News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]


NO. NOT. AT. ALL.

Why would you think that? I think they are both mad, bad and dangerous.

I thought that was clear enough?

There seems to be a habit on this site of people jumping to all sorts of conclusions and turning a splinter into an oak tree!

News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]

Just adding fuel to the fire for "radical" (read, mad) muslim clerics.

Very disappointing. It's no better than something they would orchestrate and just gives them something to point their hypocritical fingers at.

Life / Polish "prog" music? I'd be interested to know about bands etc. [30]

Ooops, sorry. There is only one prog. The original: rock.

; )

Life / How to Politely Refuse a Drink in Poland [72]

Er...am I detecting that turning down the offer of alcohol has the potential for social awkwardness or disharmony in Poland?

WTF ?!

Tell them politely that you don't drink. Simple as. No other explanation necessary. Plenty of people don't drink.

If your hosts take offence at this and percieve it as rude, ironically, it is they who are being rude by dictating which form of hospitality you must accept or decline and by not considering your own habits/wishes. There are plenty of other ways they can be generous/hospitable or whatever.

News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]

So there is hardly anyone of e.g Russian German Lithuanian Czech etc...descent in Poland then?

I am aware of the relocations but it still sounds odd that Poland can still remain so "pure" so to speak. I only really know about a dozen or so Poles well and at least three of them are not completely Polish for a start.

Anyway sorry, it's off topic really.

As above, I think the reason for low numbers of foreigners in Poland is simply an economic one.

News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]


Yes - exactly what I am referring to. Which is why the ethnically homogenous description doesn't sound accurate.

News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]

Didn't I read somewhere that Poland is one of the most "ethnically homogenous" countries in Europe? Not sure of exact wording. It sounds strange to me though considering the shifting borders and many neighbours.

For purely economic reasons I'm not surprised at the OP's statistic - most migration is dictated by financial opportunities that would not be available in the person's own country. Poland's economy makes it much less likely that the majority of western Europe for example would move there. Ditto, Romania.

Life / Some Polish people start imitating English. What are their reasons for doing this? [5]

I've had experienced this abroad before - but not in Poland as it happens.

Just young people messing about with what they think "sounds funny" - to be expected sometimes. I don't think it has particular significance in that it is English they are making fun of or that they are in Poland.

Language / Does anybody know of a list of Polish-English False Friends and True Friends? [60]

That is fantastic Mara exactly what I want - thanks very much!


Well a "cleaver" is a heavy duty butchers chopping knife type thing but they probably meant
"clever" in the smart ass way.


Yeah, wino is one of these and yes, derived from wine.

Careful though, in the US a "bum" is a wino/tramp but in Britain/Ireland it is an ass/arse!

What about true friends then? To make it easier, and to considerably shorten any list, you can probably exclude the more obvious Latin/Greek ones (e.g. psychology, hygiene etc) and stick to the more mundane.

Can anyone help again?

z góry dzięki !

Life / How to Politely Refuse a Drink in Poland [72]

Er...no thanks but I don't drink ?!

Not being smart, but is it anymore difficult than that?

I know quite a lot of people who don't drink (and I also come from a country known for drinking, Ireland) but nobody is offended by people turning down the offer of alcohol.

Language / Does anybody know of a list of Polish-English False Friends and True Friends? [60]

Thread attached on merging:
English/Polish false friends - can anyone help?

Haven't come across that many yet but one that sticks out is the English sympathetic - which of course doesn't mean the same as the Polish word with a similar spelling.

Can anyone advise on a few? They can be useful to go through with students - especially if there isn't the endless list like you might get with French/English

dzięki !

Food / Nothing better than skwarki! [19]


Nice idea but instant turn off for me if the bum looked anything like the one in the pic ;)

Life / INVISIBLE MAN in shops and offices in Poland? [70]


I don't think so - aren't Poles known for not respecting queues generally?

Before I get accused of Poland bashing, the Poles I know say this and I'm sure I've seen it mentioned on this site a few times.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Yeah, we being the operative word. Poles seem to know a lot about McDonalds judging by how busy the one on Piotrkowska in £ódz is anyway!


Of course not and nor do you really. Unless blind patriotism triumphs over common sense that is ; )

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Yeah, a disproportionate amount of them too. The permanent ones that is - not the stalls ; ) And 7 days a week? practically 24 hrs a day in some cases.

Serious question: cheese.

What is the Polish attitude or habits here?

My Polish friends seem to eat only (what I would regard as) very bland mild cheeses and when in Ireland seem to go out of their way to get stuff like e.g. Edam as opposed to a lovely mature cheese, farmhouse cheese or God forbid, a blue cheese.

I don't really remember having cheese at all when I was in Poland but I guess I probably did.

Is it a bit of a 'functional' item in Poland maybe - kind of the opposite of the UK/Ireland V Poland bread attitude?

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]

Yes, strangely enough I am familiar with this concept of "the market" also. ; )

My local town (approx. 5000 pop.) has two and between them they are open 7 days a week.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


I love it. It's the best type of blood sausage I've had. But no eggs thanks!


I think so. Looks and sounds familiar.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]

Didn't look particularly like either but more so the second one. Can't be sure though.

And by the way:


So is this the same natural and healthy Polish food or food from a differnt Poland in a parallel universe or something? ; )


Sounds like you are talking about what is known in English as "dripping".

Very popular with poorer people (especially in the north of England) up until the early 60s or so. Consumed the same way too. It still exists.

Work / Black English Teacher going to Wroclaw [247]

Well said CD.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]

Not sure Zetigrek - supplied by friends. The outer skin is "orange-brown" and it seemed to be customary to slit it a few times across the width. Looked quite like German wurst - sound familiar?

BTW, it tasted good anyway whatever it was.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]

OK, a few things.

Firstly I don't live in the UK.

Secondly, yes, I can (if I wish - which I don't) get a pub lunch for €3.99 - so please don't accuse me of exaggerating.

I can and do buy excellent meat/veg that was grown/picked/slaughtered locally (within 10 miles or so) and it's not ususual to be able to do so where I live.

In your post above Wroclawboy you are referring to supermarket meat - which is awful, yes. But isn't supermarket meat everywhere awful? Anyone who relies on supermarkets for quality meat needs their head examined.

Look, the point of thread is that Polish food is still (still if you don't mind, as if it were never any other way) "more natural" than in the west. It's just a ridiculous smug and naive assertion.

McDonalds in £ódz was packed all the time when I passed it. Pizza seems incredibly popular in Poland. I cannot BBQ the average Polish sausage as the water and fat content turns it into a firework and yes, there seems to be a large quantity of sliced processed hams and pickled/salted/smoked stuff on the average Polish table as far as I can see.

And yes, not much in the way of actual lumps of animal flesh.

Again, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about Polish food - I like it, but just don't be under this illusion that it's all so healthy. And to claim as one poster did that something (a Polish foodstuff) was 'almost all chemicals' but probably still tastes natural to westerners compared to what they usually eat is just silly and insulting.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Er. You are wrong there Olaf. Slavic, Germanic and Scandinavain countries maybe - but not many other places in Europe.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Are you reading this Wroclawboy? ; )

Well therefore, again I ask you - are you saying that your cured meat has not been processed? at all?

I doubt it very much.


So why is it so hilarious?

If someone says they are having "meat" for dinner you will expect slaughtered animal flesh from a butcher to be on your plate - not smoked, coloured, salted, preserved, water injected pinkish purplish sliced stuff. That's what I mean.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Yes believe me, I know all about this - they are my customers (!)

Having said that I am fairly confident as to the organic or natural credentials of mush of the food I consume whether it is meat veg or dairy. It's not hard.

But the point is that you said that food in "western Europe" was more likely to be processed than in Poland - did you not?

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Can you explain - or give examples?


Er no?! not unless you eat all your "meals" for €3.99 in a pub or something.

"Side salad" is basically garnish anyway - it should not really be regarded as a component of the meal as such. If you want salad you need to order salad - not X with side salad.

In a proper restaurant you will get any and all varieties of salad and salad ingredients you can think of.

But I think it's fair to say that Poles do take their salads more seriously though - a few seem to come out at every meal which wouldn't necessarily be the case in the UK or Ireland.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]

So the "cured" stuff referred to is purely cured and is not processed?

If so, I take it back but I doubt it.

Look, I'm not complaining - I like Polish food generally but I just don't know where this mad myth that Polish food is natural and healthy comes from.

And as for this statement:


C'mon. Please. It's mostly chemicals but still appears more natural to the poor synthetic mouthed westerners ?!


Probably. And even more research that shows it's bad for you in large quantities I'll warrant.


Well, I didn't say that.

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


Hmmm...something wrong with this statement.

; )


In what sense?

Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]


At the risk of agreeing with AS, this was my experience too.

In Poland when you say "meat" it seems to generally refer to processed/preserved sliced meats or sausage.

In Britain/Ireland meat means meat - fresh slabs of animal flesh, not processed not cured.

Also, high proportion of pickled stuff in Poland which isn't healthy either.


You sir, are having one almighty laugh surely?


I've never once heard this said about Polish food. Sure, I've heard people say they like it, they love it (or sometimes that they don't like it) but it's so-called "naturalness" was never a reason. Maybe to someone who exists almost only on junk food.

Life / Poland, maybe the world's last bastion of faith [67]


Deliberate pun? ; )