Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]


Ah, now I just have to object. Malt vinegar and salt on chips, with a piece of breaded, deep-fried cod is my idea of heaven. Antek, be aware that we use brow malt vinegar for this. It's not easy to get in Poland, in fact I've only seen it during Lidl's British weeks.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


Delphi pretty much summed up why I dislike and fear PiS, except for the bit about socialism. I have always been a socialist. I believe in socialised health care, roads, education, emergency services, etc. I'm off to bed now so I can't get into defending socialism (whatever you might take it to mean) but I'll check out the thread tomorrow.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

I don't vote for any party in Poland; I vote against others. That's a pretty depressing situation, I know, but there it is. I'm not a fan of PO but I'll vote for them to keep PiS out. I suspect - no - I know that many people do and will do the same.

USA, Canada / Polish-Americans as seen in the false mirror. Type A and Type B. [141]


Could you please give your definition of "Poland B"?

History / Why did Russia attack Poland in WW2? [178]


I worked in St. Petersburg for two years, '96-'98. Every Sunday on Nevsky Prospect a fairly large group of (mainly elderly) people stood with placards bearing Stalin's image. They clearly adored the man. OK, that was a while ago and several of those acolytes are, no doubt, dead now. Still, I find it extremely hard to believe your assertion that nobody adores Stalin in the Federation.

Language / Mixed English Grammar Thread [183]


No punctuation needed.

Language / Mixed English Grammar Thread [183]


Excellent, Maaarysia! Italics are fine, of course, but how do you write them in longhand?

Language / Mixed English Grammar Thread [183]


Sorry Maaarysia. There are two Ns in Johnny.

Language / Mixed English Grammar Thread [183]

When I was at school we were told to avoid ending sentences with a preposition. How about this one. Dad goes downstairs to get a book for his daughter's bedtime story. Unfortunately, his choice was met with disapproval:

Daddy, why did you bring that book I don't want to be read to out of up for?

Makes sense to me.

Language / Mixed English Grammar Thread [183]

Little Johnny made a mistake in his English homework. The exercise was on the past perfect. See if you can punctuate this:

Where Johnny had had had had had had been the right answer.

USA, Canada / Polish-Americans as seen in the false mirror. Type A and Type B. [141]


What's a dope-domino?

USA, Canada / Polish-Americans as seen in the false mirror. Type A and Type B. [141]


It's called having your cake and eating it.
Another common self-deception is that the whole world envies those who live in the US. I, for one chose to come to live in Poland. I didn't have to; I wasn't a hopeless failure elsewhere (just to pre-empt the inevitable comments); I wasn't forced to come. I came because I love the country and (many of) the people. Sure, I could earn more cash in my native UK but my quality of life is much higher here. Poland has a great future and I want to be part of it, regardless of the minor hardships we endure here.

Life / What is the reason for POLISH jokes ? [486]

Marek: Dad, I'm going to get married.
Tato: That's great son. Who to?
Marek: Jacek.
Tato: Jacek?
Marek: You know. Jacek. We were in the same class. Played volleyball together.
Tato: Jacek? Jacek? You're getting married to Jacek? But he's... but... but he's... but he's Jewish!

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]


Soups are undoubtedly the strongest part of Polish cuisine. One restaurant I know has 18 soups on the menu (not all available all the time, of course) and two wines. Red or white.

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]


They survive by upping their calorie intake. A brother of mine was on exercise with the Royal Marines in Norway and they had to stay outside for three days. Their daily rations were 9000 calories. Nobody got fat.

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]


A couple of winters ago, sitting on the 0630 bus on my way to work, I counted the items of clothing I was wearing. Twenty. I don't know where you live but winters here (Poland) can get extremely cold, and a salad for lunch just ain't enough!

UK, Ireland / Brits say being drunk senseless while visiting Poland is national trait [98]

You guys seem to be getting along better already. Keep it up.

News / Jerusalem Post: Poland's good intentions [30]


Legend. As a thoroughly modern Nazi what do you suggest would be an appropriate solution to what you see as the problem of Jews?

Language / Mixed English Grammar Thread [183]


Seanus, my dear old Irish mother was from the County Longford and I never heard her say amn't I. She was a bit of a snob, it's true, but you must surely agree that it's a dialect feature of mainly rural Ireland. I've never heard anyone in mainland Britain say it.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]


Wrong again. teflhead's explanation is pretty much what I tell students. To be fair, it could (not must) mean what DE says.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]


wtf happened to this thread. If you want the skinny on the word, e-mail me.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]


If you ask nicely, I'll send you my worksheet on uses of "however".

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]

Not true. Neil Armstrong has always said that he included the article, and a year or so ago an Australian audio engineer "found" the article on the recording. Native speakers of English are almost "hard wired" for articles, so it would be hard not to use one when it's needed.

Travel / THE VIKINGS ARE COMING...what to do and see in Poland....? [30]


4PLN per kilo for a big one round our way.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]


It depends. If the discourse is one in which both the speaker/writer and the listener/reader know which particular tiger is being referred to, then you need an article. If we are talking about tigers in general, i.e. as a species, then the article is also needed (in this case you could also say "tigers are orange and black".

Travel / THE VIKINGS ARE COMING...what to do and see in Poland....? [30]

łł


I know it's a long way from you but if they want to visit Białowieża, they could visit the biker priest's church in Bielsk Podlaski, about 25 clicks from Hajnówka. Don't know his name but he hosts a big day for Polish bikers every year. His place of business is on the southern edge of town.

Law / Fees/tax on importing Computer from US to Poland [7]


I wouldn't say that life is very much cheaper here, but wages are certainly lower for most. There's a new block of flats in the centre with places going for 6300PLN per metre. I know you'd pay a lot more in the capital but these places are selling, which shows that there are quite a few people doing quite nicely around these parts. Check out photos of what they've done with the Rynek; nothing B about that.

Law / Fees/tax on importing Computer from US to Poland [7]


Do you have to help perpetuate this dreadful Poland B moniker Harry? I work in B.Stok and I reckon you might be surprised if you came and had a look for yourself. There have been big, positive changes in the last few years. I know this is off-topic but I felt the need to stick up for the East.

Travel / Attractions in Wrocław: a Must-See List [117]


There's a zoo near where I live but it's only got a dog in it. It's a shitzu.

Love / What strange/unnerving/funny things do your Polish wives do? [153]

Mine hides stuff. I know women of all nationalities like to find new places to keep things, but I don't think I've ever used so many sentences beginning "Where's...?" than with her.