Poles in the UK Turn Out to be Star Waiters and Waitresses.

ShelleyS:

Okay I have no anti polish feelings (I think everyone on the forum knows that), but I find this incredible - service is done in a miserable and unwilling manner in Poland and to be quite honest I have not experienced any great hospitality (when out in a bar or restaurant) from a Pole in the UK.

Peter_HThreads: 3 Posts: 44 Joined: Oct 27, 08	Oct 27, 08, 20:03 / #
And I thought Poles poaching swans and eating grass was the most ridiculous articles I would hear from British newspapers. Now, as the Poles are heading home, they seem to be blubbing like someone who's been sacked off at the altar. See this extract from a Daily Telegraph piece below. The Polish influx was like importing our parents' generation into today's UK," says Paul Statham, professor of sociology at Bristol University. "It has been about values – a mass arrival of people with traditional values that have been eroded here." Allied with "a Catholic way of viewing the world, with family and community values at its centre", Prof Statham argues that Poles have effected a "basic cultural trend". "Simple things like being treated politely in bars and restaurants had all but disappeared before Poles arrived in large numbers to work here. Now that has changed and will remain changed. Britain is changing itself." Poles can be admired for many things, and there is plenty of good stuff in this article about hard work, but treated politely in bars and restaurants?? Polite, in the sense of not really bothering with the waitressing aspect of the position or the customer service end of things. This fella has obviously never been served by Polish waiters and waitresses, maybe Czechs and Hungarians, they can at least muster up a smile. But then I suppose doctors and scientists weren't made to ferry cake and coffee around.

Ozi DanThreads: 22 Posts: 552 Joined: Nov 22, 07	Oct 28, 08, 02:33 / #
Peter_H: But then I suppose doctors and scientists weren't made to ferry cake and coffee around. You should refer to Davies book Rising '44. He comments on what happened to some AK officers post war in England. Some distinguished officers ended up employed as wait staff. They were called the 'silver brigade'. Some (mainly English) on this forum think it's funny and demeaning for Poles to clean toilets and wait on tables. They forget that these types of menial labour are usually simply a means to an end. I'm happy to say that I waited on tables as a student and scrubbed dishes too. I'm better off for the experience and I'm pretty confident I'm now in a much better financial and professional position than most of our friends on this forum who like to point out Poles are only good for serving meals or cleaning toilets.

ShelleySThreads: 18 Posts: 3,647 Joined: Jun 26, 07	Oct 28, 08, 04:11 / #
Peter_H: Poles can be admired for many things, and there is plenty of good stuff in this article about hard work, but treated politely in bars and restaurants?? Polite, in the sense of not really bothering with the waitressing aspect of the position or the customer service end of things. Okay I have no anti polish feelings (I think everyone on the forum knows that), but I find this incredible - service is done in a miserable and unwilling manner in Poland and to be quite honest I have not experienced any great hospitality (when out in a bar or restaurant) from a Pole in the UK. Ozi Dan: Some (mainly English) on this forum think it's funny and demeaning for Poles to clean toilets and wait on tables. They forget that these types of menial labour are usually simply a means to an end. I think it's probably one person i.e. Noimmi - anyone with an grain of sense knows that work is work no matter what you do.

DaisyThreads: 16 Posts: 2,172 Joined: Apr 28, 07	Oct 28, 08, 04:28 / #
ShelleyS: I think it's probably one person i.e. Noimmi Who is Scottish and has probably never done a days work in his life :( Many of us who haven't got mummys and daddys with money, have had to do menial jobs when we were younger or inbetween jobs and we're better for it.

KilklineThreads: 3 Posts: 894 Joined: Jul 23, 07	Oct 28, 08, 04:59 / #
ShelleyS: Okay I have no anti polish feelings (I think everyone on the forum knows that), but I find this incredible - service is done in a miserable and unwilling manner in Poland and to be quite honest I have not experienced any great hospitality (when out in a bar or restaurant) from a Pole in the UK. I was in Berlin at the weekend and found the people friendlier (as long as you break the ice with them as they will never do it with you) and service much better than in Poland. I didnt want it to be so, but it was. Maybe the high level of English spoken by Germans is a factor.

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,345 Joined: Sep 14, 06	Oct 28, 08, 05:45 / #
The money paid to staff is a factor here. When you're in a fancy restaurant the odds on being served well are better :)

Peter_HThreads: 3 Posts: 44 Joined: Oct 27, 08	Edited by: Peter_H Oct 28, 08, 06:06 / #
I was in Berlin at the weekend and found the people friendlier (as long as you break the ice with them as they will never do it with you) and service much better than in Poland. I didnt want it to be so, but it was. Maybe the high level of English spoken by Germans is a factor. I can't say I've had problems with English speaking here, in fact, in my own subjective experience I've found Poles in cities to be as good, if not better than there German counterparts. The better service I would certainly agree with. Waitressing here often borders on the Laurel and Hardy show I know I've had to threaten a walk out a few times just to get the bill sent over, after thirty minutes of repeated requests. Restaurants seem remarkably reluctant to get paid. In fact, the only two countries that spring to mind where I've had worse service is Belarus and Russia.

ShelleySThreads: 18 Posts: 3,647 Joined: Jun 26, 07	Oct 28, 08, 06:07 / #
Bartolome: The money paid to staff is a factor here. When you're in a fancy restaurant the odds on being served well are better :) Wrong, my friend waitressed when she was at uni and it's down to who you are as a person she worked in a Beefeater and was nice to everyone, miserable people will be just as miserable where ever they work and I've encountered some right biatches in nice restaurants.

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,345 Joined: Sep 14, 06	Edited by: Bartolome Oct 28, 08, 06:15 / #
I wrote about the odds, not certainty. But if you encounter rude people in supposedly good (and more expensive) restaurants, the management is to blame too for choosing the wrong people, regardless of their nationality.

time meansThreads: 9 Posts: 2,306 Joined: Apr 21, 08	Oct 28, 08, 06:24 / #
Ozi Dan: I'm pretty confident I'm now in a much better financial and professional position than most of our friends on this forum you really are stuck up yourself.typical lawyer.

Ozi DanThreads: 22 Posts: 552 Joined: Nov 22, 07	Oct 28, 08, 16:59 / #
time means: you really are stuck up yourself.typical lawyer. Hey lady, sorry if I offended you. I'm not stuck up myself - I was merely pointing to an example based on personal experience. If you did me the courtesy of reading my post in full, you would have seen what I meant. Given though that I've never seen you on this forum before or know you personally, I wont take offence at your comments.

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,401 Joined: Apr 1, 06 [Moderator]	Oct 28, 08, 17:21 / #
Kilkline: and service much better than in Poland. I love the attitude in Berlin. They tell you how much to tip. In an easy going type of way.

time meansThreads: 9 Posts: 2,306 Joined: Apr 21, 08	Oct 29, 08, 06:25 / #
Ozi Dan: I wont take offence at your comments. thank you and i apologise.