matching tracksuits

fun in threes, sometimes fours

polska

My always obsession...

Dinner

Being married to a woman who is Polish through-and-through means that food is important in life. It's not something to be squeezed in, willy-nilly, whenever, and it's not something that can be simply plopped out of a can or popped in the microwave. It's something that requires preparation, time, and patience.

Into The Frying Pan

For example, if a certain little girl would like to have chicken nuggets for dinner, that's fine. But a Polish woman will not be pulling a package of milled and breaded chicken odds-and-ends out of the freezer. From time to time, something like that is fine, perhaps a couple as a snack. For dinner, however, only real chicken will suffice.

Apron

And this requires time, and an apron.

Truth be told, the apron is something in the Polish genetic make-up, I believe. Babcia, in Poland, slips on an apron every morning as habitually as I slip on socks or a shirt. It's simply another article of clothing, and it stays on all day, whether cooking, cleaning, or taking a break. (It comes off when heading out into public, of course.)

Polish Meal

But the results of aproned cooking -- who could possibly complain?

Friends and Family

Portraits

Around Jablonka

Birthday Party

With Friends

Sausage

Zab

Around Jablonka

Polish Picnic

Thirty-three years ago today, Karol Józef Wojtyła became the only Pole elected by the College of Cardinals as Pope. It goes without saying that the logical thing for Poles to do on this date is to celebrate the event as only Poles can.

Polish Pot Luck

A picnic — in reality, an informal potluck, as everyone shares with all — is a good start, but just the Polish community did in May for the beatification of John Paul II, the afternoon really started with the outdoor Mass.

Outdoor Mass

As always, when Poles gather together to celebrate some occasion or other, there must be some kind of performance. The children got a chance to show off their newly-acquired Polonaise skills, performing the same routine they did several weeks earlier at a local international festival.

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Post Polonaise

And what would a Polish gathering be without singing? I can’t imagine American ex-pats gathering to do something like this, with the exception of Thanksgiving or Christmas. Even then, only Christmas would incorporate song, and probably not very willingly.

Pynie Wisla

We can’t forget soccer.

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