Milk Bars are government-subsidized lunch restaurants created by Communists in the 1960s. When I first asked some Polish friends for restaurant recommendations, they enthusiastically urged me to go to a Milk Bar, described as "one step up from a soup kitchen." Each day, a list of food items and associated prices are posted (no profit is allowed, so prices fluctuate closely with commodity prices). You go up to a window and order from the never-English-speaking lady, then step down and collect your food from a cafeteria-style window. I finally went to a Milk Bar, and as you can probably guess....
I was yelled at in Polish. I apparently took another woman's Pierogi from the cafeteria window. Once I realized the yelling was directed at me, I froze and took a few slow steps backwards. I knew this was the correct action, as the yelling subsided and a huffy woman marched up to me and snatched the plate from my hands. I hope she understood my reason for stealing food at a government-supported soup kitchen. Honestly, I didn't mind paying the one dollar for my meal!
Photo: Milk Bar (Bar Mleczny) in 1982
Photo: Milk Bar (Bar Mleczny) in 1982
1 comment:
Poor you! You must truly feel like a stranger in a strange place - because that's what you are. As an expat myself (though not in as difficult a country as Poland), I find it quite exhausting to adapt to the cultural mores of my new country. I'm learning not to take what seems like (or is) being yelled at so personally .... although when someone is speaking in a loud, annoyed voice two inches from your face it feels very personal indeed.
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