Life / Rate Poland (Life Quality / Culture and People / Food): 1-10! [232]

No, I wrote spend (ie regularly) not spent (one time event). Traditional pre Xmas fast requires no meat but there are no rules prohibiting alcohol intake.

Life / Rate Poland (Life Quality / Culture and People / Food): 1-10! [232]


So did mine until 5 years ago, but I did a little bit of research, which I'm willing to provide to you for free:

"The Vigilia is the most important meal of the year therefore the preparation is very careful, although the meal varies for area to area, it is normally without meat and can be 7, 9 or 11 courses. [...]. Desert is usually fruit compote and several versions of cake with poppy seeds, if you have any room left to take it. Traditionally Polish Vodka washes this down. " about-poland/polish-traditions.html

and another one

Abstinence from flesh-meat is obligatory for all who are over 14, and it should be observed on all Fridays (some believers are falsely convinced that it only applies to the Lenten Fridays) and on Ash Wednesday. The Church clearly emphasizes that if someone cannot abstain from flesh-meat on Friday he must do some other form of penance. The official commentary to the fourth commandment of the Church does not mention Christmas Eve but we should follow the deeply rooted Polish tradition (which does not exist in many countries) and treat this day as a day of abstinence. Combining abstinence from flesh-meat with abstinence from alcohol is praiseworthy

sunday.niedziela/artykul.php?dz=wiara&id_art=00082

Note in the 2nd excerpt (from the very serious Tygodnik katolicki) that abstinence from alcohol is praiseworthy and not compulsory.. So i tell them that unlike them I am not a saint but only a poor human.. So now not only am i allowed to drink a couple of glasses of wine but they have also taken it on..

Polonia / What similarities would you say there are between Poles and Mexicans? [132]


Poland??


Mexicans??

An another difference: polish girls are on average quite pretty, whereas IMHO the opposite is true for Mexicanas (hope I have offended no one)

Life / Rate Poland (Life Quality / Culture and People / Food): 1-10! [232]

Are you French Peterweg?

Life / Rate Poland (Life Quality / Culture and People / Food): 1-10! [232]

That's a very good mix.

And btw, you're 100% right with France..

Polonia / What similarities would you say there are between Poles and Mexicans? [132]

I wouldn't deny that many Mexican women are beautiful: out of a population of 110 M and based on 50/50 split between male/female, even if only 1% were considered beautiful, that would still be 1/2 million beautiful ladies and that is "many" by all counts.

No, what I wrote is that mexican ladies on average are not pretty; admittedly my experience is limited (2 trips to the country) but I was amazed at the number of short overweight ladies (and men) I saw in the streets

Re "hard working: living in California you probably see quite a few and are probably better informed than I am, so I won't challenge on this

Travel / DRIVING TO POLAND THIS THURSDAY ANY TIPS? [35]

Delph

I agree that speed limits are usually well posted (even though often without any logic, eg several changes occuring over a few hundred meters) but very often there is no clear indication that the speed limit is over.


. It shouldn't be up to the motorist to guess whether this last shed is part of the village or not.. Why can't Poland just have end of speed limit signs like in other European countries?

Life / Expats/Immigrants in Poland: Needy, Greedy or contributor. Which one are you? [118]

under communist times, there was a polish saying " if you were not robbing the state, you were robbing yourself " . She probably forgot that communism collapsed 20 years ago...

Life / Expats/Immigrants in Poland: Needy, Greedy or contributor. Which one are you? [118]

yes, Pip, but you're perfect! )=

Life / Rate Poland (Life Quality / Culture and People / Food): 1-10! [232]

to Allie

too late, the spot has already been taken up by Prague...

Life / Rate Poland (Life Quality / Culture and People / Food): 1-10! [232]

Krakow is beautiful but you cannot compare it to Prague. The latter is in the same league as Paris, not Krakow. Just look at the numbers of tourists visiting each city, and don't tell me its a matter of advertising, the czechs are not better at it than the poles

Life / What is Poland's fastest growing ethnic group? [57]

According to this link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Vietnam

the top 3 countries outside Vietnam to house Vietnamese are in this order USA (1,6 mios), Cambodia (600k) and France (250k). Poland has a mere 10k, a little more than Switzerland but fewer than Sweden or Norway. But I agree that the source (Wiki) is open to challenge..

Life / Expats/Immigrants in Poland: Needy, Greedy or contributor. Which one are you? [118]


you seem a very nasty individual Ironside, full of disrespect for others. What is wrong with being a cleaner, may I ask?

Life / The nature of Polish jokes? [124]

Polmed

How can such a pretty face as yours be so full of hatred??

Life / The nature of Polish jokes? [124]

to southern

please explain, i don't get it..typical balkan humor??

Life / The nature of Polish jokes? [124]

ok, mildly amusing..but you must admit hythorn is right, all your jokes come with a sexual component (not that's an issue..)

News / PIS propaganda on Warsaw public transport [27]

although i'm not fond of them, i cannot see why PIS shouldn't be allowed to buy space to put their ads like anyone else (including on trams)...

Life / Looking to immigrate to Europe. How is life in Poland? [116]

everyday goods (meat, vegetables, clothes) are cheaper in Poland as long as you do not try to go for western brands, which are more expensive. Big items can be more expensive (Seanus was right about cars when the pln was 4 to euro, nowadays i am not so sure). Real estate is cheaper (people tend to compare the prices in their home town eg Milton Keynes and that of a flat in Warsaw or Krakow..if you compare like for like, eg a flat in Warsaw and a flat in London, no doubt which is cheaper...)

Life / Looking to immigrate to Europe. How is life in Poland? [116]

i am now living in zurich but before this i lived 6 years in Warsaw (moved this summer). Warsaw has obviously as the capital some advantages, but with Poland translated to the west following ww2, it is now deep in the eastern part of the country and road connections to the west are long and not good. If you have no constraints whatsoever, I would be probably look at Wroclaw or Poznan...

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]


Allie, how old are you? When I read your prose, makes me think of a modern version of Trybuna Ludu!!

Travel / What is the weather like in Poland where you are now? [185]

where is that Johnny?

Life / Looking to immigrate to Europe. How is life in Poland? [116]


Went twice to Cape Town (we have English friends who spend 6 months living there and 6 months in the UK).. Splendid place, magnificent countryside and very good food and wine (and cheap by western european standards!) Also beautiful beaches and weather, but it's only when I tried to dip a toe in the sea that I understood why you have penguins around!!

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]

will be over to London next week to buy my annual pot of Stilton and the Xmas cake. That's about all the British food i can think of that's worth bringing back...

Food / British food products in Poland? [334]

weil, Seanus, I have been known to pour a little port into the cheese after digging a hole into it. Once the port has been poured, you fill the hole back with the cheese and you dig a spoon into the lot... Scrumptious!

Food / Food hygiene in Poland [60]


Higher standards for clean water? When no one dared to drink water from the tap, at least in Warsaw? Joker of the month, you are..

Food / Food hygiene in Poland [60]

First the warning: thevisitor.pl/index.php?id=194

then the explanation

Polish Journal of Environmental Studies , (Vol. 14) (No. 3) 327-333

The purpose of this work was to determine the occurrence of toxic phenol, chlorophenols, chlorocatechols and chlorinated methoxyphenols in the drinking water of the Polish cities of Lódz' , Warszawa , Poznan and Wroclaw. In samples, chlorophenols, 4-chlorocatechol, chloroguaiacols, chlorosyringols and 5,6-dichlorovaniline were detected. Higher concentrations and number of chlorophenols and their chlorinated derivatives were noted in summer. Among the most toxic compounds, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol which causes toxicity to humans, including carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and acute toxicityin was found in the drinking water of Warszawa (summer and winter) and Lódz' (winter) and tetrachlorophenol in water of Wrocaw (summer) were noted. Their concentrations were above the admissible standards of the EU and the US EPA. In some cases the concentrations of chloroguaiacols and 5,6-dichlorovanillin also were significant.

Happy?

Law / Sending Western Union cash to friends in Poland - questions [25]

I never understood why anyone would use Western Union for money transfers.. Their prices are extortionate compared to most banks..

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


Come on Delph, it is true that road connections in South west Poland (ie Wroclaw and Krakow areas) are OK and well connected to the German autobahn system.. But awhat about the rest of the country?? Consider that Warsaw, the capital, is still not connected by full motorway to any part of the country!! There are not many european capitals facing this situation..

Law / Sending Western Union cash to friends in Poland - questions [25]


Well, if you're sending euros from a SEPA country (eurozone plus a couple of others countries such as Poland, Switzerland.;) to another SEPA country, the cost is normally zero. If you want to send PLN to Poland, send euros to the recipient's bank account, then the recipient takes it from the account in cash and exchanges throught a kantor. Much cheaper than western union..

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]

Things are changing fast, but we're not there yet:

-as you point out, A2 is still not finished. Plans are for end 2012 but initially it was meant to be ready for the Euro
- another example: driving from the capital to the country's 2nd largest city , Lodz, which is less than 120 km away, is still a nightmare!!

But we'll get there sometime!!