Drinking in Poland

End for Vodka?

The value of the Polish ‘coloured’ alcohol market is estimated to be PLN 5 billion, which constitutes 30% of the whole spirits market. At the moment, flavoured vodka rules in Poland and the sale of whiskey is rapidly growing. According to Leszek Wiwały, president of the Polish Spirits Industry (Polski Przemysł Spirytusowy), the whiskey market in Poland was valued at PLN 1.4 billion last year. Brandy, gin and rum are also becoming popular however whiskey remains the leader in this category. Last year the Scottish whiskey market grew by more than 20%. The reason for such growing interest is down to the changing tastes and habits of Polish customers and there is therefore great potential for future growth here. When it comes to whiskey, the most popular types are the mid-priced whiskies, single malts and American brands. For example, Ballantine’s has become one of Poland’s favourite brands recently. “Despite the difficult economic situation, last year was actually very good and successful for the alcohol market. Additionally, some segments, like the whiskey market, experienced spectacular growth. However, there is no doubt that customers will look to save in these times of crisis and this may affect the sale of alcohol,” Wiwała adds. Top-shelf, luxury products, even though they still constitute a small part of the spirits market in Poland, are an extremely promising segment. Polish customers are travelling more than ever before and are currently more willing to buy new brands, which they later look for on returning to Poland. As a result, Polish people have become more open to new types of imported spirits.
Interia.pl

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Polish Satisfaction Guaranteed

Glass Half Full?

Despite the crisis, the level of happiness in Poland remains high. It sounds strange but an incredible 37% of Poles declare that they feel fulfilled, content and happy. Since 1988, when a similar study was conducted for the first time, the level of Polish optimism has not been higher. Poles are in high spirits as opposed to everyone and everything around them. Unemployment may exceed 15% by the end of 2013 and will be at its highest level for years. There is no chance of any increase in salaries. What is more, most are seeing their wages slashed. The only rises which Polish people can expect are in the shops and stores as prices are continually on the increase. The state budget is in such a poor condition that the government is trying to find money in the pockets of the average Jan Kowalski. Tax offices are overzealously checking not only large companies, but also ordinary people. Problems with health services are not out of the ordinary. Therefore, on paper the average Kowalski should be depressed. However, the opposite is true. “Complaining is no longer trendy. Being happy is. The whole world is OK now and Poles want to be a part of this,” said Jacek Santorski, a business psychologist. The market research institution CBOS found that almost two-fifths of Poles (the aforementioned 37%) claim to be happy and feel fulfilled in their lives. There are three times fewer people who state that their life is tainted with bad luck (12%). Compared with 1988, the number of people who consider themselves happy has doubled. The reasons for this happiness seem to be quite trivial. There is almost universal (92%) satisfaction with children, while the vast majority of spouses (82%) are happy with their relationships. The majority of people who feel positive about their marriage are people between the ages of 25 and 34. For 77% of Poles, the source of the most satisfaction in life are relationships with friends and colleagues. Almost eight out of ten respondents (78%) are satisfied with where they live, and would not like to move. 59% of Poles are happy with their health, despite popular opinion.
Interia.pl

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Fascism Cannot be Stopped

Obvious What It Is

Bands that openly promote fascism and incite hatred towards other races will perform during an event in the town of Siewierz. The human rights representative of the Polish police can do nothing about this because he does not have a Facebook account. The Festival’s repertoire will not consist of folk music, Chopin, Moniuszko even though the event calls itself the ‘first national Polish’ music festival. The event has nothing to do with love towards the homeland as was the original intention of the organisers. “The patriotic slogans are used to confuse people. This is an extreme rightist event, a neo-nazi event,” says Wiktor Marszałek from the anti-fascist “Never Again” Association (Stowarzyszenie Nigdy Więcej). He claims that the police could block the event. “One of the bands has been sentenced for disseminating fascist material during a concert in Slovakia,” says Marszałek. All information about the festival is public. It was announced on the internet and has had a Facebook profile for over two months. The date of the festival is known and the performers are being systematically introduced to the public. It is obvious what the views of the musicians are. Their posters, record covers, and the videos promoting the festival speak for themselves. They are swarming with swastikas, Celtic crosses, and SS skulls. If this does not make things clear, then their music makes things extremely obvious. Their songs are racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic. “There’s nothing we can do, this is not a mass event,” says Marta Szczerba from Siewierz Town Hall. A mass event must have at least 1,000 participants. The organisers claims that 900 participants will take part. What will happen if more come? 1,700 people have ‘liked’ the festival’s Facebook profile. Szczerba ensures us that this number will be monitored through ticket sales. Also, a number of people will come to the festival for free. “We are currently checking the list of performers. We thought this would be a hip-hop and rock concert. That is what the organisers told us,” says Zuzanna Guzik, manager of Zajazd Leśny, where the festival will take place. On Wednesday our lawyers analysed the lease agreement. We will know by Friday if there is any possibility of dissolving it.”
Wyborcza

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Falling in Love the BBQ Way

Polish ‘Grill’

Polish people have fallen in love with the BBQ (pol. gril). It has become a new Polish national sport probably due to the fact that nobody loses and everyone’s a winner. The sun comes out of the clouds, the temperature rises and the ‘grilling season’ begins. The craziness begins every Friday evening in grocery shops. Everyone grabs something that can be put on the BBQ and makes use of every possible blade of grass to set up their barbecue. In 2006, the Polish team won the world championships in barbecuing. “Since then Poles have been at the forefront of grilling and have now been invited to its most prestigious event, the Jack Daniel’s BBQ Competition in Lynchburg,” said a proud Grzegorz Kazubski, president of the Polish Barbecue Association. The Polish BBQ team is so well known that Poland has been entrusted with the organisation of the European BBQ Championships. Everyone has their favourite food – Americans love pork ribs and steak. Poles, on the other hand, opt for pork neck, black pudding and sausage. Grzegorz Kazubski recommends grilling white sausage instead of the traditional one, as sausages which have been previously smoked can emit harmful substances when thrown on the barbecue. The truth is that knowing how to grill is a skill that not everyone possesses.
Newsweek.pl

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Photo Eating ‘po polsku’

Art?

Do have to take a picture of a cake before eating it? And do you then post it on Facebook? You are not alone. Magdalena Jensen takes photos for two reasons: firstly she likes to capture beautifully-prepared food – for her they are works of art. Secondly, when she cooks something she is proud of she wants to document it. “I try to snap the food as quickly as possible and start eating before it gets cold”, she says. Aga Kozak, a journalist, specialising in cookery and photography, admits that she loves looking at friends’ pictures as it is an ever-lasting inspiration for her. “I like to recommend good restaurants with tasty food; it’s like sharing love for me. I share everything on Facebook, however sometimes even I get annoyed by obsession picture taking”. Robert Trzópek, head chef of Tamka 43 restaurant in Warsaw, says that he also uses his mobile phone to snap a photo of what he is eating if he really enjoys it. Similarly Michał Tkaczyk, head chef of Marconi restaurant in Hotel Bristol in Warsaw, has nothing against this hobby as it is a sign that customers like the food he serves. “Everyone seems to be taking pictures and uploading them onto the web. For me it’s recognition of what I do, even if the quasi-culinary expert cares more about writing a few smart words on Facebook than the food in the photo,” says Witold Iwanski, head chef of Aruana restaurant. This new fad for taking pictures of food is also a good thing for camera manufacturers. Some compact cameras even have a special food photography mode.
Wyborcza.pl

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Long Polish Weekends

The Polish Way

Increasingly fewer Polish people want to work during ‘long weekends’. Research carried out by Work Service concludes that Poles prefer to take time off and rest. The number of people taking leave during ‘long weekends’ has increased by 11% this year. Work Service asked people if they took time off during the May weekend. According to the research, 44% took at least one day off during the first week of May. Of this group, 31% took three whole days off. That is 200% more people than last year. “Workers have gotten used to weekend trips and that is why they are more likely to take days off. The increase is significant. In some companies this means that there are several hundred fewer workers during this period,” says Tomasz Hanczarek, chairman of Work Service. He adds that that this is beneficial phenomenon. “Instead of using costly equivalents (bonuses etc), workers use their leave in the normal way,” says Hanczarek. Work Service concluded that people with higher education as well as young people are most likely to take days off during ‘long weekends’. Older workers and people living in rural areas are more likely to stay at work during this period. “A tendency to take short holidays and short trips is a part of one’s lifestyle, usually favoured by young and educated people from larger cities. Short trips to the seaside or to the mountains with friends are very trendy,“ says Krzysztof Inglot, manager of Work Service. 30% of Poles planned to holiday for the Corpus Christi ‘long weekend’. The majority will holiday for three to four days. 65% of those surveyed do not plan to travel anywhere. “The majority of Poles choose to spend their days off somewhere in Poland. Holidays abroad are not common. Most cannot afford it, and even if they can they prefer to have longer holidays during the summer,” adds Krzysztof Inglot.
Rzeczpospolita

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David Hasselhoff in Warsaw

Back in the Day…

“Did you get any fines?” we asked David Hasselhoff, one of the participants of the Gumball rally, as he was getting out of the car and taking out his suitcases. “No, I didn’t. The police made me stop but only to take a picture with me. It was very cool,” replied the Baywatch star with a smile. It was not surprising that the police stopped him to take a picture with him as Baywatch, in which Hasselhoff played a major character, was once an extremely popular series in Poland. Hasselhof arrived in Warsaw as one of the star attractions of the Gumball 3000 rally. Other celebrities included such people as the singer Eve and Tone Hawk, a famous skateboarder. All of them have been driving across Europe. The entire rally, whose main attraction is the fact that stars are driving such cars as Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and Aston Martins, will finish in Monte Carlo.
tvnwarszawa24.pl

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Kurt Vonnegut in Warsaw

Vonnegut in Warsaw

This week Izabela Chlewińska presented “Tralfamadoria” in the Laboratory at the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle (pol. CSW Zamek Ujazdowski). It is a multimedia solo performance discussing the theme of death. Oddly, it is a rather intimate tragic comedy. It uses the literary context of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” and his imaginary planet Tralfamadoria. The performance is a form of philosophical discourse on stage. The recurring motive of the piece is Seneca’s statement “Refuse to let the thought of death bother you: nothing is grim when we have escaped that fear”. The use of multimedia, a frigid stage, old-fashioned costumes, musical loops, and a monologue consisting of only two words create a very particular atmosphere. Izabela Chlewińska is known for her many artistic collaborations (Teatr Alter, Dada von Bzdülöw and Ramona Nagabczyńska). This will be her début on the Warsaw Dance Scene (pol. Warszawska Scena Tańca). Following the performance, there will be a meeting with the artist led by Julia Hoczyk. This is the third season of the Warsaw Dance Scene. Its aim is to show dance pieces and dance-related events throughout the year. It has so far hosted performances, installations, films, workshops, discussion cycles and lectures. The organisers want the Scene to be a place artists and the audience can meet and discuss. Those presenting their work are renowned and experienced Warsaw-based artists as well as young Polish dancers and choreographers.
Rzeczpospolita

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No Smelly People Please

Off or On?

According to a survey carried by IQS, the majority of Poles believe that the drivers of buses and trams should have the right to ask a passenger who smells to leave the bus or tram. This week Lublin authorities want to pass a law that would enable troublesome (and smelly) passengers to be thrown of the bus. “We are also referring to passengers smell,” said Beata Krzyżanowska, a spokesperson for the Mayor of Lublin. She also added that the local Public Transport Authority often receives complaints about people who evoke feeling of disgust in other passengers. In the majority of large cities appropriate reglations have already been passed. As Igor Krajnow, a spokesperson for the Public Transport Authority of Warsaw, says, “in Warsaw such regulations have been introduced mainly because of passengers’ requests to do so”. In Gdańsk, where a similar survey was carried out by the Public Transport Authority, 1,368 people were questioned and nearly 92% of respondents stated that the most irritating issue concerning public transport was smelly co-passengers. “If more than half of respondents are in favour of throwing people of the bus, then we need to classify the types and intensity of odours. This would be absurd, however I respect the opinions of people who do not want to travel with passenger who stink. However, they should walk or use their own cars,” said Tadeusz Narkun from the Association of Polish Counties (Związku Powiatów Polskich).
Newsweek.pl

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Younger Tradition

A New Tradition?

The 16th “New Tradition” (pol. Folkowy Festiwal “Nowa Tradycja”) Folk Festival organised by Polish Radio has begun. What is folk today? It is important to save traditional music, to record folk songs and transfer them to sheet music, but of course, it is best to play these songs. This energy is a part of Polish spirituality and it is needed. Nevertheless, folk is also all about the use of old motives in contemporary contexts, processing them and confronting them with other genres. Old music inspires the new. Polish new folk would not be as it is today without the international success of Kapela Ze Wsi Warszawa (Warsaw Village Band), who came second in the 1998 Festival. Among other famous participants of the Festival are Cracow Klezmer Band, Joanna Słowińskam, Sarakina, Kwadrofonik, Klezmafour and Maćko Korba, artists who have fair-sized and diverse audiences. The event started out as a contest for young artists inspired by either Polish traditional music or music of minorities living within the borders the old Polish State. 62 bands signed up this year, 14 qualified for the Festival. The concerts of artists such as Cuncordu e Tenore de Orosei from Sardinia, Adam Struga and the above-mentioned Warsaw Village Band will also take place. There would not be such a flood of young bands without works such as Andrzej Bieńkowski’s book “Ostatni wiejscy muzykanci” (eng. “The Last Village Musicians”) and his series of records of village artists. He collected these songs for years. This included musicians who played at local village weddings, who are gone now. The line has been broken and modern weddings are filled with disco kitsch; the old masters have passed away. Yet, the music still lives on, thanks to broadcasts such as “Źródło” (eng. “Source”) on Dwójka (Polish Radio Two). Several days ago two other important festivals took place. The New Jewish Music Festival (pol. Nowa Muzyka Żydowska) similar to the “New Tradition”. A new, fresh look on the traditional Jewish music was presented. The concerts took place in a synagogue. A more conservative approach, as opposed to “New Tradition”, is represented by the Mazurkas of the World Festival (pol. Festiwal Wszystkie Mazurki Świata). It is, however, equally important. Here, regional music can be heard as well as Lutosławski, the Ukrainian Hulajhorod performed on stage with Zbigniew Namysłowski’s quintet. Relations between Polish and Swedish traditional dances were researched here. The contests taking place during the Festival are called “Old Tradition”. In order to take part in it, the performer has to present Polish village music without any arrangements. “Conservatives – liberals, purists – folk men, all these are pigeon holes, but people are multidimensional in nature. In every conservative there is a bit of a revolutionist. And vice versa,” says Maciej Szajkowski from The Warsaw Village Band and R.U.T.A.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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