Polish Vodka?

I put some nice thoughts in the Music Room! Best Modern Composer, Munch's Mozart thread, and the Elgar Violin Concerto thread!

Otherwise incapacited! G

Real Party, on Fiday, however, as I must appear compus menuts at work tomorrow!

I almost feel like posting my NI number as anyone who wants it can have my identity! Though no imitiation could possibly pass muster. I spoke earlier to Frank F and Munch! before the Finale [should that be Fine Ale!] but after the Vorspiel, or mpre correctly the Overture, and I even had some nice gifts, including the nicest of the lot, a white Carnation ...

Well last night was supposed to be proper birthday party, but everyone was tired to near exhaustion so after just a couple of bottles I went to sleep! Add in two shots of some terrible Russia Vodka, and the picture was complete. Morpheus!

Tonight we actually simply enjoyed a film [[Hannibal Lector, the first film, and several times I had to turn away] and a quiet drink of Carlsberg ... Much better!

Goodnight from George

Third day, and as ever with the spontaneous, easily the least worriable.

I had beautiful bottle of Wyborawa
[Exqusite] which I shared tonight. What ever is about the "piss artist formerly known as Fredrik" that seeems to see everyone including my notorious Polish friends under the table?

It was a proper an unrestrained party tonight!

ATB from George [a ntural survivor, perhaps, at least till I die]!

I was given a bottle of Russian "Putinoff" Vodka yesterday. I have not yet felt compelled to try it!

In fact Christmas has been very sober so far! Perhaps I will try to correct this tomorrow!

I have come home at the earliest moment, after finding the whole business of celebrating Christmas with my adolescent nephew and niece a rather unrelaxed and unfunny business. If I had had my way both would have sumarily have been sent to bed till they grew up a bit, at only 3pm on the Tuesday afternnon. We ate the diner and I went to bed at only 7.30pm complaining, falsely, of a headache.

To whom did these younsters feeling they were showing off? It did not impress me one little bit.

The best part was walking the dog, a delightful 8 month old Ayredale Terrier called Maurice, this morning. He had instantly taken to me, and was the perfect gentleman, happy to be tied up outside the newsagent for a few minutes, and who greated everyone we met in a proper festive, kind, and enthusiastic way!

I think I like dogs better than many people!

ATB from George

Russian Putinoff Vodka is to be avoided. In very good company we consumed it after a litre of Smirnoff, which is less awful, so next time we must be sure of Polish, or Finish origin!

Kindest thoughts for all, George

Well, the twelvth night saw the Christams and New Year party that should have happened, but for various reasons didn't

No Vodka, only a small amount of good beer, and the kind of conversation to be glad of!

Home safe and will sleep now!

Mind the bugs don't bite! George!!

A new one to me and lovely post prandial Christmas present!

Wodka Zoladkowa Gorzka - please don't ask me just how that is said! the spelling is already an approximation!

Very nuch the Southern Comfort of Vodkas. No juice needed, nor the expectation of downing the shot in one! Very pleasnat, and no effect at all, except that no doubt you would realise it if you tried to stand up too fast after a good conversation saw a bottle off! Still 40%!

George

That little compartment in the back of the phone is for batteries, not pouring Vodka into!

ATB from George

Did you get your mobile back munch?

OK vodka drinkers pay attention.....BBC news reports 'fake' vodka is appearing on sale in the UK which can cause blindness (probably got methyl alochol in it).One area mentioned in particular was Hertfordshire. Trading standards are aware and are trying to deal with this dangerous fraud.

This is not a joke!

regards
Geoff

Dear Geoff,

Before Christmas we had a party based on some black - you literally could not see through it - Russian Vodka, and when I Skyped a friend of mine, back in Poland, about it his wry comment was that we had invited Death into the house.

The Russians make some of the best Vodka, and it is expensive, but also some of the worst. Some of it is more akin to rejected anti-freeze!

Fortunately my Vodka comes exclusively from Poland - bought there! I don't think anyone would sell dodgy Vodka in Poland and expect a very fine time of it!

But it is no surprise that rough stuff is creeping in. There has been a sort Vodka revolution since the Poles arrived, and every corner shop now has lots of it, and most is considered beneath contempt by the Poles I know!

But it does pays to be careful. Thanks for point this out, Geoff.

ATB from George

Dear Munch,

It is a funny sort of a drink. In good company with good food, it really does not make you feel drunk so much as happy! But get up to go home, or the loo, and you suddenly realise your legs are not quite so accurately connected to your bains as you thought! Once up, it does seem possible to pass off as being reasonably under control!

A fortnight ago, six of us saw of four bottle of Poland's best between 2 and 6 in the morning. I had just picked my one friend up from Bristol, and was wondering when I would post about that! Everyone went to work [late shifts next day, and obviously walked home quite happily. It took me 40 minutes rather than the usual 25, but it was pleasantly scenic!

It is amazing, but I have never seen the kind of lack of control that comes from too much beer, and causes spillages! It is too good to spill!

Doesn't give you a headache either if you get the good stuff. No doubt too many repititons would ruin the liver though!

Partly why it does not make you ill is that it essential to take apple juice in a tall glass immediately after the shot of Vodka! That prevents the usual effects of dehydration, which causes the headache, apparently!

ATB from George

Well there was a funny reflection on that Party! Chris T- said that he had never seen an Englishman take his Vodka like a man before. I pointed out that I am half Norwegian. I might also have pointd out that I also have had some very good training!

"That explains it!" was his response. Once Poles know you will behave at a party then they welcome you into the fun without hestiation!

The general rule is that each person brings a bottle, though my one friend, Pawel, brought my bottle [fresh from Poland via the flight to Bristol]! As he says, "It's bettter than a bus." Me driving the old Volvo that is! And the subsequent party is much more fun!

George

I'll bring the Wodka. I can source that, safely! You just make sure we have a couple of litres of apple juice each! Shot glasses! We need them! I'll get some more in Tesco! Cheap as chips!

Maybe, I'll bring some proper sausage too! It is cured: You do not have to recook it, though there are some nice simple things we can do with it in a Wok!

George

PS: Make sure there is a bit of space in the freezer for the bottle as it is much nicer very cold!

Midnight News on Radio Four.

"More Poles are mow returning home to Poland than arriving in UK."

I predicted this almost two years ago! More than three quarters say will return home from what I know of it, though the returning number may of course be less than that. Some have managed to nail very good jobs indeed, for which their education system has fited them better than our relatively unsuccessful one has not fitted our younsters. This a sad fact which should make us examine how a small poor country in the former Soviet block can possibly have such a splendid system commpared to our own, in one of the most successful capitalist countries in the world, where there should be no shortage of money or expertise.

This Polish home coming will be fantastic news for Poland, methinks!

George

I suspect partly because modern Poland is a damn sight more "capitalist" than our own nanny state nightmare. If you don't work hard at school and find yourself a job you don't just get knocked up and get given a council house.

Our school system now has a stupid prizes for everyone ethos, it's a complete joke. I have a Masters degree I quite frankly don't think I should have to have spent the time doing in order to be qualified for what I do now, but it's necesary because everyone and their pet hamster now has an undergrad degree.

And Polish vodka is the best drink in existance, and comes in as many varietys as wine! I have been in love with the stuff since my (Polish) grandfather introduced me to it at 12!!!

Dear djftw,

It is certainly true that malingerers in Poland would find the time very hard!

The trouble with any safety net, such as the Welfare System in UK, is that it is put there with the best of intentions, to protect those who genuinely cannot help themselves, and then come the scammers, who get to know the system inside out and know exactly what to do to get their free ride.

For all that there are homeless people in the UK, and it is not too hard to fall through the system, as it exists. One question I was asked recently concerning the issue of housing was whether I had any dependant children. Apparently if I did have then things would become very easy indeed. As it is I have learned a great deal about how the system requires me to qualify for assistance. Up till twelve months ago, I would have said that I would never countenance asking for any sort of state [paid for by tax payers] assistance.

I have paid tax and National Insurance for nearly 30 years, and my view is now different. I shall get myself organised over the coming months, and should the need arise, then I shall be asking for whatever allows for survival.

I cannot really post exactly why I do not qualify for any assistance beyond Jobseeker's Allowance, but let me just say that I shall be making the necessary changes to allow for full income assistance, in case another period of unemployment comes along. This is not entirely unlikely, as getting a job without a term contract and ending date is now very difficult in the UK outside really awful burger serving type jobs on legal minimum [not actually survivable] wage, or of course in a good profession.

Needless to say, as someone who started work at the age of 15, I do not have professional qualifications!

George

quote:

The trouble with any safety net, such as the Welfare System in UK, is that it is put there with the best of intentions, to protect those who genuinely cannot help themselves, and then come the scammers, who get to know the system inside out and know exactly what to do to get their free ride.

Which is just to say that as soon as we open ourselves up to help those less fortunate (and, are we so fortunate? will we always be as fortunate as we think we are now?) we (unavoidably) open ourselves up to abuse by the unscrupulous. Still, the world would be a poor, inhospitable place if we never took that risk. What is it with this anxiety about being scammed anyway? Are we afraid of being made to look foolish? Personally, I don't mind being taken for a ride by the (unhappy!) few, as long as the welfare state continues to provide vital support to the many who need it.

More aimed at the previous poster who came across as rather knee-jerky than you George! Will e-mail you soon about the Edwin Fisher, which I'm enjoying very much.

Dear Droo!

I think you will note the slight tinge of disappointment, that in spite of all, I actually could not do more than pay the rent on state support [Jobseekers was £9 a week more than my rent!] between the week before Christmas, and two and a half weeks ago! I am not decrying the Welfare State at all, as I am sure that you realise and your post seems to suggest as much.

I don't particularly enjoy the thought that there are people taking a free ride when due to an anomalous set of conditions I could get nothing other than Jobseekers, and my goodness I did do some vigourous job seeking! The irony of this is that not only could I not get housing benefit, but would still have to pay prescription charges and all the other things. I was in no position to do such if the circumstance had arisen, which just shows how even now one can fall straight through the net! Let me say that I am not sitting on a fortune of savings or whatever. the answer was much more prosaic than that and related to what appea4red to be a prudent decision taken quite a long time ago! It is reversable and will be rversed.

In a country like Poland where the assistance is less comprehensive than in UK, the family remains a bulwark, and that is certainly not generally the case in UK. Our very culture has been fashioned in a manner by sixty years of Welfare State. I am sure that those who have never been in a position to need state assistance will in some cases feel that they disagree with it. I personally can see faults with it, but would not want to see it rolled back to the old days when the fallback was on charities and the Workhouses. My goodness that was uncivilised.

George

quote:

I am not decrying the Welfare State at all, as I am sure that you realise and your post seems to suggest as much.

Yes, understood George. My point was simply that the inevitable price of being good-natured is that one's good nature is occasionally abused, and that it's futile to get "het up" about it - or, worse, to recoil into mean-spiritedness.

What actually happened: I typed a rather frosty response to djftw's post, which struck me as way too knee-jerky. Decided that it wasn't worth the aggro, and hit "cancel". Then saw your post, and decided to reply anyway, but in a much more considered - and hopefully constructive - fashion.

Sorry to hear about your poor experience of the welfare state, nevertheless.

quote:

In a country like Poland where the assistance is less comprehensive than in UK, the family remains a bulwark, and that is certainly not generally the case in UK. Our very culture has been fashioned in a manner by sixty years of Welfare State. I am sure that those who have never been in a position to need state assistance will in some cases feel that they disagree with it. I personally can see faults with it, but would not want to see it rolled back to the old days when the fallback was on charities and the Workhouses. My goodness that was uncivilised.

I wouldn't disagree, I was merely pointing out that the welfare state in its current incarnation seems disproportionately weighted towards people who have no desire to help themselves. In my opinion the flip side and far worse aspect of that problem (as your own case appears to be an example of) is that the welfare state often doesn't help those whom it should.

It is sad though that society has broken down to the extent that people go to the state rather than their family when they are in need of help. As to the charity thing, I'd actually like to see more charity and less state compulsion. The idea that people need to be forced to separate from their money through taxation in order to help the needy suggests to me an assumption that people don't want to help their fellow man. I also think having worked with charities, that they generally are much better at providing services and targeting them where they are needed as they are unencumbered by political considerations.

I would like to think I'm not especially knee-jerky! I should maybe work on not making flippant comments, that or we need a smiley that shows we are being sardonic!

Hi djftw - thanks for taking the time to expand on your views, it's much appreciated. I take back my knee-jerk, "knee jerk" comment!

No problem!

I like this thread. I really do! Thanks not only those who have been so nice recently on it, but all through!

I shall have some more Polish stories before too long I hope!

George

Funny thing today. I was supposed to read a water meter on a caravan site, but there was no person to find in the reception! There was a phone number, so I called it:

"Tak! Oh Hello! ..."

Tak means "Yes!" I said that I recognised the lingo! The manager, a Pole, then showed me the caravan and I found the meter among the shrubbery ...

As I was laid off [yesterday] from Friday [once again, but it was temp'ing, though the cut came three weeks early - obviously I have worked too fast] I decided to chew the cud for twenty minutes with a temendous character! Lovely end to the day! Don't worry, my hour return will reflect the work done, not the time doing it!

George