Hospitality, Scenery, Food, Clean Streets: My POSITIVE experiences in Poland (!)

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Edited by: Teffle Sep 1, 10, 13:23 #1

OK, feeling a bit guilty so here's what I enjoyed:

Hospitality: Poles seem to be very hospitable and will go out of their way to try to ensure that you are happy as a guest.

Scenery: As mentioned on another thread, some of the scenery was quite attractive. I like the way there isn't an obsession with manicured areas like there can be in some countries. I like wild beauty.

Food: Yep, I think Polish food is pretty good. Don't like all of it (Who the hell decided to elevate bloody carp to it's current status? Although I understand that this fish divides Polish opinion too) and some flavours seem to often dominate e.g. horseradish but on the whole I like it. That blood sausage - phonetically, in English, Kashanka (?) - is wonderful!

Quite like Polish beer too.

Street cleanliness: Poland seems to be pretty clean from what I can see. Civic pride appears to be to quite important. People sometimes comment on the delapidated appearance of some of the smaller Polish cities and towns - maybe so, but they are at least realtively clean and tidy otherwise.

I'll add others as I think of them...

(There is more to add... I'm sure of it...)

; )

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Sep 1, 10, 16:09 #2

This all sounds wonderful! The street cleanliness is a really nice part of Poland. In places like New York and Ireland, the streets a dirty, trash-strewn, and disgusting.

I disagree with a few points (namely that Kaszanka is wonderful.)
Polish beer sucks: http://polishmeknob.blogspot.com/2009/06/beerfest-be-not-held.html
Beyond the 'wild beauty', their homes are usually more spotless than museums. Entire apartments are usually scrubbed down once a week, and any mess or blemish is not tolerated. (Not so good for a slob like me.)

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Sep 1, 10, 16:44 #3

Teffle:

My POSITIVE experiences in Poland (!)

This is going to be a very short thread, not because there is nothing positive about Poland but because many of the posters on here know very little about Poland and just like to bash it out of boredom or something.
Other posters, who live here, have posted what they like about Poland on threads like this one.

So perhaps a better angle would be to tell us what you enjoy and we could make suggestions of similar things in Poland.

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Sep 1, 10, 17:00 #4

polishmeknob:

Polish beer sucks

You have obviously NEVER tasted Norwegian beer. Polish beer is like liquid gold...and I'm constantly reminded of this as I run out of it and have to drink Norwegian beer until the next batch comes from xxxx-back trunk after a trip home.

And I'm still in awe after the 3D movie experience at the Tyskie factory in Tychy a couple of years ago...

Are you serious? Polish beer is exceeeeeeellent!!!!!

Dariusz

Wroclaw BoyThreads: 57 Posts: 5,478 Joined: Jul 3, 09 MEMBER ♂	Sep 1, 10, 17:57 #5
DariuszTelka: Are you serious? Polish beer is exceeeeeeellent!!!!! Indeed, when i was back in the UK recently i first bought some of my old favourite Kronenbourg 1664, didnt care for it that much and found myself in the local Pakistani shop buying Tyskie and Lech for around 90p a can, that was much better and not a bad price either.

tom45	Sep 1, 10, 18:04 #6
Wroclaw Boy: Tyskie and Lech for around 90p a can Can! You cannot drink such great beers from a can. The taste from the bottle is 100 times better, tell the shop to push the boat out and get some bottled ones in.

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Sep 1, 10, 22:33 #7

It's not often I write on this site...in fact I think this is my first, but as I'm going to marry a beautiful Polish woman in 3 days I thought I ought to contribute to this thread. I've been coming to Poland about 4 times a year for 3 years now, and always enjoy it. I stay at my girlfriends family farm which is always lovely and quiet...something rarely achieved where I live in England. The roads certainly keep me awake when I'm driving (a bit rough in places) , although they are slowly improving.

The countryside is absolutely beautiful, although in some places it is let down by run down abandoned houses. (However, I think that this is to be expected after god knows how many years of communist rule).

The people on the whole are friendly, although Poland does seem to have more than its fair share of people who don't like to wait and constantly just push their way to the front of any queue, be it in a supermarket or out on the roads.

The women are generally very slim and pretty and when I first came out here I was told "you won't know which way to look", and they weren't wrong. TV and microwave dinners can't be found for love nor money, but I fear that this will change and Poland will end up like England. England where the kids can't cook anything beyond "piercing the lid and popping whatever into the microwave for 8 minutes", England where a certain percentage think that lamb and chicken comes from Tesco's, and England where an unfortunately large (and ever increasing) percentage of people are overweight. I pray that Poland stays with tradditional cooking where eating together is a large part of family life.

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Sep 2, 10, 07:38 #8

Teffle wrote:

Hospitality: Poles seem to be very hospitable and will go out of their way to try to ensure that you are happy as a guest.
Scenery: As mentioned on another thread, some of the scenery was quite attractive. I like the way there isn't an obsession with manicured areas like there can be in some countries. I like wild beauty.
Food: Yep, I think Polish food is pretty good. Don't like all of it (Who the hell decided to elevate bloody carp to it's current status? Although I understand that this fish divides Polish opinion too) and some flavours seem to often dominate e.g. horseradish but on the whole I like it. That blood sausage - phonetically, in English, Kashanka (?) - is wonderful!
Quite like Polish beer too.
Street cleanliness: Poland seems to be pretty clean from what I can see. Civic pride appears to be to quite important. People sometimes comment on the delapidated appearance of some of the smaller Polish cities and towns - maybe so, but they are at least realtively clean and tidy otherwise.

i agree with the carp thing, but there doesn't seem to be many other species of fish in polish rivers and lakes so i guess it's all that is available. my mother in law cooks it for christmas and just breads it and fries the hell out of it. it doesn't taste too bad but the bones are just brutal to try and sift through.

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Sep 2, 10, 08:49 #9

Teffle:

Who the hell decided to elevate bloody carp to it's current status

oh yeah.. nasty crap.

Teffle:

Kashanka (?) - is wonderful!

you are kidding, right? most foreigners from the west hate it..

Wroclaw Boy:

Kronenbourg 1664

krones aren't bad at all but they are rather lite.

FUZZYWICKETS:

but there doesn't seem to be many other species of fish in polish rivers and lakes so i guess it's all that is available.

they don't come from rivers anyway.. you'd die instantly if they did.. they come from fish farms.. and of course there are sledzie which are quite popular..

FUZZYWICKETS:

the bones are just brutal to try and sift through

i don't get why poles do not fillet the fish.. nobody does it..

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Sep 2, 10, 09:25 #10

plk123:

you are kidding, right? most foreigners from the west hate it..

I would guess it is only those who do not have a tradition of blood sausage in their own countries e.g. the US for a start. Ireland, Britain, France & Spain for example all have a version of this - I think the Polish one is the nicest.

For those who haven't tasted it, imagine an authentic 'farm' type recipe black pudding combined with a really good haggis ...

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Sep 2, 10, 09:26 #11

plk123 wrote:

they come from fish farms

NOW they come from fish farms, but poles were eating carp long before there were fish farms and the tradition lives on. i guess what i am saying is that way back when, the same fish that were available in lakes and rivers are the same fish swimming polish waters today.

in america, i was an avid fisherman and carp there are considered a garbage fish. any fisherman will tell you there that if you catch a carp, throw it up on the bank. carp eat roe, killing the populations of other fish in the water. it's possible that for that very reason there isn't much else in polish waters besides carp.

zetigrekThreads: 59 Posts: 2,709 Joined: May 20, 10 ♂	Sep 2, 10, 10:54 #12
FUZZYWICKETS: NOW they come from fish farms, but poles were eating carp long before there were fish farms and the tradition lives on. What I heard carp is not natural spiecies living in Polish waters.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Sep 2, 10, 11:22 #13
plk123: you are kidding, right? most foreigners from the west hate it.. No way, it's very similar to black pudding.

scottie1113Threads: 11 Posts: 873 Joined: Mar 13, 07 ♂	Sep 2, 10, 11:27 #14
Carp, which is just a misspelling of crap, and panga are disgusting. I won't eat them. I'll stick with salmon, cod, flounder, halibut, herring and trout. Polish food is OK but it's usually pretty bland. My three favorite Polish dishes are bigos, golonka and golabki.

zetigrekThreads: 59 Posts: 2,709 Joined: May 20, 10 ♂	Sep 2, 10, 11:50 #15
scottie1113: Carp, which is just a misspelling of crap Don't agree at all with you. I love fried carp. Don't liek most fish but this one is very fat... and I like fat ;) scottie1113: flounder read this If you know polish: http://tygodnik.onet.pl/30,0,31785,artykul.html

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Sep 2, 10, 12:13 #16

I love the Polish countryside. The people are awesome. Just being thrown into different situations without knowing what to expect. Standing in front of the only store for miles and having a beer because there is no where else to drink. Practicing my Polish with everyone that will listen, and finding that there are quite a few volunteers.

Fell in love with the countryside, got stuck in the city...which like any city, sucks.

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Sep 2, 10, 22:28 #17

1) Hospitality - This really stands out and Scotland has a great tradition too so it should be taken as a compliment. For people that, on average, don't have that much disposable income, they still lay on a veritable feast and provide for their guests. Sometimes invitations can come out of the blue.

2) The countryside - You can really feel free out on your bike in the forests and they have excellent cycling paths here. Yes, you have to be careful on some roads due to the holes but the views are fantastic. You can cycle out to some hidden gems. I found a small loch where people can fish and there is a shop where they sell caught fish right beside it. Heavenly!

3) BBQ culture - Although I rarely eat grilled stuff, it's great when it comes around. I can only eat a little due to it being hard to digest but grilled neck and sausages are out of this world. There are some good mustards and ketchups to accompany them :)

4) The humour - It is a rare commodity in daily life but super when you finally see it. Some of the footie guys really love to joke around and it loosens things up. Also, round-the-table discussions with alcohol can produce some nice wisecracks and stories. The Poles love their stories :)

5) Family - I'm very happy with the closeness that can be experienced across cultures. They treat me as one of their own and you can see that Polish families enjoy their get-togethers. They would help and have helped in many situations. Any tussles tend to be healthy and resolve things, not toxic and pathological like some families in places like Glasgow.

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 3, 10, 11:12 #18
Yeah a +1 for humour. From what I can see Polish humour seems to be quite dry, observational and a bit surreal. Also teasing plays a big part. TBH, it's not unlike Irish humour and my Polish friends here have commented on this.

tow_stalinThreads: 2 Posts: 72 Joined: Jul 21, 10 ♂	Sep 3, 10, 13:47 #19
why didn't you put this in one thread? it's not best option to criticize only, because it always raising troll alert. it's not good option to praise only, because it always raising have you ever been to poland? alert. now i can see, that your opinion about pl is much more balanced that i thought before :) reg. tow.stalin.

southernThreads: 116 Posts: 10,959 Joined: May 17, 07 ♂	Sep 3, 10, 13:49 #20
zetigrek: carp is not natural spiecies living in Polish waters. I like species living in polish waters.(not mermaids).

MEMBER ♂

Sep 3, 10, 14:38 #21

Teffle:

Hospitality: Poles seem to be very hospitable and will go out of their way to try to ensure that you are happy as a guest.

Indeed visit the poorest mans house and there will always be a good spread of cuisine with plenty of alcohol.

Teffle:

Scenery:

Depends on where you are, i love the Ryneks of any half decent city with the emphasis on restaurants and bars just sit, drink and relax and let the world flow by, scenery in terms of women is unsurpassed IMO. I live near the Sudetans so a mountain hike or drive is never far away.

Teffle:

Food:

Love it, love buying it, love cooking it, fresh organic produce for the fraction of Western prices. Also if you have a babcza who knows her way around the Polish recipe book, it competes with mums roast dinner.

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Sep 3, 10, 15:54 #22

FUZZYWICKETS:

in america, i was an avid fisherman and carp there are considered a garbage fish. any fisherman will tell you there that if you catch a carp, throw it up on the bank. carp eat roe, killing the populations of other fish in the water. it's possible that for that very reason there isn't much else in polish waters besides carp.

Depends where, try some trips to Warmia&Masury region, or Suwalsczyzna. They have nice variety of local fishes over there in some restaurants. Also at the Baltic region.

As for carp, well it is traditional fish for Christmas Eve in Poland and those of you who spend some time in Poland knows what it means :-) But not all is lost, the thing with carp is that it has to be taken in right time, it has to be a couple of days in fresh water and of course it has to be cooked properly. Unfortunately to acomplish all of this you need some proper babcias and mamas who has their sources and even then it not always works...

Chicago PollockThreads: 10 Posts: 638 Joined: Apr 10, 10 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 08:01 #23
zetigrek I love fried carp. Don't like most fish but this one is very fat... and I like fat ;) Greasy buggers!

Pinching PeteThreads: 1 Posts: 1,111 Joined: Feb 23, 08 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 08:51 #24
Chicago Pollock: Greasy buggers! Yeah man, don't eat the carp. You may as well have side of road kil.

FlaglessPoleThreads: 7 Posts: 1,394 Joined: Aug 19, 10 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 09:52 #25
Exactly so many more tasty fish like pike, sander, perch or trout. So why go for this slimy mud-dwelling blob with a charisma and taste of railway toilet? ;)

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 11:32 #26
True! Carp is probably the worst fish I have ever tasted. It simply doesn't compare to others. I will have to put in an early request to my parents-in-law that I don't want to eat it at Xmas. What I like about some Poles is their ability to rise above a lull and just be happy. It's no surprise that some of them worship Bobby McFerrin :)

FlaglessPoleThreads: 7 Posts: 1,394 Joined: Aug 19, 10 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 11:55 #27
I've heard Bobby McFerrin is ready with a new hit called: "Don't fuss, just eat it". Apparently the video for the song features him eating carp sashimi, tapping to the rhythm with a pair of chopsticks (one white, one red).

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 12:09 #28
LOL. Please don't mention carp and sashimi in the same breath ;) ;0 Sushi in Japan was pure heaven! The sushi here in Gliwice is quite ok but they have no toro (tuna belly). Suzuki was another top one. The range is limited here but I'm glad just to have sth. My wife prepares it anyway so compliments to the domesticity of Polish women. Most tend to be highly domesticated :)

SokratesThreads: 19 Posts: 4,464 Joined: Jan 19, 09 ♂ [Suspended]	Sep 4, 10, 12:29 #29
Meat - UK and especially US dont have real meat, i dont know what sh*t they put in but british and american meat tastes synthetic, when i first came to Poland i fell in love with kotlet mielony, now thats real food.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Sep 4, 10, 12:33 #30
I only have one thing to say to you, Sok, Aberdeen Angus :) :)

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