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Posts by methatron  

Joined: 22 Jul 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 5 Aug 2007
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Posts: Total: 10 / Live: 5 / Archived: 5
From: Poznan
Speaks Polish?: yes
Interests: just ask ;)

Displayed posts: 5
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methatron   
24 Jul 2007
Language / Calling a person a 'potato' (ziemniak/kartofel/burak) [37]

I've never heard anybody calling anyone "potato" (ziemniak, kartofel - the second one considered incorrect).

In Wielkopolska there is a dialect word "pyra", which means quite the same as "potato". Sometimes people from Wielkopolska are called by other people "pyra", or "pyry". It's not derogatory, but not quite nice as well.

Oh, and some time ago there was this fus when a German paper called Kaczynski twins "kartofle" ("potatos"), so maybe that's when it's started?
methatron   
24 Jul 2007
Language / Calling a person a 'potato' (ziemniak/kartofel/burak) [37]

I think there's no english equivalent of "pyra", but I'm not sure. Pyra means just "potato".

It's something like british english "bloke", and general english (yeap, I'm making up terms now :D) "guy" - a guy is a bloke, and a bloke is a guy.

Rolnik is not derogatory, but if you would like to offend somebody you can call him "wieśniak". It's offensive, so if you call some that be sure he's no match for you, otherwise he will beat the crap out of you (I would). "Wieśniak" to some extend means "rolnik", but it is used to describe stupid people, or people with no manners. To be frank when you're polish you don't think much about the meaning of words in which you offend other people :)
methatron   
24 Jul 2007
Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]

Do they mix in with the rest of the Polish?

They don't mix. Also they don't respect polish laws (kids getting married, having there own kids and so on)

I didn't see many in Poznan

Recently there has been a sort of an outburst of them. To my knowledge there're at least 4 big (and I do mean big) families in Poznan, and a number of small families, who "serve" the big ones, by sending there own kids to street to beg.
methatron   
26 Jul 2007
Life / Price of cigarettes in Poland? [192]

Marlboros are 7,9 zł per pack.

When I was there it was around 2.50 zl per pack.

Wow... that must've been a looooooong time ago. :)