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Polish Reunions

Monday 16 November 2009

After the reunion, we headed to Papa's side of the family for conversation and rest. Everyone was curious by then about Polish reunions.

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"They don't really exist," K explained.

Why won't they work? K proposed two simple reasons, both of them quite practical.

First, you can't get a bunch of Poles together for a meal and have a pot luck. A huge, official gathering requires huge, official food, with proper place settings and a touch of elegance. Everyone would come dressed elegantly. Plastic forks, blue jeans, and cold fried chicken would absolutely, positively, under no circumstances, be permissible. And it would be purely self-inflicted inconvenience.

Second, there's no way to get everyone there. Significant numbers of Poles still are without a car, and the prospect of carrying food (then again, see above) and family on a bus while everyone is dressed in their best -- not a chance.

But reunions do exist: they're just called "weddings" and "funerals."

1 Comment

  1. :) super tekst:), ale w mojej rodzinie byla jedna “reunion” gdy moi dziadkowie z Podwilka obchodizli 50 rocznice slubu, wtedy byla cala rodzina , 10 dzieci dziadkow z rodiznami z calej Polski, Slowacji i nawet z USA i wnuczeta z rodzinami, sami gotowalismy w kuchni, nie bylo ani wynajmownaia lokalu ani zamawiania jedzenia, pamietam ze bylam kelnerka i fotografem:) , warunki byly odlotowe, cale przemeblowanie domu lacznie z wynoszeniem mebli zeby sie goscina odbyla. A tak naprawde to Polacy spotykaja sie na roznych imprezach rodiznnych a wlasnie do najwiekszych w naszej rodzinie tez nalezaly wesela i stypy.W poniedzialek gdy byl pogrzeb babci odbyla sie w Pasiece wielka reunion rodziny mojego taty, byli prawie wszyscy orpcz dzieci bo o tej godzinie byly w szkole.Reunion mazna tez nazwac 25 rocznice slubu moich rodzicow , wtedy tez wynosilismy meble z domu zeby bylo pryzjecie takie na wzor przyjecia rodzicow ktore tez 25 lat wczesniej odbylo sie w domu dziadkow i tez wynoszono meble. Pozdrawiam Aneta