Smoking vs. Grilling on Balconies / High Rises in Poland

I have a question about balcony etiquette in Poland: why is it OK to smoke on a balcony but it is not OK to grill there? I understand that the smell of grilling in my Polish neighbors' homes is largely viewed (or smelled) as offensive, but why isn't cigarette smoking seen in the same light?

Being from America, I love to grill - and it is absolutely cool to do it on a balcony over there. I wanted to grill on my balcony here in Kraków, but my girlfriend alerted me that it is not acceptable behavior, so I refrained out of respect to my new society and neighbors. However, these same neighbors smoke on their balcony 6-8 times a day - the smoke flows through our flat and stinks up our whole place (worse than the smell of grilling, IMO).

Is there a happy medium here? I try to be a good resident of Poland and protect my neighbors' rights, but they seem impervious to mine - I am tempted to go ahead an buy the grill, but I probably won't. Has anyone faced such a situation here? Thanks!

Just do it. Open the minds of some people to new experiences.
Grilling is becoming more and more popular in Poland so start grilling on the balcony and it might catch on!

eff them.. just do it. you can always share.. say "hey neighbour, after you are done chocking on that fag, have some juicy kielbasa, eh?" :D :D :D

Since when is it rude to grill on the balcony?

I've seen/smelled it often enough here and done it too and no one's complained or looked at me funny.

Maybe it's some kind of weird Krakus thing?

Why not invite 'em? That way they'll be pre-warned and you can subtly mention the cigarette smoke.

Let's face it, grilling is more of an American phenomenon than anywhere else. Yes, it can be seen in Asia and Europe but to a lesser extent. So, introduce them to American ways of grilling.

My girlfriend says that people in Kraków view grilling on a balcony as being done only by villagers, not 'sophisticated' city folk such as us. It's nice to see that she might be exaggerating the issue a wee bit...

It should be. When my friend and I sit on her balcony in the nice weather the people below are forever out having a puff. All we can smell is cigarette smoke drifting up and it's worse if there are two or three of them out at the same time. Yet everyone loves the smell of grilling so I don't see why people should object to the smell of that.

Maybe their objection is about fire hazard? It shouldn't be because smoking cigarettes is a bigger hazard.

Just grill some stuff and offer it to the neighbours. I bet they don't say no! ;)

That's what is called Krakovian snobbery. Go and show her a photo of that place where Wisła Kraków and Cracovia fans live side-by-side and let her revise her definition of sophisticated. I remember watching it from a documentary done by that Hammers fan from England.

The question is, is it illegal? If not, is it reasonable? I'd say it's fine

Don't grill on a balcony! Show some respect to other people. If you want to grill it doesn't mean that other people want to smell it.

Don't grill on the balcony!!!???? Show some respect!!!???????
Lots of Poles are arrogant snobs and it's their way or the highway!
The cigarette smoke is nauseating and they sure don't have any respect for their neighbors puffing away like chimneys.
I say get a grill and fire it up as much as you like.
The only thing you have to make sure is that it's legal. And as long as the patio or balcony is concrete, it shouldn't be a fire hazard.

I bought a condo in Gdansk 3 years ago and will get a grill this year.
I see grills on my neighbors' balconies and they use them a lot.
Don't let the opinion of a few people with skewed morals dictate how you live.

For one, it depends on the type of balcony. I viewed a flat with a huge balcony that wouldn't have caused any problems for the neighbours had grilling occurred. Not everyone has the option of a garden also. Poland is largely a country of flats. In Scotland, many places have gardens. In America, more so.

Sorry, I'd rather put up with smoke which tends to smell nice when drifting off a BBQ than smell an old git who hasn't washed for days.

The general guide is tolerance and if they can't tolerate some smoke then they are shot away in the head. Try walking around parts of Silesia, there's pollution abound.

Snobbery. Find a girl on the right level.

Yep - sounds serious enough to throw her to the curb. Next!

Apr 24, 10, 16:03 - Thread attached on merging:
Polish barbecuing

As the warm season approaches, will many Poles be engaged in grillowanie? Is this a class thing -- uban middle class mainly -- or does if crisscross Polish society? What are the favourite grilling items: chicken, steak, karczek, shashlik, fish, bangers, kaszanka, etc.?

I have seen people in Poland grilling on the balconeis or their high-rise apartment blocks. Do neighbours find that smoking up the place is a nuisance? Is there a law against it?

not just in Krakow. Many villagers, once they move to the city, go through great lengths to rid themselves of any signs of "country". One of the biggest insults is to be "ze wsi" - from a village.

If someone woluld call me sophisticated I'd be offended. Hell, I can even buy the grill to appear as unsophisticated as possible.... Am I the victim of some sort of antisnobbery, a reverse snob? I noticed it recently, if something is considered "cool an sophisticated" I do tend to do just the opposite...

The best thing to do is tell people that its alfresco dinning "darling" and its very popular amongst the fashionable people in Europe..then see them all buy BBQs, nothing like keeping up the the Jones' :D

Oh...thats where i am going wrong then....i am trying to do the opposite....!

i always am grilling on the balcony :o its not a problem

Have you ever heard of safety...like a fire? a grill that catches fire on a balcony can burn the whole place down. In Texas, it was against the low to grill on balconies.

In America, apartment buildings, balconies, etc. are generally built with wood...in Poland, they all seem to be built with brick or stone. It seems ironic that grills are largely allowed on American balconies but not on Polish ones...

thats why i say that in my town everyone is grilling on balcony! Its normal >.>

VERY unfortunate that i bought a Flat(I should have gone for a house,little did i know) here in Poland and I have neighbor that Smokes like a locomotive absulate train engine in the Balcony that gives me alot of stress..Is very saden that there is no Law in poland that prohibites the protection of cigaratte smoke to the third person. especially in my situation.I was trying to take legal action after consulting a lawyer and talking to the Administration of my flat is very immposible to stop this act of inconviences.I am not against anyone smoking but is unfair at this junction in a legal perspective...

I agree with all the first replies.
Being concerned about your neighbors is a good think and I'm sure you are appreciated among them.
But smoke from a grill shouldn't bother anyone. (Unless they are broke and hungry). But if Poland is a free country, then, I'm sure poles would be a opened to watching one of its neighbors have some fun grilling a nice and juicy T-bone.

Just make sure you don't burn the place down....

First of all the multi-building apartment complexes are constructed differently here.
Most I’ve seen have only 2 floors, and usually there are places set up for that purpose outside. You should know that.
Also, I believe you would look pretty silly if you tried to grill on your balcony at some high-rise building, let's say in NYC. Anyway, I’m sure you would have to ask your landlord if they allow for that anyway, and i'm sure most would say NO... LMAO. Have you ever considered that grilling in your apartment could be considered as a fire hazard?

which America?
it's not allowed, and it's written in a lease agreement you have to sign...

if you own a house, you can even grill in your living room...


yep...

Have you considered investing in a modern piece of technology called a window? I have them for all of the openings in my apartment other than the door and they are excellent. Not only do they keep out the smell of things like road traffic and old people, they also cut down the amount of noise from things like road traffic and old people's yappy little dogs. They also keep rain out and heat in! Wonderful things, I can't recommend them highly enough.

Normal apartment complexes do not allow for grilling on the balcony. It's not about the smell, it's a fire hazard lol. No one in the right mind would allow you to grill on the balcony here. ( in the U.S) they would call the police on you.

When I lived in the US, I owned, at various times, two condos and two houses, and also lived in several flats (apartments. I grilled in all of them. Never a problem, and the only policeman who ever showed up was a friend I had invited for dinner.

A T-bone in Poland. HA! I've never seen one, and a Porterhouse or rib-eye is out of the question. No matter. There's still a lot of stuff to grill. Going to fire mine up soon.