BAR, KAWIARNIA, RESTAURACJA or where you can have something to eat in Poland?

It is hard to believe that these three words: restauracja, bar and kawiarnia, raise so many questions in Polish classes. Naturally, everyone knows those are the names of eating establishments so the questions don’t usually refer to their meaning but the cultural context. They often happen to have somewhat different functions in Poland and abroad.

KAWIARNIA AND RESTAURACJA IN POLISH
Today we’re going to talk about the eating establishments you pass in the streets of Polish cities every day. We have already discussed the less common ones (oberża, karczma, zajazd) here. What are restauracja and kawiarnia then? The former is the least controversial and, the same as in other countries, restauracja (restarant) is a place where the food is served by a waiter or waitress. We go there if we want to eat (zjeść) a large meal (usually consisting of a starter, entree and main course) followed by coffee or tea, which Poles often drink while eating some dessert.
Coffee, tea and dessert can also be ordered in kawiarnie (cafes) which more and more often do not employ waiters and drinks and desserts are ordered and paid for at the counter. If such an establishment serves also sandwiches, quiches, salads or any other food typically served for luch, it is called a bistro. In large Polish cities there are plenty of establishments that are a combination of kawiarnia and bistro.

IS MILK DRUNK IN POLISH BARS?
What is the real meaning of the noun bar in the Polish language? Bar in Polish is a place where you can drink some alcohol but (unlike bars in Spain, for instance) where you don’t eat anything. The other meaning of the word, which is the source of  misunderstandings, is an estanblishment that was especially popular in the interwar Poland and PRL (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, i.e. Polish People’s Republic) and where these days as well you can have some simple and inexpensive Polish dishes. There’s no waiter service in a bar like that and the interior resembles a canteen rather than a restaurant. The full name of such an establishment, and we can call it Polish specialite de la maison, is a bar mleczny (literally: milk bar). Where does the name come from? Well, in the past many dishes served in such places were made with milk, cottage cheese and eggs. Nowadays bary mleczne are still quite popular and they can be called a sociological phenomenon since their customers come from various social groups. A visit to a bar mleczny has become a must-do for foreigners visiting Poland.

      The legendary „Prasowy“ milk bar in Warsaw. More on the Polish language and customs on our FB page

POLISH CHRISTMAS EVE CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

WIGILIA MEANS A VIGIL
During the time before Christmas, students of the Polish language courses for foreigners often ask about the Polish Christmas customs and traditions. There are so many of them and they are so interesting that it can take more than one lesson to describe them.
In Poland, the Christmas time begins with the Christmas Eve supper. The name Wigilia is derived from the Latin word vigilia, which means keeping vigil at night, standing guard. During this day it is important to show kindness to each other, since, according to the Polish tradition, it will guarantee us a good ambience throughout the next year.

POLISH RECIPE FOR PROSPERITY
It is considered a good idea to put one scale from the Christmas Eve carp into your wallet. This will bring you prosperity and secure abundance.
Beautifully decorated Christmas tree - choinka -  (do you know that Poland is one of the largest manufacturers of glass Christmas ornaments?) symbolises the tree of life and placing gifts under it is in Polish tradition a sign of goodness and sharing the joy. Following Polish custom, we begin the Christmas Eve supper with the appearance of the first star in the sky. In this way we make a reference to the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to newborn Christ to the three Magi of the East.

                     You can find information about Christmas customs also on our FB profile.

COLOURED [COMMUNION] WAFERS
Before we sit down at the table, in Poland we share wafers with each other (it’s baked from white flour and water without any yeast). The breaking of this wafer signifies a sacrifice for others. This simple gesture brings people closer together and means that we want to share what we have with our loved ones. In the countryside, farmers share, additionally, a coloured wafer. A long time ago each animal species was given a wafer in a specific colour: there was red for horses, which would protect from evil and malediction, yellow for cows (with the addition of the rue plant), to prevent the milk from going bad, and the one with pepper added for dogs so that they would become yet better guardians of the household. Nowadays farmers usually share a green wafer with plant eating animals and the orange one with carnivore farm animals. As a rule, it takes place on Christmas Eve, but in some regions of Poland on Christmas Day or even Boxing Day.

SYMBOLS ON A CHRISTMAS EVE TABLE
To remind us about the place in which Christ was born, but also to ensure prosperity, we place a handful of hay on the Christmas Eve table. We cover the table with a white tablecloth (the symbol of purity) and on top of it we set a candle (the symbol of Christ himself) and one spare set of dinnerware. This set is meant for an unannounced guest and it is also a token of remembrance about our loved ones that are far way or those that passed away forever. And of course, the 12 dishes, about which you can read here.

CHRISTMAS CAROLLING IN POLISH
At Christmas we cannot miss singing carols together. Polish Christmas carols are regarded the most beautiful in the world. Ask your teacher for help and learn at least one verse of a Polish carol for this Christmas:

                                                 Bóg się rodzi, moc truchleje,
                                              God is born, the power shakens,
                                                 Pan niebiosów obnażony!
                                             The Lord of Heavens lies naked!
                                                Ogień krzepnie, blask ciemnieje,
                                                    Fire stalls, light darkens,
                                                  Ma granice Nieskończony.
                                                  The Eternity has now limits.
                                                  Wzgardzony, okryty chwałą,
                                                 Scorned, showered with praise,
                                                Śmiertelny Król nad wiekami!
                                                   Mortal King over the ages!
                                                   A Słowo Ciałem się stało
                                                  The Word was made Flesh
                                                   I mieszkało między nami.
                                             And made his dwelling among us.

                               Franciszek Karpiński: Bóg się rodzi/God is Being Born

PROVERBS, OR A LESSON IN OPTIMISM FROM POLAND

POLISH PROVERBS
Proverbs are generally believed to be the wisdom of nations. Therefore, when they appear in lessons of Polish as a foreign language students learn much more than just their meanings. Not only do proverbs allow us to learn the language, its conjugations and declensions, but also the customs, culture and even... about the vagaries of the weather :)

POLISH PROVERBS ABOUT THE WEATHER 
Polish proverbs are no exception. We already mentioned one of them in our post of 26th February (W marcu jak w garncu literally: March is like a pot; similar to the English proverb: March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb). Another common proverb is Kwiecień plecień, co przeplata: trochę zimy, trochę lata (April the weaver, because interweaves a little bit of winter with a little bit of summer). It perfectly describes the changeable April weater, with beautiful summer sun on one day and snow on the following day.
There is one more popular saying referring to the climate: Idzie luty, szykuj buty (February is coming, get your shoes ready). It reminds us that the second month of the year is cold and severe (if you want to learn about the etymology of the names of the months in Polish, check out our post of 9th Sempember), so you should prepare the proper clothes and shoes so as not to catch a cold or fall ill.

                                      Proverbs allow (not only foreigners) to get to know Polish customs

WISDOM OF POLISH PROVERBS
Naturally, there are lots of proverbs that do not refer to the weather at all. Many foreigners must have heard their Polish colleagues say when in trouble: Co cię nie zabije, to cię wzmocni (What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger). These words give you hope that even the most serious problems may teach you a valuable lesson and broaden your experience. The proverb Nie ma tego złego, co by na dobre nie wyszło (Every cloud has a silver lining) has a similar meaning.
It is worth mentioning that there are many optimistic proverbs in Polish. Take Dla chcącego nie ma nic trudnego (Where there is a will there’s a way), for instance, which tells us that everyone who is motivated, ambitious and eager to work will definitely reach their goals.
Kuj żelazo póki gorące (Strike while the iron is hot) encourages us to act and take advantage of the situation. So, if you would like to learn more secrets of the Polish language, then strike while the iron is hot and enroll in a language course (more on courses here) or check out our FB profile.

POWIEDZIAŁ BARTEK, ŻE DZIŚ TŁUSTY CZWARTEK* (Bartek said it’s Fat Thursday today)

POLISH FESTIVAL OF ... PĄCZEK (Polish doughnut)

Fat Thursday, often called „Polish doughnut day“ by foreigners, is probably the sweetest day of the year. It’s the day when you can buy doughnuts virtually everywhere. Patisseries sell mostly pączki and faworki, also known as chrust (angel wings). By tradition, it’s the day when everyone eats loads of sweet food.
Foreign students attending courses of Polish often want to know where this nicely sweet custom came from.

THE LAST DAYS OF CARNIVAL

Fat Thursday is the last Thursday of carnival, in Old Polish called zapusty. There is a superstition, which says that you should eat at least one pączek on that day if you want to be lucky in the future.
In the past Fat Thursday opened the Fat Week (Tłusty Tydzień), i.e. the last few days before Lent. That meant you needed to eat as much „fat“ food as possible, not only pączki and sweet food, but lots of meat and hearty meals as well, before the period of abstinence began.

FIRST PĄCZKI ON POLISH TABLES

The custom of eating pączki on Fat Thursday dates back to the 17th century, and it first appeared in Polish mansions and cities. However, it didn’t reach the countryside until the end of the 19th century. First pączki looked nothing like what they look like today: sweet, round, glazed or sprinkled with icing sugar. They used to be... generously sprinkled with pork scratchings and filled with pork fat. When sweet pączki started to appear on Fat Thursday, some of them had an almond or a nut hidden inside. The person who found one while eating a pączek was supposed to remain healthy and happy all their life.

A TALE OF CRACOW STREET PEDDLERS (Krakowskie przekupki **)

In Małopolska (Lesser Poland) legend has it that the first Fat Thursday, also called Comber Thursday, was connected with... the death of a strict city head named Comber, who took delight in oppressing and tormenting people. He was known for making Cracow peddlers‘ lives a misery by forbidding trade on town square, imposing high fines or even putting some peddlers to prison. When he died, the people of Cracow started to celebrate and festivities began in the streets. The peddlers made loads of pączki and treated everyone to them. Ever since the last Thursday of carnival has been celebrated as the day when the inhabitants, and the peddlers in particular, were freed from the wicked city head.

                                      Check out our FB profile for more on Polish holidays and customs 

TRADITIONAL SWEETS :)

However, the most important rule of Fat Thursday is that we should simply forget about dieting and have a pączek or two, or grab a few faworki (angel wings). Enjoy :)

* Tłusty czwartek (literally: Fat Thursday) is a Polish equivalent of Shrove Tuesday
**  Przekupka is a female form