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

OK Baltic Porter.

Love / Why are Polish women so sexy ? [390]


The Polish woman has a beautiful, fair complexion. It is not ravaged by too much sun. Her body is well proportioned, with generous curves, but not a lot of fat. She carries herself with an heir of self-confidence, and is generally upbeat, which creates more confidence. A confident woman is a very attractive woman.

Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]

Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Hatians, El Salvadorans, Guetamalans, Hmong, Chinese, Turks, and Jews, especially Jews, are all accused of theft in the US, much more often than Poles. I mustn't forget the Italians, and the Irish, Russians, and Russian Jews of course. Blacks are in a class by themselves, but we must differentiate between American blacks, and natives of Africa. Nowadays, with the influx of Indians, Pakastanis, and the various Arabs, all are easily accused of theft much more often than Poles.

Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]

I was being sarcastic. Every nationality has its thieves, Polish included.

Food / Types of CHEESE in Poland [150]

Topic attached on merging:
Best polish cheeses?

I'm in Gdansk now, and what are the best Polish cheeses I should seek out?

Food / Types of CHEESE in Poland [150]

what are the names of Polish cheese companies, using Polish recipes?

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]

My wife and I flew LOT a week ago Saturday. We flew Chicago to Warsaw, and Warsaw to Gdansk. We'll return on Wednesday. I too had heard plenty of negative info on LOT. None of it was evident on our arrival flight. It was as pleasant an 8.5 hours as there could have been in coach seats. The service was great, the food was good, the flight attendants were attentive to our needs, and it was a pleasant flight. Actually it was rather festive. The flight attendants are bi-lingual

The forty minute flight to Gdansk was fine. Snacks were offered, as were non-alcoholic beverages.

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]

I just flew back from Gdansk to Warsaw, and then onto Chicago. Pleasant flights. The attendants were attentive. Only one complaint. It's a 10 hour flight back to Chicago, and the second meal served came with less than 90 minutes left on the flight. The first meal was served a couple hours into the flight. There was a lot of turbulence though, and that may have contributed to the large time interval.

USA, Canada / American people attitude towards Poles in the USA [98]

I think most of the Mexicans in the U.S. illegally are here to work hard and earn and honest living. However, they generally aren't well educated, aren't skilled tradesmen ( there are only so many dry-wall crews ), have no grasp of English, and as a result, they are limited to low wage jobs. Unlike 50-75 years ago, the mills are no longer hiring anyone with a strong back. So, they end up as " wards of the state " in a sense, because they have limited options. This is compounded by their sheer numbers. Their mass overwhelms any built in, community type safety nets.

The Poles on the other hand have several things going for them. The Poles that come to the U.S., legal or otherwise, tend to be well educated. A lot of them are skilled tradesmen. The younger ones, say under 25, can speak a little English. Finally, a policy much despised by members of this forum, may actually help the Poles. U.S. immigration policy, combined with distance, keeps the number of Polish immigrants relatively low. If a Pole is going to stay here illegally, usually by overstaying a tourist visa, it isn't on a whim. A Polish person has to have some means to get a visa to come to the U.S., as opposed to the Mexican, who can cross the border in total poverty. There is probably a job lined up. There's a place to stay. There's a community network of people that will help out their countrymen, and that network won't get overwhemed by numbers.

USA, Canada / Shipping a piano from Poland to the U.S. [8]


It's a Casilia, which are made in Poland. They are generally not available in the U.S. These are 100% hand-made, which is something a lot of piano makers can't claim.

Life / Famous Polish music and musicians [48]

I saw Waldemar Malicki on television, and he was very entertaining. I'm hopeful that he will visit Chicago again.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Of the three, Life seems to be trumping the other two. Patrick Henry didn't say, " Give me Life with tremendously curtailed Liberties, which will greatly inhibit my ability to Pursue Happiness, or give me death." I agree with Kronx1970.

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]

I think it the Poles in the US can be divided into two groups. The ones here legally, or the Polish-Americans, and all the rest. The legal people view the US as the land of opportunity. They're here because they want to be here. Some of their children may be Americans. Often they speak English with some profiency, so they have more opportunities. And if they don't, their children certainly do. Sure they miss the old country. Who doesn't.

The ones here illegally are in a different boat. Often times their English is very limited. Without a social security card, they have fewer options. Many of these people are very well educated. But without English profiency, and documentation, they're relegated to the most menial of jobs. They carry a chip on their shoulders, because they know they're capable of more than a minimum wage cleaning service job. They're very resentful, and often full of spite. They're here because they believe they must be here, not because they want to be here. As a result, everything in America sucks, except the money. The food in Poland is beter. The people are nicer. The schools are better. The doctors are smarter. Americans are fat and lazy, because they don't have a chance to become one.

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]

I'm not quite following you, but it's me, not you. I will eloborate on my post. My last sentence, " Americams are fat and lazy, because they can't become one." was not meant as an insult to Americams. It was rather, a generalization of the attitude many Poles feels towards Americans. Because those Poles are in dead-end jobs, they steroetype Americans.

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]


I don't think that that's the case. These people don't feel they're owed something. Rather, they believe that they shouldn't be penalized because they don't have a piece of paper. I assume we're both basing our opinions on experience. If that's the case, my experiences contradict yours, and vice-a-versa.


Okee-dokee.

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]

I think it's a lifestyle a lot of Poles emulate. Poles are knee-deep, at least, into the silly " whatever you have I have better and got it for less" mentality. That said, I think most Poles really like Americans. However, Americans don't realize how open they (Americans) are and how it contrasts traditional Polish attitudes. This causes a bit of friction. Poles tend to be very reserved, while Americans tend to be anything but.

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

When I visited Poland it seemed that every meal had three servings of vegetables. Cole slaw, red cabbage, and kapusta were the staples.

USA, Canada / The history of Polish mafia in Chicago, Illinois [51]

I had relatives who were mafia cohorts. They were Polish-Americans, however, they grew up in the Italian section of Chicago Heights, Illinois. One of my uncles was a full-blown mafia man. He not only dressed the part, he lived the life too. He had two brothers that were also involved in crime with the mafia, one to a much greater degree than the other. Their other brother was a police officer, ironically enough. Their lives make for great stories, some are very entertaining. The parts about my cousins not seeing their dad because he was in prison are not very fun. My uncle that was really involved was a real thug in his mafia life, although he was very nice otherwise. His mother, my grandmother's sister, lived with my family when I was a kid. We had a basement apartment, and my aunt lived there until she passed away. My uncles visited her all the time. My uncles were involved in collections, either "insurance" or gambling money, as well as robbery. My cousins were paid a few bucks to have holes dug in the yard...for safes, not bodies. I recall once, in 1971 or 1972, I was real little, my uncle came by to visit my grandfather. He lived right across the street from us. My uncle drove a Cadillac, and he was towing a big U-Haul trailer. It was filled with fireworks. My uncle wanted my grandfather to sell the fireworks at the local bars. They would split the proceeds. My uncle "found" the fireworks. Grandpa declined. My uncle owed my grandfather a lifetime of favors. Grandpa, along with his brother-in-law, once bribed a prosecutor a huge sum of money so that my uncle's felony robbery charges would be dropped. He had been in hiding for a couple of years but wanted to attend his father's funeral. I cold ramble on and on about stories. The Chicago Crime Commission has a website. Check it out.

USA, Canada / How can I get a local US grocer or liquor store to carry Polish beer? [10]

You need to locate the Zywiec distributor in Tennessee, if there even is one. They would be able to tell you where it's sold. If it's distributed in Tennessee, there should an upscale import/specialty liquor store that carries the product. I presume that Memphis has one of those stores.

USA, Canada / Pierogi Festivals across the States [17]

It's what you make of it. I've gone a few times. There are plenty of pierogies, golumpki, kapusta etc. but very little Polish Piwo. The parade on Friday night can be funny. It's a parody of "normal" parades. The crowds on Friday night are huge. You need to arrive really early to get a spot to watch the parade. If you like crowds, and feed off of the energy, and enjoy meeting new people, Friday is your day. If I go, I go on Saturday afternoon. I grab some food, have a beer or two, look around, and head home. I usually run into a few people I know too.

USA, Canada / Pierogi Festivals across the States [17]

Where at in Indiana?
I went this year. It can be a fun time, but there's one problem that never goes away. While there are dozens of vendors selling pierogies, kielbasa, etc., only a few have really good food. The rest are mediocre at best. The places with great food have long lines.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

Polonius, would have any insights on the name Balitewicz?
Any insights into a place called either Schipliski or Lyepisaki, both in turn of the 19th century Russia?

Thanks in advance.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

Both places make sense. My great-grandfather's origins are obscure, and his wife was from Zielona Gora (Green Hills). His brothers emigrated after he did, and the two cities you researched were listed as their places of origin on immigration documents. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate my great-grandparents' documents (arrived in Baltimore in 1903 with an infant). What confuses the issue, for me at least, are what their daughter (traveled with them as an infant in 1903) lists on some of her documents. She lists both of her parents as Galician on a census. She also lists her place of birth as Hrys, Poland on her husband's naturalization form (She married a man from Sanok). I can't find Hrys anywhere. I suspect it's Hzran, or something close. Basically, it looks like my great-grandfather really moved around. He was probably born in or near present day Lithuania, traveled to Galicia, married a woman (maiden name Domicella Marcela Prugar) and eventually they traveled to.....Hamburg(?) and then to the US via Baltimore.

Polonius, thank you for your insights. They are much appreciated.

Food / Do you call it kiszka or kaszanka? [55]

I was in Kurowski Sausage Shop in Chicago on Sunday. I asked for kiszka, and got a puzzled look. I then asked for kaszanka, and got my kiszka.

USA, Canada / Pierogi Festivals across the States [17]

There are plenty of Polish people in Lake County, Indiana. Several churches continue to offer Mass in Polish. Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting were all home to large Polish immigrant communities. These days, Lake County continues to attract Polish immigrants, but certainly not in the numbers of 100 years ago, or of neighboring Illinois.

Whiting maintains a large Slovak community. The Pierogi Fest originated from Whiting's Sloval community.

USA, Canada / Why no Polish stuff in Chicago? [41]

I know of a few Polish delis and restaurants in Chicago that have closed in the past two years. I don't know if it's part of the normal business cycle, the result of the economy, or the result of there being far fewer recent Polish immigrants in Chicagoland when compared to previous years. I talk to a few guys involved in the Polish beer distribution business in Chicago. They've said some interesting things based on their observations. These guys believe that the flow of immigrants back to Poland from the US has slowed, and perhaps stopped as a result of the worldwide recession. Additionally, they suspect that Poles are once again looking at the US as an option, forsaking Ireland, Wales and England. I found there comments interesting, to say the least.