Englishman Reacts to... 44 Facts You Didn't Know (But maybe I do!) 

Poles, like Germans, like sauerkraut not because of its taste but rather because of the need to get used to it, as it has always been a cheap source of vitamin C during the cold winter months. Yes, Wałęsa is a former agent recruited by the communist services. There is not the slightest doubt about this at present. This is documented in the archives of the Institute of National Remembrance. In the initial period, the EU was a real engine and catalyst for the progress and modernization of post-Soviet Poland. It was to be a confederation of sovereign nation states, the main principle of which was the free movement of goods and people without Brussels' interference in the internal politics of member states. For some time, however, the Brussels authorities (appointed, not elected) have adopted a sharp course in creating a federal state in which the member states are systematically deprived of their sovereignty. We Poles already went through this when we were under Soviet occupation. This is where the problem begins. We don't want to go through this again. It's better to be a hungry wolf in the wild than a fat dog strapped to a kennel. Rob, even though we have different worldviews on some issues, I really like your videos. Your intelligence and mental acuity, as well as your objectivity and drive to expand your knowledge, are impressive. Congratulations, I wish you good luck, perseverance and satisfaction with the fruits of your work. Regards, Pole from Sydney.

I did this a lot according to other comments haha

WROCŁAW!!! Not Roclav :D

Yep its pain to hear zako pain....

and it was said with poznań's old town in the background nice

Moreover, people deliberately prepare spaces (like some support) for their (quite big!) nests on rooftops and telegraph poles and street lamps... They are also commonly treated as a sign of good luck and fortune for the village/building hosting them.

to prawda...

Wetlands in Poland explain storks. In the West wetlands were eliminated long time ago through melioration.

Pączki should be pronounced something like “pawtshki” or even “pohtshki”…

​@@toshibajoeyEnough about pączki already, people! You're making me hungry!

haha

Maria Curie-Skłodowska.

Pon-chkee

haha thanks. I aim to entertain :D

@@RobReacts1 And thats why so many people loves your channel man! I now you probably have things to react to, might be tired of poland kinda, but there is that not well known polish folk punk band called Hańba! They sing about poland in the time between world wars and even use instruments to match the theme, they even have an album about what if Poland was saved by Allies and won ww2 haha, im sure u can find text online so if u ever consider listening to them, reacting maybe if its possible without copyright strikes, i would love to hear your reaction to them. But im not forcing anything on you! Do what you want man!

@@aurorafox1283 "Rób co chcesz"

The favourite thing about this video is me correcting mispronunciations haha

@@RobReacts1 interesting facts about "na zdrowie" are as follows: 1. it is the title of one of Jan Kochanowski's poems (one of the most influential Slavic poets prior to the 19th century). The clou is that health is the most important thing, and therefore the best toast. 2. Russians make a very similar toast, it sounds more like "na zdarowie", but the relationship is still visible.

In addition we also say "na zdrowie" when someone sneezes

Blue?

@@somsiadtomasz nie ma niebieskiego i o to chodzi w tym komentarzu

There is no blue in our flag.

​@@motyl452exactly

Some people really missed the joke here 😂

Yeah, it is traditionally considered a sign of good luck if the storks choose your roof or chimney to build their nest on. I have never heard of anyone harming or expelling storks in Poland, in fact people put old cartwheels or special platforms on telephone poles or disused chimneys to make it easier for them to settle. That is probably why for hundreds of years they felt safe here and they keep coming back.

Yeah, you could even say this is a country of trees and Poles 🤣

about 60 million

60 millon people abroad, 46 million citizens live in Poland

It is estimated that there are about 50 million people in the world who claim Polish origin and speak Polish, including 38 (not46!!!) million in Poland. The rest live mainly in the USA, Germany, UK, France, Argentina and Brazil, as well as in Lithuania, western and central Ukraine, as well as in Russia and Kazakhstan (descendants of Poles deported to hard labour after the anti-Russian uprisings in the 19th century and after the USSR's attack on Poland in 1939). Large groups of Poles also live in Ireland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

@@jakseluz Not all members of Polonia speak Polish. But I would say it is easily above 50 milion at least.

It is, however, often described as "a city that rose from ashes like the phoenix", i.e. compared with phoenix. Nothing like "Miasto-feniks ", though.

What's more polish emigrants usually come back home from abroad for this special day to visit their parents and spend this evening together. It is a must to be at your parents house (or sometimes at your grandparents - depending on where the family reunion happens) , very often it turns out that you have to have 2 wigilias in one evening - 1 at your parents a 2 at your husbands parents! There is a tradition of sharing a wafer (symbolic bread you get in church during communion) with your folks while wishing them health and happiness.

However, your cider is very tasty!

It became more popular around time when Russia imposed embargo on Polish apples. So people start to buy more cider to help farmers (I doubt if it really helped).

×2 "na picie" (for drinking) ×3 "na współżycie" (for lewd time)

"Osioł kichał, będzie deszcz. A jak to była oślica to idzie nawałnica."

17:25 This also proves that we have something to the number three. But imo it comes from the bible where three was also a very meaningful number.

more than 3 then it's "zamknij się" (shut up).

@@AmartharDrakestone Such 3 as us 2 there is not even 1

z truskawkami też są pyszne

with all due rescpect NO ;D the best sweeet pierogis are with cherries (wiśnie)(not sweet cherries (czereśnie)!), and the best kind of cherries for this are 'szklanki', it is a perfect mix of sour and sweet, especially with cream and sugar, but you can eat them raw (i mean boiled ofc, but w/o anything added, also they are as good hot and cold) 🤤 there is a problem tho - they are extremely rare to find, and most people don't even know about this mix. probably a regional thing 🤷

I also love pierogi with plums, called węgierki, the type you find in September/October

​@@magdalenazukowska571And with soft prunes (z miękką śliwką suszoną).🥟😋 Those are delicious with some sweet cream and a bit of sugar and cardamom.

A mnie jest wszystko jedno jakie pierogi jem wszystkie są pyszne jak jestem na Białorusi to też tam jem pielemieni i wareniki ich odmiany pierogów 😋😋😆

But it won't be bigos, but cabbage with meat.

​@@maciekszymanski8340yes it's also bigos. Check what bigosić meant in old Polish maybe you'll learn why you're wrong. Bigos out of young cabbage is also bigos

@@purpleguy5274 You can call anything bigos in your peasant cottage. In my house that would be blasphemy.

@@maciekszymanski8340 dude learn maybe why Bigos is called Bigos ok? And maybe research a little how it was made in the past before supermarkets were a thing ok? Bigos got it's name from a Word bigosić which meant "to cut" and people added everything that was edible and nearly expiring to bigos when cooking it. If you didnt have sauerkraut you did bigos without it and it was still called Bigos you ignorant fool.

You mean golden crown? Golden crone means "złota baba/zołza" Stork is also the symbol of fertility, and the "bringer of children". And to kill a stork is a very evil thing. In folklore for killing it you will be cursed with ill luck and infertility.

Również dobrze się sprawdzają jako psy stróżujące, dziadkowie na wsi mieli takiego to wszyscy sąsiedzi z daleka omijali posesję bo misiek nie lubił obcych 😆😆😆

Haha🤣😂🤣😂

🤣🤣🤣

Małe, okrągłe paczuszki wypełnione nadzieniem😅

To dla wyrównania ja poproszę pączkomat.

@@MikrySoft Super pomysł! Sam bym taki chciał. 😋

last but one

I got it right didnt I? Like, I know how to say it... its pronounced like Pon-chki

​​@@RobReacts1yes

biorąc pod uwagę ewidentnie pogańską tradycję wątpię żeby chodziło o św. Andrzeja :)

@@adamgladzik To jest kolejna okazja żeby się nachlać, dlatego Polacy obchodzą również imieniny.

Vabank 1&2

Also its one time in a year when bit deeper folklore and doing "witchy" things is fun and games and not "bad peagan sins" 😅 Andrzejki is the culturaly closest thing we have to halloween when it comes to tje vibe

this custom was withdrawn by the Catholic Church and there is no restriction for Catholics on having party or eating meat during this time. This is Greek and Orthodox Churches tradition. "Andrzejki" are not of Christian origin (as vast majority of the Catholic holidays actually), however it is a popular opinion that it comes from St Andrew the Apostle. Custom accepted by the church is said to be around 500 years old, the customs however, contrary to Catholic dogma where 'magic' and 'fortune telling' is forbidden, are being traced back to the Ancient Greece. Hope it helps.

It has been called andrzejki because in Poland we value Name Day even more than birthdays for many People. And that day is Andrzej's day

@@MrBardol you should really learn more about your own religion before trying to teach others 😁

You are spot on, we all have different tastebuds! We will be back in Poland very soon... sweet pierogi will be a must

Almost? I dont know any exceptions.

@rafalkaminski6389 now that I think about it you're right. don't know why I said almost.

The first polish video I reacted to was Geography now :D

Well it just doesn't sound right now I have an ear for it

Other countries also do this. Latvian, Lithuanian, Azeri, Georgian and Ukrainian televisions also often incorporate the voice-over translations

No! That (lektor) is the reason you can pay attention to the screen, and not to the subtitles 😅

@@szorstkismuky3887 You're right. I meant that in Poland 'lektor' has become a special profession, which is considered almost like an art. It's a profession in which Poland has achieved perfection. We have dozens of professional voice-over narrators who are often recognized by people just by hearing them speak a couple words.

Not so far - what if you have a package full of donuts? Paczka pączków or pączki w paczce.😁

I think that "Potop" is a much better film than "Ogniem i Mieczem" - they are film adaptations of books (Trylogy) very famouse in Poland. You should try to see "Pan Tadeusz" by Andrzej Wajda and also other film directed by him, all the film of Krzysztof Kieślowski.

ah yes, I have seen them... maybe a taste testing at home

Frozen? - No!! Home-made with strawberries - maybe. Home-made with blueberries - the best in this world.😁

Pierogi with cottage cheese are sweet, Pierogi with fruits are... what they are.

No, even 60 million is too high, but 80... It would be like having a second Poland spread out in the world. Sure, Polish diaspora is large, but not all descendants of Poles speak Polish. 45 million speakers is a good estimate, going up to 50 if you count those who have some notion of the language.

@@Petrus74-yj4kv Over 10 million people with Polish roots live in the USA. There are said to be 2 million Poles living in Germany. In the UK there are 1 million. In France there are probably almost a million. Poles live everywhere: in Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Iceland, Greece even in Turkey and Iran... There are also foreigners who speak Polish. So there has to be at least 60 million.

@@Aleks96 I'm not contesting that. 60 million is indeed the estimated number but having Polish roots doesn't necessarily mean knowing and speaking the language. My numbers comes from Polish sources which state that around 44-45 million people (in Poland and abroad) consider it their first language, and up to 50 million are able to speak it to some degree.

@@Petrus74-yj4kv Which sources?