life / Polish and Slavic Art [48]

Józef Chełmoński: "Czwórka"

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

Jan Kochanowski is sitting under his lime tree. He's trying to write something but he can't find any inspiration. Suddenly, he sees a muse in distance, in his garden.

'Oh, muse! Help me! I need inspiration' he calls.
The muse comes to him, thinks for a while and whispers something to his ear.
'No, not another epigram! I've written so many' he sighs.
The muse thinks again, and whispers another idea to Kochanowski's ear.
'Greek tragedy? No, one is enough.'
The muse is thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and finally, she comes up with a brilliant idea, which she again tells to Kochanowski.
'Yes! That is great!' exclaims the poet joyfully, 'Urszulka' he calls, 'Come to daddy!'

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]


LOL. Or maybe "bladolicy"? That just sounds so silly...

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

MURZYN wasn't racist until the fashion for political correctness was imported to Poland from the US :P Without PC nobody would even think there can be something offensive about. Any word can be offensive if used with such intention. The racist word in Polish is CZARNUCH.

I've heard that African immigrants (mainly African students :) ) want themselves to be called CZARNOSKÓRZY (lit. black-skinned). But for me it's artificial.

Life / Importance of Religion in Poland [187]


Why would they give up?

Life / Importance of Religion in Poland [187]

There are many religious people who actually can say why they follow this or that religion. This is how you can tell someone deeply religious and conscious of their choices from someone who blindly follows some rituals and repeats phrases they don't understand.


Have you ever talked to a Jehovah Witness? Each of them can give you a whole lecture on why they follow this faith.


That view is closer to agnostic than Catholic.
As far as description is concerned, most Christians describe God as merciful, almighty, just, all-knowing, full of love, wise etc.


There's no need - they willingly talk about it without asking.

Life / Importance of Religion in Poland [187]

Embarrassing especially to the Catholic asked, who doesn't know the answer.

Food / Do Polish people really love cabbage ?? [78]


Add some beef, sausage, forest mushroom, vegetables (carrot, celery root, onions, anything you've got in your fridge), dried fruit, wine or whatever and cook it altogether until it becomes dark brown.

Food / Do Polish people really love cabbage ?? [78]

I love cabbage, especially sauerkraut.

I like in in bigos, in salad, in pierogi and in kapuśniak (sauerkraut soup).

This thread made me want some bigos. I'm going to the kitchen to warm some up ;-)

Study / American Muslim girl thinking to go to Medical school in Poland... [87]

I live in £ódź and I'm a goth, so I know where and how people react to individuals who dress different. I have several years' experience in standing out in Poland; I also know other people who look different and their experiences.

I even don't dress in a shocking way (usually). I used to wear more fancy clothes, but now I've got tired of it. People sometimes get at me just because I wear a big hat or a long black coat. You don't need much to attract attention and provoke aggression.

I've never paraded in traditional Muslim clothing but I know one thing: the more you stand out, the more irritating the taunts get. It's something one can't cope with, but it might be a bit of a culture shock for someone who comes from a multicultural society. That's why I'm writing about it.

Study / American Muslim girl thinking to go to Medical school in Poland... [87]

My experience.