How Polish are you?

This is a little thing that I have stolen and modified from another Blog.  You can find it here.

I was going to use this simply as a conversation starter for my English lesson today, but apparently October is Blogtoberfest month (as heard by little birdies here and here).  I'm probably not going to join in officially, but as I am planning to do NaNoWriMo again this year, I might lift up the frequency of my blogs just so I get back into the habit of writing daily again.

So, here is the Quiz.  Tell me how you go.

How Polish are you? 

1.   do you have relatives who aren't really your relatives

a) yes

b) maybe, I'm not sure

c) no

2.    you love watching football, but can't play it very well

a) yes, unfortunately

b) I CAN play football

c) what's football?

3.    Pope John Paul II was Polish and his first name was…

a) Karol

b) Carol

c) John

4.    When do you take down your Christmas Tree?

a) February

b) January

c) 31^st December

5.    you open your Christmas presents on…

a) 24^th December

b) 25^th December

c) 26^th December

6.    The plural of PIEROGI is:

a) Pierogi

b) Pierogis

c) The plural of what?

7.    you see a girl/guy and the first thing you look at are his/her…

a) eyes

b) buttocks/chest

c) bank balance

8.    your parents make you listen to…

a) Polish disco

b) 90's pop

c) Classic Rock

9.    when you're at a stranger's house, you expect their garbage can to be…

a) under the sink

b) somewhere in the kitchen

c) in the laundry

10.   you take off your shoes as soon as you step into someone else's house…

a) every time

b) when you are asked

c) only when you have muddy boots

11.  weddings should last…


a) two or three days

b) 24 hours

c) three or four hours

12.  Marie Curie was born in…

a) Poland

b) France

c) Belgium

13.  your grandma understands you better than you understand yourself


 a) true

b) maybe, I'm not sure

c) no

14.  have you ever eaten meat on Good Friday?

a) never!

b) a couple of times

c) Friday is steak day!

15.   you dash your sevens and hat your ones

a) is there another way?

b) when I remember

c) no, what for?

16.  What do your parents do on a computer?

a) Play solitaire

b) look at photo's

c) surf the net

17.  your grandmother has a framed picture of Pope John Paul II…

a) beside your family photo

b) in the living room

c) in the attic

18.   your family considers mushroom/berry picking as 'having a good time"

a) yes

b) sometimes

c) what? Don't be ridiculous

19.  your grandma insists you wear slippers because the floor is chilly and you'll get a cold.


a) yes, even in summer

b) only in winter

c) my grandma doesn't tell me what to wear

20.  your grandma can tell if you like a girl/guy just by looking at you


a) yes

b) maybe, I'm not sure

c) no, my grandma stays out of my business

Answer Key:

Mostly A's: Yep, you are Polish.  "If you're not a Pole, you're not whole!"

Mostly B's: You wish you were Polish, but you still have a bit more work to do.

Mostly C's: You're not Polish.  Even if you think you are.

The Politeness of Polish Supermarkets

Over the last couple of years I have spent a considerable amount of time in Polish supermarkets.  Not by choice, but because I have to eat occasionally - and Polish supermarkets don’t usually deliver.

One problem with Polish supermarkets is that each supermarket keeps slightly different produce, which means that doing the weekly shopping requires visiting about three or four different shops.  This is compounded by the fact that bread only lasts for about 48 hours before it starts to mutate into something that requires something stronger than teeth to devour.

A good thing about supermarkets however is that they are a good place to try out my Polish and to interact with average Polish people.  Unfortunately however it is not always a positive experience, because Poles (like most people) can sometimes be rude.  In fact about six months ago, after making very careful observations (and some sideways glances) I prepared this table.

You will note that there seems to be a very strong link between politeness and carbon dioxide.  This was a big surprise to me!  Of course my research is very localised, and before I can make any scientific statements I will need to apply for a million dollar research grant to prove my point.