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Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2015

the_god_kind_of_wisdom_std_t_nv

Let us seek
His wisdom.

Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: “Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”

Jesus was really putting it all out there: “the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The people listening to Him went from confusion to serious concern: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

How indeed! To keep properly Kosher, that is to observe Kashrut, the body of Jewish law dealing with what foods can and cannot be eaten and how those foods must be prepared and eaten, these people could not possibly consume human flesh nor drink blood. Not consuming blood is strictly prohibited in the Torah (see Leviticus 7:26-27 and 17:10-14). The Torah states that one must not eat blood because the life of the animal (literally, the soul) is contained in the blood.

Therein is the wisdom of what Jesus is saying to us, the key to His love for us. His earthly mission and His everlasting desire are to give Himself for and to us. He gives us His soul – His lifeblood.

Some of us may have donated blood at work, church, or in our community. What a wonderful gift to give. We can draw a comparison between our gifts of life giving blood to what Jesus has done for us in His flesh and blood. We can perceive the great wisdom of His gift.

While our gift can only help a few people and as a rule only those who have compatible blood types, Jesus gave His blood for each of us. Jesus’ blood reaches people of every blood type – of every race, rank, class, tribe, and tongue. Our giving of blood is a donation while Jesus’ gift was a complete sacrificial self-giving. When we give blood we do so in sterile conditions under medical supervision. Jesus’ gift was drawn-out, tortuous, and painful. Our donated blood is very expensive for those who may receive it. Jesus’ blood is free to all who claim Him by faith. If our blood is not used, it expires in a little over a month. Jesus’ blood is as effective today as it was when it was given at the cross. One pint of our blood can save up to three lives. One drop of the Jesus’ blood has saved the world (John 3:16).

By giving us the gift of His flesh and blood He fully gives Himself to us. The wisdom therein is that through His gift we have His soul in us and inherit eternal life. Ever seek His wisdom.

Art, Events, Media, Perspective, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , , , , , , ,

Fall-Winter Edition of the Cosmopolitan Review

The Fall-Winter edition of the Cosmopolitan Review has been published. Here’s the preview:

Poland has been commemorating anniversaries all year and those of us observing from a distance have shared in the country’s happiness. True, some of those anniversaries mark events that were far from happy, but now they are not only far in the past but also signify a remarkable endurance and resilience.

To share this joy, CR’s own Justine Jablonska put together a photo essay illustrating these significant dates with selected personalities from the arts, letters and politics of this successful country. We also invited Andrew Nagorski to say a few words, which he does with elegance and affection. And we have musicians from Wawel (top left) for a rousing chorus of Sto lat!

But as faithful readers all know, CR’s Poland is wherever there are Poles, and we hope our British friends forgive us if the sun never sets on us for a change. This issue, we write about Poles in Africa from the perspective of people who cherish the memory of their enchanted childhood, complete with an escape from the clutches of a monster. They hold regular reunions in Wrocław. A refugees’ reunion, you ask? It’s a psychological and social phenomenon Amanda Chalupa feels compelled to study.

About the same time that Polish kids frolicked with boa constrictors in Africa, Polish cabaret stars entertained Polish troops serving in the Polish II Corps under General Władysław Anders. Beth Holmgren, who has made interwar cabaret her own, introduces us to some very talented people as The Cabaret Goes to War.

Whatever has been said about the long communist era, artists find a way. Justine Jablonksa reviews Eric Bednarski’s beautiful film about dreamy neon signs created in a system that never delivered the goods that were advertised. A bit surreal? Tune in to the conversation.

Still with films, Małgorzata Dzieduszycka casts a sensitive eye on Jan Komasa’s MIASTO 44 and on Warsaw Uprising. There will never be a last word on this event, nor could it be otherwise.

Ben Paloff muses on the poet laureate of the wartime generation, Krzysztof Baczyński. Is he, as Magda Romańska suggested, “Bob Dylan, William Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda and James Dean rolled into one,” or is he more like Keats, or maybe Marcel Proust?

We move on to the 2nd largest Polish city in the world, Chicago, specifically Stuart Dybek’s Chicago. Agnieszka Tworek explores this gifted writer’s perceptive and sympathetic stories about the gritty immigrant neighborhood of Chicago, and has a few questions for the award-winning author as well.

We are pleased to have another review by the young Toronto-based historian, Michał Kasprzak, whose great writing could upstage the authors under discussion. But with consummate skill, he instead seduces people to read – and maybe even buy! – the book. In this case it is the new history of modern Poland by Brian Porter-Szücs who examined Poland and came up with a startling diagnosis: Poles are normal people, just like everybody else. Some of us have long suspected as much but were waiting for a professional confirmation. Kasprzak will fill you in.

And we end with a fitting finale. Pomp, history, great plans and good feelings fill Martin Grzadka’s account of Canada’s first state visit to Poland. Yes, much business was discussed but the warm bilateral relations were the icing on the cake for a young professional proud to be a citizen of both countries.

Before we go, we invite you to look at our About Us page, where we introduce our stellar cast of Contributing Editors. We look forward to an exciting 2015.

Art, Events, Media, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political, , , , , , , , ,

Summer Issue of the Cosmopolitan Review

The summer issue of the Cosmopolitan Review has been published. The authors note:

The arts, in all their variety, are mirrors that reflect a people. We owe so much to artists. They make us laugh, cry, think, and see ourselves in our infinite variety, so no wonder we admire those talented people who create images, words and music that enrich our lives.

This issue, we focus on them, whether we find them working in films, theatre, or galleries, composing music or performing it, writing plays or acting, or writing prose or poetry. You’ll find them all represented here.

Let’s start with the movies. For that we’re grateful to Agnieszka Niezgoda and Jacek Laskus, whose marvelous book, Hollywood.pl, introduces us to some of the most talented people to ever leave Poland – not necessarily forever – and make their mark in the dream capital of the world.

Hollywood has been a talent magnet for a long time and one of the first superstars was Poland’s Pola Negri. Justine Jablonska reviews her story written by Mariusz Kotowski.

Poland’s poets… as once written in the New York Times, “if cash money were on the line…” few critics would bet against Polish poets being the best in the world. With that in mind, Agnieszka Tworek spoke to award-winning translator Joanna Trzeciak about her work – and her friendship – with two of the greats: Wisława Szymborka and Tadeusz Różewicz.

And speaking of poets, Magda Romanska introduces us to a poet and playwright who also happens to be a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Roald Hoffman. Join them for a discussion about the arts and science, and about Polish roots.

Beth Holmgren revisits prewar Polish cabaret… and its postwar reappearance in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, Lara Szypszak has a few suggestions about galleries, performances and generally low cost and easily accessible culture in Warsaw. Join her.

An anthology of modern Polish plays, (A)pollonia, came to our attention via Will Harrington. The eleven plays, some performed in many countries, are set in Poland but deal with universal themes.

Łukasz Wodzyński returns to CR to share his love, and understanding, of modern Polish literature with an essay about the Introduction to Polish Literature by Jarosław Anders and a review of a new edition of Gomrowicz’s Diary, with the great writer’s thoughts on everything from the Catholic Church to Marxism, and the human condition in general.

Finally, there’s that long established and very special art form that, over time, has left us a record of some of the most interesting people in every culture: letter writing. We bring back that most colorful member of the original, 19th century Polish Society of California – not to mention a great American patriot, Rudolf Korwin Piotrowski, in a translation of previously unpublished letters found in the library of Jagiellonian University by the research/writing team, Maureen Mroczek Morris and Lynn Ludlow, who seem to travel between centuries with the greatest of ease.

And another writer whose letters transcend time and place, Krystyna Wituska, will be remembered in Germany on June 26th with a new book and a monument unveiled by the Memorial Centre in Halle Saale. A young member of the Polish underground, her words about war and peace, friendship and love, hairstyles, fashion, literature and fun, as well as life and death, were written to her parents and also – in what must be a unique prison correspondence – to the daughter of her compassionate German prison guard. Seems Wituska’s letters were written for our troubled times.

Enjoy the summer, read a lot, visit galleries and theatres, go to movies, and tip your hat to the creative people who make all this possible.

Events, , , ,

Basket Social in Schenectady This Weekend

My parish’s ever popular Basket Social will be held this Sunday, April 6th at the VFW Hall at 1309 Fifth Avenue in Schenectady. Doors open at noon. Besides our usual wide array of baskets, there will be door prizes and great Polish food and homemade desserts from our traditional Polish kitchen. Come by and enjoy an afternoon of fun, good food, and plenty of chances to win one or more amazing baskets.

BasketSocial2014

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New York Folklore Events

Society for The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) for their 2014 Annual Conference: “Connecting the Past, Present, and Future”

New York Folklore Society to Partner with the Society for The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) for their 2014 Annual Conference: “Connecting the Past, Present, and Future,” April 23-26, 2014 at The Strong, Rochester, NY

TASP is a multidisciplinary organization that promotes the study of play, support and cooperate with other organizations having similar purposes, and organize meetings and publications that facilitate the sharing and dissemination of information related to the study of play. TASP’s broad focus includes many disciplines and scholarly interests, including folklore and anthropology.

With a shared interest in folklore and play, it is appropriate that the New York Folklore Society partner with The Association for the Study of Play for their 2014 conference.

NYFS members are invited to register for the conference at the TASP member rate. In honor of TASP’s 40th anniversary, they also invite New York Folklore Society participants to attend their 40th birthday bash.

NYFS will co-host the opening reception and present a panel, “The Folklore of Play,” on Thursday morning (April 24).

Register here for the Conference. When Registering, please mention the New York Folklore Society in the “Comments” section.

Farm and Field: The Rural Folk Arts of the Catskill Region

An exhibition of rural images, taken by photographer, Benjamin Halpern, will be on display at Delaware County Maple Weekends (March 23-23; 29-30).

“Farm and Field: The Rural Folk Arts of the Catskill Region” is one of the New York Folklore Society’s latest collaborative initiatives to document and showcase the rural folk arts of the Catskills region of New York State, especially those folk arts which relate to the community of farmers and agricultural workers in this region. The Catskills region continues to have a strong agricultural identity, with the dairy industry continuing to play a prominent role. By documenting and highlighting these ongoing activities, particularly as they are expressed in established and emerging artistic traditions, we hope to shine a light on this identity.

Photographs are made by Benjamin Halpern, a professional, who hails from Sullivan County, and whose childhood memories take him back to the dairy farms that once surrounded his home town. His objectives are to define the connection between the modern landscape and its people, and the cultural connection between the modern farmers and their agrarian roots.

Over the next several months, visitors and audience members can look forward to photographic exhibits, arts-based community activities, storytelling projects, and more.

The Exhibition, “Farm and Field,” will be showcased at the following locations: Shaver Hill Farm, Harpersfield; Brookside Maple, DeLancy; and Catskill Mountain Maple, Andes.

This collaborative project involves many partners. Photographer, Benjamin Halpern of Sullivan County has been a primary project architect who has supplied dozens of images of agriculture and its role on the landscapes of the Catskill region. Other partners include Catskills Folk Connection, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, Delaware County Historical Association, and the Pine Hill Community Center. The project has been supported with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

Beard Foundation name Polish Restaurant ‘American Classic’

A humble family restaurant overlooking downtown Cleveland along the Cuyahoga River has won a won a nationwide culinary award. It has served many manner of dignitaries and local residents over the years who have dinned on its Polish cuisine and enjoyed the genuine hospitality shown by its owners who work there every day.

From the Cleveland Pain Dealer: Sokolowski’s University Inn named a James Beard Foundation ‘American Classic’ award winner

CLEVELAND, Ohio — With tens of thousands of roadhouses, barbecue spots, fried chicken joints and family restaurants across the USA, it’s a rare honor to be named among the best in the country — by the nation’s top culinary honors.

Sokolowski’s University Inn in Cleveland’s Tremont area can now make that claim. On Thursday, the James Beard Foundation named the landmark cafeteria one of its 2014 “American Classics” recipients. Only five restaurants earn the distinction each year.

sokolowskis“Every year, the America’s Classics Awards are a favorite part of the [Beard Awards] ceremony,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation, in a press statement. “These honorees represent the unique American dream of people who have created enduring, quality restaurants and food establishments that reflect the character and hospitality of their cities and community.”

“It’s like winning the Oscar, you know?” said Mike Sokolowski, co-owner of the restaurant with brother, Mike, and sister, Mary Balbier. “You work your whole life, cleaning toilets and all the other kinds of work you do as a kid, working in your parents business and everything else, and … eventually it pays off.

“We couldn’t be happier. The whole family is so proud.”

Although the siblings were notified several weeks ago that their restaurant was under consideration, Mike Sokolowski explains, they were asked to maintain the information as confidential until a formal announcement was made. Subsequently, a camera crew from New York came in to photograph and videotape.

Each year, five food establishments in different parts of the nation receive the honor. Businesses must be in existence for at least 10 years, and be locally owned to be considered for the recognition. According to the Foundation’s Awards criteria, the American Classics prizes is “given to restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved for quality food that reflects the character of their community.”

…

In naming the Cleveland landmark, the Foundation described the restaurant this way:

“In 1923 Victoria and Michael Sokolowski founded a Polish restaurant on a bank of the Cuyahoga in Cleveland. Today, Sokolowski’s University Inn serves edible homages to the city’s immigrant-driven industrial past, dishing sturdy comfort foods like cabbage rolls that once fueled the city’s growth.

“Pierogis, stuffed with whipped potatoes, bathed in butter, and drenched in caramelized onions, are everyday specials. The Sokolowski family does right by Midwestern dishes, too. They beer-batter and fry Lake Erie perch. They craft their own bratwurst and smoked kielbasa.

“What began as a tavern when the Tremont neighborhood was flush with blue-collar steelworkers, expanded to cafeteria-style service in the 50s, and has evolved, more recently into a touchstone restaurant for Polish families in search of their culinary roots.”

Mike Sokolowski says that it’s those customers, and tens of thousands of others over the year, who have made his family’s restaurant a timeless Cleveland landmark.

“We know we can’t please every person who walks through the line, though we try,” he says. “But we’ve been blessed by so many wonderful people who trudge through all the construction around us in Tremont and stand in line waiting for our food.”

He and his siblings will be going to New York City for the awards ceremony, which will be held during the annual James Beard Awards on Monday, May 5 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

“We view it as a huge honor,” he said, emotion welling in his voice. “I look at my Mom and Dad and all the hard work they put in — and the morals they taught us, to do the right thing. This is a great award for them, too. I know they’re looking down and smiling.”

The James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception: The ceremony takes place Monday, May 5 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Christian Witness, PNCC, , ,

PNCC parishioner enjoys life and works hard at 94

From the Observer-Reporter: 94 year old not slowing down
Energetic 94 year-old helps local church with fish fry deliveries

Every Friday during the Lenten season … the volunteers at Holy Trinity National Catholic Church fish fry dash around the kitchen, frying and cooking sandwiches, cabbage and sauerkraut, pierogies and french fries.

And every week, parishioner Ted Sikora, who celebrates his 94th birthday today, shows up, ready to deliver lunch orders.

Sikora might be the most popular delivery man in Washington County.

Customers enjoy it when Sikora cheerily arrives, carrying brown bags filled with fish, and spends a few minutes chatting.

“He’s never met a stranger. People are amazed by the fact that he’s 94,” said Sikora’s son, Tom, who helps coordinate the parish fish fry. “He loves talking to people.”

Sikora said he’s cut back the amount of deliveries he makes to four or five on Fridays, but he enjoys making his rounds.

“I like to be active around the church and help around the fish fry,” said Sikora, who served as an altar boy at the church for more than a decade as he was growing up.

He shows no signs of slowing down. Sikora gets up at about 7 a.m. every morning and hits the gym, exercising for about two hours at the Cameron Wellness Center. Three times a week, he takes Zumba classes and he swims daily.

Sikora lives on his own, in the house that he built in Washington in 1949 (“I did everything but the plaster and the furnace; I nailed every board, laid every brick, and I’m proud of it,” he said) and he plants a garden every spring.

He’s fit and healthy, and the only concession he’s made to getting older is wearing a pair of hearing aids. And he also enjoys indulging in cookies.

Sikora is also one of the most optimistic and happy men you’re likely to meet.

“I’m very happy with the life I led, and not may people can live a long life and be so happy,” he said.

He and his wife, Mildred, were married for 61 years before she passed away in 2007, and Sikora credits her for much of his happiness.

The two met at Washington Park, where Sikora had gone to listen to an orchestra. He thought she was pretty, so he asked her to dance.

“The next thing you know, we were getting married. I had a very happy marriage,” said Sikora. “My wife and I raised four kids and we had a happy time doing it. She had a tough time at the end and I took care of her for the past several years, but I owed it to her. She was quite a wife and we had a great marriage.”

Sikora worked as a machinist for the Pennsylvania Transformer and served as a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force during World War II.

Sikora’s mother lived to be 103, and he currently holds the title as the oldest parishioner.

He attends mass every Sunday, and then hosts a brunch at his house.

And, of course, looks forward to the fish fries.

“I’ll keep on doing that for a long time,” said Sikora. “It’s been a bright life. I love my family and my friends. I have a lot of friends, and that makes me feel great.”

PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , , ,

What you should know…

An article by Matt Soniak, written to honor the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Polish immigrants in America in 2008 recently re-appeared, at mental_floss. It presents a great retrospective of the contributions of Polish immigrants to life and culture in the Americas. Below are a few of the highlights including Poish-American’s organizing of the Polish National Catholic Church from 8 Things You Need to Know About Polish Americans:

1. We got to the party early, and brought a lot of friends.

In 1608, the first Polish immigrants arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, and were quickly recruited by the colony as craftsmen in the colony’s glassmaking and woodworking industries. (They also dug the colony’s first well.) After a decade in Jamestown, the Poles still did not have the right to vote in the elections of the colonial government, and in 1619, they held the first labor strike in America. By walking off the job, they affected the local industry enough that voting rights were granted to them.

Just before America began to fight to gain its independence, Poland lost its own. In 1772, 1793 and 1795, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned by Prussia, Russia and Austria. The first of three major waves of Polish immigration occurred after the partition when Polish nobles, political dissidents and other Poles fled their occupied nation.

A second wave took place between 1860 and World War I. Although the reconstitution of Poland was parts of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, and Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic, a few million Poles had already left for America because industrialization had driven them from their farms.

The third and largest wave lasted from the end of World War I to the end of the Cold War, again mostly made up of political refugees. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and emergence of the Third Polish Republic, a fourth wave of immigrants, who generally come to earn money and eventually return to Poland, began. Today, there are an estimated 10 million Americans of Polish descent.

2. We’re mostly found in clusters in the Northeast

Polish immigrants were considered well-suited for manual labor, and were often recruited for work in coal mines and the steel industry. Because of that, the largest Polish American populations can still be found in states that were industrial centers in the 20th century, like Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan (here’s a map of Polish American hot spots).

The largest Polish American population can be found in Chicago, which with 185,000 Polish speakers calls itself the largest Polish city outside of Poland. The cities and towns of Pennsylvania’s Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, including Wilkes-Barre (my home sweet home), Scranton, Hazleton, Pittston and Nanticoke, are also home to large Polish populations because of the area’s once-large coal deposits.

3. We made some big steps for religion in this country

When the predominantly Roman Catholic Poles came to America en masse in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Catholic Church here had no Polish bishops and very few Polish priests. A group of Polish immigrants in Scranton broke away in 1897 and formed the Polish National Catholic Church. Today, the PNCC has 126 parishes in North America and 60,000 members.

While Poland is largely Roman Catholic, it has had a small Muslim population since the 14th century, when Tatar tribes began settling in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A group of Polish Muslims who emigrated to the U.S. co-founded the first Muslim organization in Brooklyn in 1907 and, in 1926, built a mosque that’s still in use today.

4. We’ve got friends in high places

Polish Americans you might be familiar with include Kristen Bell, Maria Bello, Scarlett Johansson, John Krasinski, Mike Krzyzewski, Jerry Orbach, John Ratzenberger, Gore Verbinski, the Wachowski brothers, the Warner brothers, Pat Benatar, Dick Dale, Liberace, Richie Sambora, Jack White, Pat Sajak, Martha Stewart, Steve Wozniak, Richard Feynman, Gene Krupa and Mike Ditka.

While they may not be household names, other Polish Americans have done some pretty important things. Stephanie Kwolek developed Kevlar. Albert Abraham Michelson was the first American to receive the Nobel Prize in the sciences for his work on measuring the speed of light. Curtis Sliwa founded the Guardian Angels. Ruth Handler co-founded the Mattel toy company and created the Barbie doll. Leo Gerstenzang invented the Q-tip…

5. George Washington loved us

Among the Polish immigrants to America after the partitions was Casimir Pułaski, a Polish noble and soldier, who was recruited by Benjamin Franklin to help lead the American army. PuÅ‚aski was made a general and had a large role in training the Continental Army. He later created [the] Pułaski’s Legion, one of America’s first cavalry regiments, and is regarded as “the father of American cavalry.”…

6. There ain’t no Christmas like a Polish Christmas

Wigilia, the traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner, begins when the first evening star appears. Twelve meatless courses (one for each of the apostles) are served after a white wafer called the oplatek, is broken and shared among the diners while they exchange good wishes (a separate pink wafer is shared with the animals). For the dinner, there should be an even number of people at the table to ensure good health, with one empty chair reserved anyone who happens to stop by. Tasting all twelve courses ensures good luck in the new year. After supper, Christmas carols are sung in Polish, and the celebration culminates with family and friends going to Pasterka, the Midnight Mass.

7. We didn’t invent the polka, but we do love it

While often attributed to the Polish, the polka actually originated in Bohemia…

8. Our food is awesome

Do you like kielbasa? How about pierogis? You’re welcome.

Events, PNCC,

Harvest Dinner at St. Valentine’s, Northampton, MA

St. Valentine’s Parish, 127 King St., Northampton, MA is holding a Harvest Dinner featuring Roast Pork and Turkey on Sunday, October 27th at 12 noon. Tickets are $15/person; $7 for children 12 and under. Reservations can be made by calling the Rectory Office at 413-584-0133. The deadline for reservations is October 23rd. Prior to the dinner Holy Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m.

Harvest Dinner flyer 2013

Current Events, Events, Media, Perspective, Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , , , , ,

The Cosmopolitan Review – Summer Edition

The Cosmopolitan Review, A Transatlantic Review of Things Polish, in English has issued its Summer 2013 edition jam packed with books, art, poetry, events, and excellent information.

CR welcomes summer, as does Poland. And nowhere is the summer solstice more beautifully welcomed than in Poland, with the ancient festival of Wianki (wreaths), when barefoot girls in white dresses bring floral wreaths to a river’s edge, cast them in the water, and leave them to fate’s caprice.

The wianki, elaborate works of art involving branches, flowers and candles, float downriver to the delight of children and adults alike. More wreaths are fashioned into floral crowns embellished with figures of birds, butterflies and anything else the artistic imagination can come up with. Extravagance has no limits on this day; the hats of Ascot pale by comparison perhaps because wianki – as opposed to hats – is not a commercial enterprise. One can only hope that this festival will forever stay as it is, that Hallmark will never create Wianki greeting cards, and shopping malls will never have Wianki Day Specials. Though purveyors of food, drink and music are welcome. And we’ve just learned that there is a Wianki fest in Washington, D.C. Good to know in case you don’t make it to Kraków next year.

Luckily, “Poland” is wherever Polish people are, as is stated so eloquently in Hanka Ordonówna’s wonderful book about children when their Poland was just “two rooms.” For thousands of us, Poland has been, at one time or another, in India, Africa, New Zealand, Mexico and beyond.

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In this issue, we highlight India, mainly because of the marvelous book by Indian author Anuradha Bhattacharjee, The Second Homeland: Polish Refugees in India. That Polish landscape included elephants, exotic fruit, generous Maharajas and a superb cast of characters ranging from cabaret stars to theosophists.

[AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”8132107071″]

Books, as always. Michał Kasprzak weighs in on Marci Shore’s The Taste of Ashes; there’s a review of Magda Romanska’s new anthology of Bogusław Schaeffer’s works. And two writers have a problem with Agata Tuszyńska’s Vera Gran.

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On the light side, an Englishman’s adventures – misadventures? – begin with his future bride’s father saying “No.” He also notes that while English weddings are heavy on speeches, Polish weddings emphasize food and dancing. He indulges in the eternal rivalry between Kraków and Warsaw as well, so to cool that, CR puts the spotlight on enchanting Zamość.

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And now to food! As noted in The Guardian: No processed cheeses, no tinned fish, no just-add-water packets… think Provence, with beetroot. Which brings us to two new Polish cookbooks, Polish Classic Desserts and From a Polish Country Kitchen, both reviewed in this issue.

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Finally, as noted above, Poland is wherever Polish people are and for several summers they were in Canmore, Alberta, at Poland in the Rockies. There were fond hopes that a new cycle of this lively symposium would begin again in 2014 but fate decided otherwise. In this issue, CR bids a formal Farewell to Poland in the Rockies.

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