As the cinema world prepares to crown the latest bunch of Oscar laureates, we delve into Poland’s record at this most glittering of occasions, featuring some magnificent Polish films and filmmakers, and including the excruciating moment a Polish animator was hurried off the stage, and later thrown in jail, Oscar-in-hand, on his big night.

Expanding on the cinematic theme, our Pole of the Week is Stanisław Bareja, famed chronicler of the absurdities of late-era communism. John gets on his bike and heads to The Biggest Castle In The World, and beer is discussed on more than one occasion.

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Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

Write to us: [email protected]

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Tango (Zbigniew Rybczynski): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z27z7oLQb3o

Tango Oscar Ceremony: https://youtu.be/w3BDAvM1FqY?si=G83xfPuEnrVF_mFe

Nepo Beer: https://nepobrewing.pl/

Malbork Castle: https://zamek.malbork.pl/en/home/

Miś (Stanisław Bareja) - Bar Mleczny Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-viM9WyGss

Rondo Stanisława Barei: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wv9KKeyKxT2tE4YU9

Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

Our guest this week is Salvatore Canzio, author of Ex-pat: Straniero due Volte (Ex-pat: Stranger Twice), in which he charts his life living and working in Warsaw before his return to his hometown in southern Italy. In a deep and revealing chat, Salva talks about his identity and sense of belonging, his redefinition of success, as well as other interesting stuff such as culture shock, language, social integration, working life…

In answering our Five Big Questions, Salva adds another tune to our Pole-ish Playlist vault. Coming from the land of bounteous food & drink, he has strong views on Poland’s contribution in this area – listen out for his surprising observations.

Elsewhere, Peter tries to remember his wedding and John introduces to us a quaint Polish saying.

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Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Ex-pat: Straniero due Volte (in Italian) - https://www.amazon.it/Ex-pat-straniero-volte-Ediz-integrale/dp/B0G44W4ZJC

Chopin Concerts in Łazienki Park - https://tifc.chopin.pl/koncerty-w-lazienkach/

Varsovie by Brodka - https://open.spotify.com/track/0fWOMvjgnyenpnLolfB5UJ?si=8f7f09c1d2934da4

Foreigner’s Guide to Polish Weddings (Peter needs to read this!) - https://culture.pl/en/article/a-foreigners-guide-to-polish-weddings

Pole-ish Guest Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

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John and Peter take to the slopes – and the rinks – as we look at Poland’s record in the Winter Olympics. We take a deep dive into the frozen waters in profiling some of Poland’s winter sport heroes, including our Pole of the Week, Wojciech Fortuna – the man who’s ski jump caught everyone by surprise in 1972.

As well as running through some of the nation’s other success on ice and snow, John introduces us to his Food of the Week – a Silesian regional special – and Peter fulminates about the letter ‘zed’ (John would call it ‘zee’) in the Polish language.

We also touch on the frozen Baltic Sea, the interface between a Polish national delicacy and a world-famous rapper, how Britain collected words during its colonial years, and we only very slightly take the mickey out of the ridiculous sport of curling.

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Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Frozen Baltic Sea: https://tvpworld.com/91578140/-thickest-baltic-ice-in-15-years-amid-record-low-water-level

Moczka Recipe: https://www.slaskiesmaki.pl/dish/512141/moczka-potrawa-wigilijna

Poland vs. USSR 1976: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEIQOfrOHNs

Wojciech Fortuna – That Jump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRITSDhgUHs

Honolulu Social Cooperative, Katowice: http://drzwizwanekoniem.pl

Luft shop (where you can buy a Pieroguszka): https://luft-sklep.pl

Our first guest edition introduces the wonderful David Kennedy to the Pole-ish audience. Listen to Scotsman David’s stories about his early visits to Poland, where he witnessed the shipyard strikes in Gdańsk, his lock-out from a Krakow monastery, and the strong bonds between his homeland and his adopted one.

Plus, he plays the part of a guinea pig as he faces the first airing of our ‘Five Big Questions’.

We suspend most of our regular features to leave room for David, but there’s still space for plenty of chit-chat between John and Peter.

Please like, subscribe, share, review and comment, and tell your friends, family and colleagues about us. Dziękujemy.

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Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Bober k*rwa!: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bober-kurwa-bobr-bobrze

List of Polish Desserts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Polish_desserts

Scottish Festival / Dzień Szkocki in Jadów: https://www.dzienszkocki.pl

Scotland / Poland connections: https://www.scotland.org/inspiration/scotland-and-poland

Kraków tartan: https://www.krakow.pl/otwarty_na_swiat/215929,artykul,-szkockakratadlakrakowa.html

Barszcz Ukraiński recipe: https://aniagotuje.pl/przepis/barszcz-ukrainski

Jest Super by T.Love: https://open.spotify.com/track/0IpGOqvBr3mloK9HzrY0GJ?si=ac7bff723e8943d1

John and Peter plunge headfirst into a barrel of Polish traditions and come up for air chatting about pączki, arguably the world’s tastiest doughnuts. In a food-heavy edition, we look at the Polish national sport of grilling sausages, and Peter takes a deep-dive into a bowl of his favourite żurek. Pole of the Week is Maksymilian Faktorowicz, better known as the patron saint of make-up, Max Factor. We also find time to discuss the work of American lexicographer Noah Webster, who single-handedly ruined/improved (delete as appropriate) the English language.

Please subscribe, like, share and comment, and tell your friends, family and colleagues about us. Thank you.

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Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Śmigus-dyngus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Amigus-dyngus

Tlusty czwartek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Thursday#Poland

Authentic pązcki recipe: https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/polish-paczki-donuts-recipe/

Name Days: https://www.kalendarzswiat.pl/imieniny

Noah Webster: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noah-Webster-American-lexicographer

Żurek recipe: https://tinyurl.com/4jf3kh4t

Max Factor’s Micrometer: https://tinyurl.com/5dpyvswv

Episode 1 sees John and Peter cover a lot of early ground, including a weirdly numbered bus, an extraordinary (female) Polish spy, the weather, cheese on toast Kraków style, and a whole load of other stuff.

Please subscribe, like, share and comment, and tell all your friends and colleagues about us. Thank you.

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Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow our socials: Search Facebook, Xwitter and BlueSky for “Pole-ish”

Krystyna Skarbek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krystyna_Skarbek

Zapiekanka at Okrąglak (Kraków): https://maps.app.goo.gl/irzfTTxyJ6T5xaGi8

Hey Now! (Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House): http://youtube.com/watch?v=J9gKyRmic20

666 to Hel: https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/06/14/end-of-the-line-for-polands-666-bus-to-hel/

Suffolk Accent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJWdEo7zpbo

Welcome to the preview edition of the Pole-ish podcast, launching here on 2nd February 2026 with new episodes every Monday thereafter.

Pole-ish is an affectionate, funny and often bemused look at life in Poland from two outsiders who now call it home. Brit Peter MacLeod (Warsaw) and American Johnathan Nett (Kraków) share stories, observations and hard-won wisdom about navigating Polish culture, bureaucracy, language, food and everyday life, with plenty of banter along the way.

Each episode blends personal anecdotes, cultural curiosities, surprising Polish history, expat survival tips and lively features - from Two Nations Divided by a Common Language to Pole of the Week and Hey Now! A Polish Fact You Didn't Know You Didn't Know. Expect laughter, learning, and the occasional tram rumbling past.

First Pancake? It's not yet perfect, but subsequent ones will be.

We’re not Polish, we’re Pole-ish!

Website (under construction, obvs): www.pole-ish.eu

Contact us: [email protected]

Xwitter: @Pole_ishPodcast

Other socials coming soon!

Please like, subscribe, review and tell all your family and friends! Thanks. See you in February.