Polish people drink a lot of vodka? Culture? or is it to do with the Soviet era?

alexw68

Edited by: alexw68 Jun 29, 11, 13:14 #91

JonnyM:

The shops are full of the stuff - shelves of it. And you can somketimes even see people walking through the city centre swiging it from bottles. It is a part of life here.

That lot won't stop in a hurry, any more than the dog-on-a-string Special Brew crowd will vanish from UK city centres. Monia, I rather suspect you don't visit those areas of town much. Good for you :)

What I think one does see is a drop in vodka drinking in the home. In the 16 years I've been around PL the incidence of vodka at every birthday, name day, Easter breakfast etc has decreased considerably. This is the supposedly comfortable middle class, by the way. Is it that they can't afford it because of high mortgage payments, or they've just moved on & associate it with less happy times?

Contrast that with the 3/4 of a bottle of plonk a night many Londoners get through - not always with friends.

♂

Jun 29, 11, 13:18 #92

alexw68:

What I think one does see is a drop in vodka drinking in the home. In the 16 years I've been around PL the incidence of vodka at every birthday, name day, Easter breakfast etc has decreased considerably. This is the supposedly comfortable middle class, by the way. Is it that they can't afford it because of high mortgage payments, or they've just moved on & associate it with less happy times?

I suspect an increasing awareness of health issues, the availability of more palatable drinks and quite simply fashion.

Nevertheless vodka sales are still high and in my neighbourhood a rather upmarket 24 hour shop has recently opened seling nothing (not even cigs and beer) except vodka. This seems to be a growing trend in Warsaw. Plenty of private detox clinics too.

Monia

Jun 29, 11, 13:35 #93

alexw68:

Is it that they can't afford it because of high mortgage payments, or they've just moved on & associate it with less happy times?

I think those times have changed a lot since communist era . Today`s alcohol beverages market in Poland is much more diversified , offering a variety in vines and beers , so people can choose what they like not what it is available on a shelf .Another fact is that some Polish men can drink heavily and they don`t get drunk fast :).

I see sometimes those liquor lovers in the mid day in Warsaw asking me for spare change but always in a pleasant manner and with a smile:) .

♂

Edited by: JonnyM Jun 29, 11, 13:39 #94

Monia:

I see sometimes those liquor lovers in the mid day in Warsaw asking me for spare change but always in a pleasant manner and with a smile:) .

You get that everywhere. Something I've always noticed in Poland is the large number of middle-class drinkers, doctors, lawyers,architects, who always have a bottle of spirits handy and open them on any excuse. For somebody from Britain this seems like going back forty years.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 29, 11, 14:09 #95
The vodka, like the skills, are overstated!

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 29, 11, 15:25 #96
Vodka seems to be more of a celebration drink here. It really depends on the drinker. Some drink copious amounts, some don't.

alexw68

Edited by: alexw68 Jun 29, 11, 15:30 #97

milky:

Drinking patterns changed after ww2 but in Poland I think it was different...

Yes - as we've all been pointing out directly or indirectly, they've changed in the last 20 years.

1) More choice now - especially in the wines department.
2) More social drinking in pubs, etc - beer's more the thing.
3) Younger drinkers see it as old-school - it's associated with the older generation.

But vodka-free wedding receptions are still the exception, not the rule. And the broken bottles in the estate the other side of the bridge are more likely to be Żytnia than Żywiec.

♀

Jun 29, 11, 16:20 #98

The Vodka Belt is a group of countries in Northern Europe and Asia where a great deal of vodka is produced and consumed. While Russia is largely regarded as the home of this strong spirit, the Vodka Belt also includes Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, the Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and most of the Scandinavian countries. These nations have a long tradition of vodka manufacture, and they produce a large share of the vodka consumed around the world. In the European Union, for example, 70% of the vodka consumed comes from EU Vodka Belt countries.

Oddly enough, vodka is not the most popular drink in many Vodka Belt countries. Beer has supplanted vodka in Poland, Russia, and some other nations, and beer consumption is on the rise in others. The increase in beer consumption may be due to a range of factors. In Poland, beer consumption was actually specifically promoted, out of a desire to reduce alcoholism by getting Polish people to reach for beer instead of vodka.

The Northern Europeans drink heavy(compared to SE) but dont they balace it out with beers and wines.
The former Soviet countries drink more vodka than N E vodka belt...

♂ [Suspended]

Jun 29, 11, 18:04 #99

JonnyM:

I've always noticed in Poland is the large number of middle-class drinkers, doctors, lawyers,architects, who always have a bottle of spirits handy and open them on any excuse. For somebody from Britain this seems like going back forty years.

Is this really so today? That is old school. Back in the days when every editor had an open bottle of whisky out on their desk for use during the day...

PennBoyThreads: 157 Posts: 3,443 Joined: Dec 7, 08 ♂	Jun 30, 11, 02:31 #100
dxx: Russian how Russians drink

♂

Jan 21, 12, 22:18 #101

Merged: Do you think the people of Poland drink to much?

If the people of Poland drink to much, why is it? Is it only the men or both the men and women? Do they, the Polish people drink more than the rest of the world? If they do, there must be a reason.

I myself, don't think the people of Poland drink more than any other place, and I did not see this on my visit's to Poland, where I lived among the people, for over a month each visit.

Mike

peter_olsztynThreads: 8 Posts: 760 Joined: Apr 18, 07 ♂	Jan 21, 12, 23:30 #102
valpomike: Do they, the Polish people drink more than the rest of the world? I have been to Cornwall once and no, I don't think we drink more than rest of the world ;)

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