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Social Profile
Food & Drink: Poland has a distinctive cuisine, with typical ingredients being dill, marjoram, caraway seeds, wild mushrooms and sour cream, which is frequently added to soups, sauces and braised meats. The national dish of Poland is bigos, made with sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and any variety of leftover meat. Polish meals start with przekaski (starters), such as pike in aspic, marinated fish in sour cream, salted and rolled herring fillets with pickles and onions, kulebiak (a large mushroom and cabbage pasty) or Polish sausages such as the long, thin and highly spiced kabanos or the hunters’ sausage (mysliwska) made with pork and game. Soups play an important part at mealtimes and are usually rich and very thick. Soups such as barszcz (beetroot soup, excellent with sour cream) or rosol (beef or chicken bouillon) are often served in cups with small hot pasties stuffed with meat or cabbage. Popular dishes include zrazy zawijane (mushroom-stuffed beefsteak rolls in sour cream) served with boiled kasza (buckwheat) and pig’s knuckles. Poland is also a good country for fish (ryba) such as carp served in sweet-and-sour jellied sauce, and poached pike with horseradish in cream. Herring (sledz) is particularly popular and is served up in countless different ways. Pastries (ciastka) are also very good. Table service is the norm in restaurants.
Vodka (wódka), the national drink, is drunk chilled. Wyborowa is considered the best standard vodka, but there are many flavoured varieties such as zubrowka (bison grass), tarniowka (sloe plum), sliwowica (prune) and pieprzowka (vodka with ground white pepper). Western drinks, such as whisky, gin or brandy, can be obtained in most bars but are expensive. Wine is available but, again, is imported and expensive. The best bottled beer is zywiec, a fairly strong lager-type beer. Bars have table and/or counter service. Coffee shops are very popular in Poland and are the favourite places for social meetings from early morning to late at night. They do not close during the day and have the same function as do pubs in the United Kingdom. Alcoholic drinks are available throughout the day.
Nightlife: Warsaw also reflects the strong theatrical and musical traditions of Poland, with about 17 theatres and three opera companies. Cinemas in Poland show both Polish and foreign films. There are some discos in Poland, as well as a growing number of nightclubs and music bars in Warsaw.
Shopping: Special purchases include glass and enamelware, handwoven rugs, silverware, handmade jewellery with amber and silver, dolls in regional costumes, woodcarvings and clay and metal sculptures. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0600-1800/1900, shorter hours on Saturday and Sunday. ‘Night shops’ open 2000-0800. Supermarkets and department stores open Mon-Sat 0900-2000. Bookshops open Mon-Fri 1100-1900.
Special Events: For a full list, contact the Polish National Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of major events taking place in 2003:
Apr National Memorial Day, Pawiak. May International Sacred Music Festival, Warsaw; Juvenalia Student Festival, Kraków. Jun Mozart Music Festival, Warsaw; Festival of Folk Bands and Singers, Kazimierz; Lajkonik Festival (medieval pageantry festival), Kraków; Summer Jazz Festival, Kraków. Aug 4 Dominican Fair (one of Poland’s oldest festivals), Gdansk. Sept/Oct Warsaw Marathon; Beit Hadesh (Jewish festival), Kraków. Oct Warsaw Film Festival; Jazz Jamboree, Warsaw; Henryk Weiniawska International Violin Competition. Nov/Dec Old Music Festival in the Royal Castle, Warsaw.
Note: The Cultural Information Centre publishes Karnet, a bilingual cultural monthly publication with details of cultural events. Contact the tourist board for further information.
Social Conventions: Poles are friendly, industrious people and foreigners are usually made very welcome. There are vast contrasts between urban and rural life and the Polish peasantry is very religious and conservative, maintaining a traditional lifestyle. Roman Catholicism plays an important role in daily life and criticism or jokes about religion are not appreciated, despite the general good humour of the people. Music and art are also important aspects of Polish culture. Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Normal courtesies are observed when visiting private homes and it is customary to bring flowers. Fairly conservative casual wear is the most suitable attire, but dress should be formal when specified for entertaining in the evening or in a smart restaurant. Smoking is restricted in some public buildings. Photography: Military installations such as bridges, ports, airports, border points etc should not be photographed. Tipping: Ten to 15 per cent is customary in restaurants and cafes. Tipping in self-service restaurants is not expected. Tips for porter’s services in hotels and train stations are customary but amounts are at the traveller’s discretion.
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