Uploaded October 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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inyourpocket.com/poland
What we've learned from living in Poland...

1. Beer is cheaper than water in Poland.
2. You are expected to pay for everything with coins, which makes having the necessary coins almost impossible.
3. Poles are convinced that drinking tap water will kill you.
4. Other everyday dangers include: air conditioning, putting ice in your drink, opening windows (unless you put cotton in your ears first), and eating the ends of bananas.
5. Poles bake cakes, not cookies
6. In the fall, instead of pumpkin-spiced lattes, Poles get excited about hot beer, mulled wine, cider, and mead - all of which are way better than pumpkin-spiced anything.
7. Poland is generally a safe country, except for the football hooligans. And the drunken tourists.
8. Ikea in Poland is the cheapest in the world, especially their hot dogs, which only cost $0.27.
9. Poles often seem distant at first, but once you get to know them, they become the warmest, most hospitable people you know.
10. Polish men have terrible fashion sense, but Polish women have impeccable style and dress to the nines, even if they are just going to the grocery store.
11. Everyone will look at your shoes
12. Every Polish family has at least one member who makes moonshine; and pickling is everyone’s hobby.
13. Jars and high-quality plastic bags are treated like endangered species that must be preserved.
14. Poles have an unnatural love for pigeons and sausage dogs.
15. The only time you get ketchup for free with your meal is when you order pizza.
16. Chivalry is alive and well in Poland, which is to say that playing to traditional gender roles will get you much farther with the opposite sex.
17. Polish women love making eye contact with strangers
18. Proving your love for a Polish lady usually means proving to her family that you can hold your vodka at every get-together.
19. With the exception of jazz, Polish music is mostly terrible.
20. Like most Polish traditions, forcing guests to overeat is something no one enjoys, but everyone does.
21. The government employs dozens of people to do the same job, because, as any of the people in that job will tell you, everything is someone else’s responsibility.
22. Church and State are not separate in Poland. In fact, Catholicism and patriotism are essentially the same thing.
23. People’s last names are often ordinary objects, which results in the people in your life having names like Dr. Spider, Mr. Book, Mrs. Horseradish and so on.
24. Slippers are worn at home year-round, and it’s imperative to keep several pairs for guests.
25. Once anything occurs more than twice, it becomes a permanent and hallowed tradition.
26. Poles generally like Americans, but are suspicious of the ones who willingly choose to live in their country.
27. Poles are extremely sensitive, and foreigners aren’t actually qualified to tell them anything about their home country (no matter how long they’ve lived there) smile emoticon

We invite you to comment below with anything you think should be added to the list, and please watch the video, where we had our friends and family read the list, and recorded their reactions!