While a cutlery set can refer to general tableware containing a variety of table items, it can also refer to a set of different types of knives and knives only. This is actually the original, literal meaning of the term cutlery, although the category has become a lot broader now. The different types of knives in these cutlery sets include steak knives, carving knives, chef’s knives, pairing knives, bread knives, and more. These are more specifically referred to as kitchen cutlery because they are used in the preparation of food rather than for dining.

Here are few different things you can find in the kitchen:

sztućce stołowe – tableware

łyżka – spoon

widelec – fork

nóż – knife

silikonowy pędzel kuchenny - Silicone kitchen brush

dziadek do orzechów – nut cracker

durszlak - colander

sitko – strainer

tarka – grate

szczypce - tongs

tłuczek do mięsa – meat pounder

praska – press (for example garlic press)

otwieracz – opener

deska do krojenia – cutting board

szpatułka – spatula

wyciskacz do cytrusów – citrus juicer

tłuczek do ziemniaków – potato crusher

miarki – measurement scoops

korkociąg - corkscrew

Łyżki do sałaty – salad spoons

Łyżka do sosów – sauce spoon

Łyżka wazowa - soup-ladle

skrobaczka do warzyw – vegetable peeler

And here is more visual version:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I think I got most of in here, if I missed something, please let me know:)

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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The “opłatek” is a thin wafer, made of flour and water. For table use, it is white. In Poland, colored wafers are used to make Christmas tree decorations. Formerly, these were baked by organists or by religious and were distributed from house to house in the parish during Advent. Today, they are produced commercially and sold in religious stores and houses.

On Christmas Eve (wigilia), the whole family gathers and waits impatiently for the appearance of the first star. With its first gleam, they all approach a table covered with hay and a snow-white table cloth. A vacant chair and a place setting is reserved for the unexpected guest.

The father or eldest member of the family reaches for the wafer, breaks it in half and gives one half to the mother. Then each of them breaks a small part of each other’s piece and, after a warm kiss, they wish each other long life, good health, joy and happiness, not only for the holiday season, but for the coming year and for many years to come. In my family we used to have really big Christmas, with about 25 – 35 people. We would brake few wafers in smaller pieces, so everyone can have their own. Then we would go around the table, wishing everyone a wonderful new year. Each person would brake a little piece of wafer from everyone.

The ceremony is over, we all sit down to a tasteful, though meatless supper, after which we sing kolęndy (Christmas carols and pastorals) and open gifts from under the tree, until the time for Midnight Mass, also know as “Pasterka“.

Sometimes, the opłatek is sent, in a greeting card, to loved ones away from home. I get it every year from my family in Poland:)

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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National lottery games in Poland are operated byTotalizator Sportowy who have been running Lotto PL games since the Polish Government granted it a license to begin operations back on January 25th 1956.

The Lottery Poland company – TS – is one of Poland’s largest companies and is owned solely by the Polish State Treasury.

The Lottery Poland “LOTTO” brand is one of the strongest in the Polish market and it is estimated that nearly 60% of the Polish population play Totalizator Sportowy games.

The first game to be introduced byTotalizator Sportowy and Lottery Poland was Toto Lotek in 1957 which reigned supreme for 16 years. Its up to date variant is now the strongest game in the TS portfolio.

There are numerous games offered byTotalizator Sportowy including Keno, Numerek, Zdrapki, Los Millionos, Multi Lotek, Express Lotek and the Lottery Poland flagship game that we are going to look at here – the incredibly popular Duży Lotek, or Polish Lotto…

The Duży Lotek literally means the “Large” Lottery and is the oldest game offered by Totalizator Sportowy being introduced way back on January 27th 1957 and has been the premier Lottery Poland game ever since.

Originally it was known as Toto Lotek until its name was changed to the Duży Lotek in September 1975.

The Lottery Poland – Duży Lotek 6/49 – is a traditional jackpot, draw-style, lotto game and is the most popular game offered by Totalizator Sportowy, the Poland National Lottery company. Each time that the Duży Lotek jackpot is not won, it will “rollover” and the figure will be added onto the jackpot for the next draw, making for some much larger jackpot figures to be won.

Draws for the Duży Lotek take place 3 times each week on Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays at 10.00pm CET

The Lottery Poland – Duży Lotek uses what’s called a matrix of 6/49 which means that when playing the Duży Lotek, you will need to select 6 numbers out of a pool of balls numbered from 1 to 49. If you match all 6 of the main numbers drawn then you will be a winner of the first division prize – the Duży Lotek jackpot.

In addition to the jackpot itself, there are 3 other ways in which you can win on the Duży Lotek, which means that are a great number of prizes to be won 3 times every week for anyone who plays the Lottery Poland.

A “Random Select” facility is available when playing with Totalizator Sportowy. You can ask the lottery retailer or computer to randomly select all your Duży Lotek numbers for you.

So, playing the Lotto PL is simple…just select your own numbers or request them to be randomly generated for you by choosing the “Random Select” option. The price per entry into the Lottery Poland – Duży Lotek is just 2 PLN (Zlotys) or EUR 1.60 per line.

Who can play? As with the majority of lottery games around the world, previously only citizens living in Poland were allowed to play in any of the games from Totalizator Sportowy including the Duży Lotek – you used to have to purchase your Lotto PL tickets from an authorized retailer based in Poland itself.

These days, though, this is not a problem as there are various online lottery ticket sales companies like TheLotter who are both authorized and genuine – you are able to select your Lottery Poland numbers online and purchase your tickets no matter where in the world you live.

Good luck! Powodzenia!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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I shared with you a video about warning signs you may see on the roads in Poland. Today a little information about Prohibition signs.

No entry - zakaz wjazdu

No entry for unauthorized vehicles. Usually shown as a red circle with a white rectangle across its face.

No parking – zakaz parkowania

Amongst one of the most familiar signs, this sign is used where parking should be prohibited.

No overtaking – zakaz wyprzedzania

Either overtaking is prohibited for all vehicles or certain kinds of vehicles only (e.g. trucks, motorcycles, etc…) In the USA, this is usually phrased as “no passing zone”

No right, left or U-turn – zakaz skrętu w prawo, lewo lub zawracania

Either for all vehicles or with some exceptions (emergency vehicles, buses). These are usually to speed up traffic through an intersection or due to street cars or other right of ways or if the intersecting road is one-way. Indicated near-universally by an arrow making the prohibited turn overlaid with a red circle with an angular line crossing it.

Take a look at the signs and what they mean:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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For retail stores the Black Friday is the ultimate tester of the merchandise selection and time for last minute changes. It is the single highest volume sales (najwyższa wielkość sprzedaży) day in the entire year. As the day passes, the stores get more and more messy . Customers start seeing empty delivery cartons all over the place. The shopping is so intense there is no time to keep the display floors shiny and in perfect order they are usually in. There are long lines of cars just trying to get to the parking lots.

This is what I see here, in the States. Do people have Black Friday in Poland? I do not think so. At least I have never experienced it when I used to live in Poland…It’s been few years, so maybe something has changed. I remember shopping trips before Christmas, but never “one day craziness”.

One more thing I have to mention is the returns. It is not as easy to return the item in Poland as it is here in the States….Even if you do have the receipt – it may be a problem. Some companies in Poland are definitely getting better about it though. One of my friends from the USA visited Poland couple years ago and went on a shopping spree. She bought a lot of things, mainly clothes, in different sizes. She thought she will be able to try them on and return sizes or items she did not care for…Well, she was really surprised when she went back to the stores. They gave her a really hard time and she was not able to return most of the items. It is really too bad, but it happens. So maybe this is the reason people in Poland don’t go crazy with shopping before Christmas…maybe not. I’m sure they buy a lot things and spend some crazy money on gifts.

And here is a questions to readers that actually live in Poland: do Poles have Black Friday or not? Let us know what you observe nowadays in big cities and smaller towns, villages.

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Here is a list of some countries with Polish and English version, as well as the nationality names for male, female and for plural.

In Polish language we write all adjectives related to the nationality with the lower cases (not upper cases, like in English).

    Poland – Polska  Polak (male), Polka (female), Polacy  (plural)

  Germany – Niemcy  Niemiec (m), Niemka (f), Niemcy (pl)

  France – Francja  Francuz (m), Francuzka (f), Francuzi (pl)

  England – Anglia  Anglik (m), Angielka (f), Anglicy (pl)

  Great Britain – Wielka Brytania  Brytyjczyk (m), Brytyjka (f), Brytyjczycy (pl)

  Italy – Włochy  Włoch (m), Włoszka (f), Włosi (pl)

  Spain – Hiszpania, Hiszpan (m), Hiszpanka (f), Hiszpanie (pl)

  USA (United States of America) – USA (Stany Zjednoczone Ameryki)   Amerykanin (m), Amerykanka (f), Amerykanie (pl)

    Russia – Rosja  Rosjanin (m), Rosjanka (f), Rosjanie (pl)

  Canada – Kanada Kanadyjczyk (m), Kanadyjka (f), Kanadyjczycy (pl)

  China – Chiny  Chińczyk (m), Chinka (f), Chińczycy (pl)

  Japan – Japonia  Japończyk (m), Japonka (f), Japończycy (pl)

She is from Germany - Ona pochodzi (jest) z Niemiec (you can use pochodzi as comes from, or jest as is from, both forms are correct)

They are from Japan - Oni pochodzą (są) z Japonii

Is she from Spain? – Czy ona jest z Hiszpanii?

Yes, she is – Tak, ona jest  (z Hiszpanii)

No, she is not – Nie, ona nie jest (z Hiszpanii)

I am not – Ja nie jestem

You are not – Ty nie jesteś

He is not – On nie jest

She is not – Ona nie jest

It is not – Ono nie jest

We are not – My nie jesteśmy

You are not – Wy nie jesteście

They are not – Oni/One nie są

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have not mentioned all of the countries, so please forgive me if I missed your favorite country.

If you need help with names of other countries, please let me know in comments below.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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Here is a list of some countries with Polish and English version, as well as the nationality names for male, female and for plural.

In Polish language we write all adjectives related to the nationality with the lower cases (not upper cases, like in English).

    Poland – Polska  Polak (male), Polka (female), Polacy  (plural)

  Germany – Niemcy  Niemiec (m), Niemka (f), Niemcy (pl)

  France – Francja  Francuz (m), Francuzka (f), Francuzi (pl)

  England – Anglia  Anglik (m), Angielka (f), Anglicy (pl)

  Great Britain – Wielka Brytania  Brytyjczyk (m), Brytyjka (f), Brytyjczycy (pl)

  Italy – Włochy  Włoch (m), Włoszka (f), Włosi (pl)

  Spain – Hiszpania, Hiszpan (m), Hiszpanka (f), Hiszpanie (pl)

  USA (United States of America) – USA (Stany Zjednoczone Ameryki)   Amerykanin (m), Amerykanka (f), Amerykanie (pl)

    Russia – Rosja  Rosjanin (m), Rosjanka (f), Rosjanie (pl)

  Canada – Kanada Kanadyjczyk (m), Kanadyjka (f), Kanadyjczycy (pl)

  China – Chiny  Chińczyk (m), Chinka (f), Chińczycy (pl)

  Japan – Japonia  Japończyk (m), Japonka (f), Japończycy (pl)

She is from Germany - Ona pochodzi (jest) z Niemiec (you can use pochodzi as comes from, or jest as is from, both forms are correct)

They are from Japan - Oni pochodzą (są) z Japonii

Is she from Spain? – Czy ona jest z Hiszpanii?

Yes, she is – Tak, ona jest  (z Hiszpanii)

No, she is not – Nie, ona nie jest (z Hiszpanii)

I am not – Ja nie jestem

You are not – Ty nie jesteś

He is not – On nie jest

She is not – Ona nie jest

It is not – Ono nie jest

We are not – My nie jesteśmy

You are not – Wy nie jesteście

They are not – Oni/One nie są

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have not mentioned all of the countries, so please forgive me if I missed your favorite country.

If you need help with names of other countries, please let me know in comments below.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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The appeal of these golf courses lies in the varied layouts – the input of well-known golf architects, including Gary Player, Jan Sederholm, Hans-Georg Erhardt, Cameron Sinclair, Ronald Fream, Martin Hawtree and Jeremy Pern has ensured that the courses challenge more experienced golfers without excluding beginners, who can still enjoy a good round in beautiful surroundings.

In Poland, the golf season usually begins in April and lasts until the end of October, though it often lasts longer in the north-western corner of Poland.

Full list of Poland’s most popular golf-courses and details of their locations can be found on the website of the Polish Golf Union, www.pzgolf.pl

Let’s take a look at the prices and some details about one of the clubs:

Sierra Golf Club, Wejherowo near Gdynia

Designed by Cameron Sinclair and opened in 2002, the Sierra Golf Club has a championship course laid out on hills among lakes at the very edge of a forest.
• 18-hole championship course
• Golf lessons are available
• Green Fee: approx. €43 on weekdays, approx. €55 at weekends
• Nearest airport: Gdańsk (35 km away)
• Nearest ferry terminal: Gdynia (30km away)

Prices are very similar in most of the golf courses, so we have an idea how expensive the sport is in Poland. It usually ranges from  €25  to  €55 to play 18 hole golf course.

I have been playing golf for a while now. Never really had a chance to do it in Poland. But both my husband and I are looking forward playing on one of the Polish golf courses next spring!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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At present, only international services allow customers to order wine or beer on trains. However, nationwide routes on Polish State Railways (PKP) are now set to open the bar. A modification of the law was signed in March, allowing restaurants on trains to apply for licenses as of 1 July.

However, the 1980s law has not been entirely overhauled just yet. The sale of alcohol at train stations remains prohibited, although PKP is striving to change that too. “Poland is the only country in Europe where you cannot drink a glass of wine while eating dinner in a restaurant at a railway station,” said vice-chairman of PKP, Jacek Przesluga, in an interview with the Rzeczpospolita daily. “This does not apply at airports, seaside ports or riverside ones,” he added. “We have many beautiful spaces that would be ideal for wine bars or pubs, just like those that exist in Germany and the Czech Republic,” he concluded.

So from now on you are able to have a drink with your friends (or by yourself) while traveling locally in Poland!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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