Life / Buying groceries in poland. Poles don't buy name-brand foods? [35]


Absolutely. It is impossible to find products by Heinz, Mars, Nescafe, Coca-Cola or Cadbury, to name but a few.


Yes, the internet is a great source of reliable information.

News / 1.3% birth rate = Poland's slow death [221]

I'm clearly too drunk too understand this level of English. Goodnight.

News / 1.3% birth rate = Poland's slow death [221]


True, which is why I avoid mirrors as much as possible. Perhaps K will post a photo of his beautiful self.

USA, Canada / Who is better informed, the expat or the Polonia crowd? [144]


That is not what the thread is about ffs. It's about who knows what's really going on in Poland, on the street, in the office, in the bar, even inside the church. Someone in America or someone in Poland?

News / 1.3% birth rate = Poland's slow death [221]


Thanks man. I guess I must be a leech. Just so I know, what have you done exactly?

Life / Mishmash facts about Poland and Poles [124]


Good luck to him. I only hope that his priest doesn't find out where he lives. My second hope is that his priest doesn't run a radio station.

USA, Canada / Who is better informed, the expat or the Polonia crowd? [144]

It's interesting that this thread has been up for four days and has only 12 posts, including this one. Not a single one has come from the usual Pol-Am crowd who think they know what they are talking about when they tell us what Poland should be like. Their contributions are often romantic rants about a Poland that never existed, filled with absurd ideas about, e.g. Poland leaving the EU.

Come on guys, answer the question. What do you know that I don't? I came here twelve years ago and have worked hard, contributed to Polish society in several ways, paid my taxes (all of them) and gained citizenship. When I hear the American or British grandsons of Poles pontificating, it really p1sses me off. Especially when I'm told that I have no right to contribute an opinion.

The most vociferous Pol-Ams on this forum know nothing about day-to-day life in Poland.
End of rant.

Law / Required Documents for Buying a Used Car in Poland [17]


Two and three cars ago, if you know what I mean, I was given temporary plates and a temporary registration document, so my driving was uninterrupted. The last time I did it, I got the new plates immediately, and just had to wait two weeks for the new registration document.

News / 1.3% birth rate = Poland's slow death [221]


No, nor did it ever, except perhaps in the minds of romantics with Polish roots. A bit like the Boston Irish but without the humour.


I live in what, unfortunately, is called Poland B, and I simply do not see the same backward rural hopelessness that you seem to. My area is coming along very well, thank you.

btw way Polonius. What's all this Poland's slow death? You really are a drag.

USA, Canada / Who is better informed, the expat or the Polonia crowd? [144]


The OP did not imply this at all.
Look at the crap we're getting from Polonius, Kondzior, Szlachcic, Goofy, Legend, etc. today and tell me they know what life in Poland is really like.

News / 1.3% birth rate = Poland's slow death [221]

Why don't you come and live here, Polonius? Then you would have more of a right to criticize.


Don't bring this racist when you come.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

The worst thing PO could do would be to act complacently. We've seen this before. PiS are good at getting their vote out on the day. PO should also focus on young voters as they often don't bother.


I think you're right, but PO is capable of blowing a lot of votes by appearing arrogant. They should act low key and calm. Let the berets threaten and bluster; one more sound thrashing at the polls might just precipitate a reformation. Poland badly needs a good opposition.

Work / Finding work in Warsaw / Poland as an English private tutor [63]


You will find a job.

Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]


What bothered me was that in a huge place with umpteen checkouts it was entirely possible that one of my clients, or one of my wife's clients, or someone we knew might have seen us hauled off to the little room. We are not in the happy position of being able to laugh it off.


Yes, you're right. Didn't think of that. Apologies to Media Markt. btw about four years ago I stopped listening to RMF FM and similar because of MM's infuriatingly aggressive ads.


You have brought up a very sore point Harry. I had about 2kg of the finest mature Cheddar in my hand luggage last March at LHR, as well as two hero-size jars of Marmite. Everything was confiscated. Of course, as a gent I laughed along with the hard-pressed airport staff (gritted teeth). I wondered who the hell makes the rules, and are they that hard and fast that there's absolutely no discretion afforded to the staff. For Christ's sake, it was Cheddar and Marmite.

Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]


I'm not too happy with Auchan at the moment. The last time I was there something in my wife's bag set off the checkout alarm. We were taken to a room to have her bag searched. Nothing was found that might have set off the obviously faulty equipment, and we were given a very lukewarm apology. A company with better pr would at least have given us a 50PLN voucher and a more heartfelt apology.

As for Media Markt, every time I pass our local one I see a crowd of people at the customer service desk. Not a good sign.

Food / Instructions for a nice Polish mix cake to make [5]

Try this. There are about 10000 recipies.

bbc.co.uk/food/

For me, cake schmake. Cook me a pasty.

bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7776/cornish-pasties

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

I wonder what Polish churches will be used for in the future.

I haven't been to the United States but I've seen sinks with two taps in several hollywood films. It's not just a British oddity.

On the clash of cultures, one thing I'll never get used to here in Poland is not being thanked when I hold a door open for people.

Life / Do Polish people like Turkish people? [66]


Yes, you do. I've been to the annual camel wrestling festival in Efes.

Life / Polish people are the most ignorant people in the world! [331]


A mere 400 million as the first language and perhaps by a mere 2bn as a second or other language.

Language / Przyczółkowa - Pronunciation question [11]

There's the old story about a Glasgow policeman who arrested a felon in Sauchiehall street, and dragged the guy around the corner to a street that was easier to spell in his report.

The OP asked an innocent question and jon tried to help. So,


how's this?
prshe choo kova
I know, pathetic, but at least I tried to help.

Food / Today's Polish Sunday dinner? [17]


Is it a long weekend in Poland?
I've just bought a rack of ribs, which I'll simmer in stock for a couple of hours this evening with carrots, spuds and the usual pot veg. Tomorrow the bones will simply fall off the meat when I reheat it. But will I skim off the fat that rises to the top, as I know I should?

USA, Canada / Animosity against second and third generation poles ? [26]


I'm not at all mixed up. I have heard of many Polish (and other European) children moving to the U.S. and having to be moved up a year because they were more advanced than their classmates.

The research you quoted is to be expected in the richest, and one of the most populous countries in the world. By the way, these universities buy in a great deal of their expertise from abroad by offering European and Asian academics contracts they would be nuts to refuse.

It's probably a better indicator to look at the median levels, e.g. reading age and overall literacy and numeracy in the general population. I know it's anecdotal but when I read website forums the worst English I read is usually from the U.S. btw, I'm not anti-American.

USA, Canada / Animosity against second and third generation poles ? [26]


Foreign exchange is always welcome; American education? I don't think Poland compares unfavourably with the U.S. I recently read that only 10% of Harvard graduates knew why we have seasons when asked.

Love / Polish women are the most beautiful in the world! [1718]


My mistake. I misinterpreted your comment on another thread.


My commiserations. To both of us.


You represent evolution in Man.


Careful pal, my Polish wife is beautiful in almost every way. You should raise your sights and mix with the classier type.

Love / What differences is there among Polish girls and British girls as girlfriends? [102]


Most Polish women have a better command of grammar than some Scottish men.


Does your dad know you are making his keyboard sticky?

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]


Unfortunately, some car mechanics in Poland are a bit like most solicitors; they believe they have a God-given right to charge whatever they want for a crap service.

Here's a good one. A friend of mine recently heard a strange noise from her car. She took it to a mechanic, who shook his head and estimated, after making a phone call to his 'colleague', 3000 PLN to repair it. She said she'd have to stop using the car, save up some money and come back. A couple of days later she was passing a garage which she remembered was owned by the father of an old classmate and pulled in to get him to have a look. He reconnected a wire, didn't charge her a penny and the car is now fine.

I had some terrible cars in Poland back in the days when imported cars were prohibitively expensive and I had to buy junkers that I could afford, and I wasted a lot of money having them fixed (or Fixed) at backyard mechanic's. Even now, things are dodgy. I bought some summer tyres this year and the garage told me my steering arms would break in max. two months. I took the car to the mechanic I've used for several years (they don't sell tyres) and they said there was nothing wrong.

Find a reputable mechanic by talking to people, and stick with them. I must have been to a dozen places before I started using the one I've now used for about five years. They are decent guys who tell the truth, provide a full faktura and know that if they rip clients off, they won't come back.

Is it really any different in other countries?

UK, Ireland / Hyperthetical question about publicising information about a Polish citizen in the UK [8]


Not much else is clear. Come on, Ant, spill the beans.

Love / How many Polish girls are married to foreigners? / How many Polish boys to foreign girls? [104]


Please post this regularly on every thread, eve.

UK, Ireland / Hitler gagdets in Britain and Poland? [24]

The T-shirt is not racist and does not promote racism. It's just in very poor taste. I think the ragementioned by the newspaper is just the usual journalistic hyperbole. btw, it's not a gadget; it's a T-shirt. Beware of false friends.

Real Estate / Buying an old-ish house in Poland - how to get it evaluated [7]


If my understanding of Polish tax law is correct, the tax office can arbitrarily value the house for their own purposes if they think it has been sold for too low a price. Frankly, if they didn't do this, people would be buying and selling for peanuts officially and paying the rest under the table.