[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by svgephart

When I grew up in the Detroit area, there were many, many hard working and friendly polish people. My "people" were Slav's from Yugoslavia and my grandparents immigrated from there. First came my Grandfather who got a job and built a home. Then came my Grandmother in an arranged marriage. They were wed in Cleveland and migrated to Michigan. I still make some of my Grandmothers recipies as well as some from our polish neighbors.
About 5 years ago I was able to travel to Krakow Poland and spent 10 days with absolutely wonderful people and eat great food. The history and the people made me feel warm and fuzzy inside as the memories of childhood flooded back.

You were fortunate indeed to travel to Poland to make new memories.

Your Yugoslavian grandparents' immigration story is a classic one.
They traveled great distances to achieve their great dreams....in America.
If all of our immigrant grandparents had not ventured forth, we would not be here today...........my Ukrainian grandmother came as an orphan on a ship that was practically sinking........in steerage, of course.

Her father had come ahead to earn money in America to send for his wife and daughter.........however, his wife received a black edged letter back in the old country saying he had died. Something about a train.
I never found out the actual facts. He might have gone to work in the mines of Pennsylvania. Eventually, his wife passed and the little girl,my Ukrainian grandmother, was sent to live with her grandmother .....all of this happened in Poliany Surovychny Sanok Austria Hungary . When that old lady died, my grandmother was now a total orphan. She was farmed out into working for rich people as a maid.........until someone in America sent her a steamship ticket to work in a boarding house in N.J.

All of her papers were burned in her one and only valise during a fire that broke out the night before she was to board ship in Bremen Germany for America..........so all of her history was "lost". I have since found some of it in my genealogy research.........but it must have been quite scary for a naive 14 year old, totally orphaned, to come to America to work in a boarding house as a maid servant..........but this was the plight of so many of the immigrants.

AS others have also said, their rituals and traditions were very important to them as it made them feel close to what they left behind........

Nice to remember again..........during this holiday season.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by frannieb

Be wonderful to have a Polish restaurant near TV...my husband was born in Poland and since we have been married I have had yummy and fattening food!!Too bad there isn't a Polish club anymore...we are only renters for mar and Apr but would still join if we could.

It would be nice if someone would start one and then occasionally share some of their home made ethnic foods.

My husband's cousins all belonged to a Polish Falcon's Club in N.J.
They went to all the polka dances, etc.

People here in Vermont would travel to Massachusetts to polka with someone's band......can't remember his last name........Jimmy something or other????

We never learned to polka in the 1960's but my mom could. Ditto for my mother in law.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by rjn5656

Went to St. Stanislaus grammar school. Still can understand polish but don't speak much of it anymore. Still have polish xmas eve with the extended family (about 70-80 people). What a great time!

Anyone got a recipe for kapusta.

That must be one HUGE Christmas Eve celebration..........

Kapusta Recipe - Allrecipes.com


Above is a very basic meatless recipe. My mom would make it with spare ribs.....not mushrooms. But if you read below the recipe, others offer their variations.



It's just long slow cooked saurkraut.......I use the type in bags, rinse and squeeze out......then add some olive oil to moisten it and slow bake with pork chops...........can't find good spare ribs anymore..........so just improvise on the above hyperlink.



The longer you cook it, either on the stove top or in the oven, with added moisture so it doesn't dry out......the better it gets.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by 2BNTV

We had a Polish Community Center in the town I grew up in. Many people had their wedding receptions there. Their roast beef dinner was a staple and for only $7 a plate.

Those days are gone.......

Sad to say. We had the Polish Falcons Club.....probably same type of place.

Nice to reminisce.

[Papa]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

It would be nice if someone would start one and then occasionally share some of their home made ethnic foods.

My husband's cousins all belonged to a Polish Falcon's Club in N.J.
They went to all the polka dances, etc.

People here in Vermont would travel to Massachusetts to polka with someone's band......can't remember his last name........Jimmy something or other????

We never learned to polka in the 1960's but my mom could. Ditto for my mother in law.

Where in Vermont are you from? My father was born in Bellows Falls, and my "Uncle" would always travel the few miles to go to Polka parties in Massachusetts until a couple of years ago. I can still remember the Polish Picnics in Bellows Falls, that we would travel to from Connecticut every year.

BTW - From the responses to your thread, it looks like a few of us still appreciate, and respect our Polish heritage.

[Trish Crocker]

Originally Posted by svgephart

When I grew up in the Detroit area, there were many, many hard working and friendly polish people. My "people" were Slav's from Yugoslavia and my grandparents immigrated from there. First came my Grandfather who got a job and built a home. Then came my Grandmother in an arranged marriage. They were wed in Cleveland and migrated to Michigan. I still make some of my Grandmothers recipies as well as some from our polish neighbors.
About 5 years ago I was able to travel to Krakow Poland and spent 10 days with absolutely wonderful people and eat great food. The history and the people made me feel warm and fuzzy inside as the memories of childhood flooded back.

I too grew up in the Detroit metro area and lived for a while in Hamtramck..which was a Polish community. We still go there for meals to a restaurant called 'Polonia'...I love the dill pickle soup and city chicken..and of course pierogis! I'm not Polish..allegedly I'm German, Irish, French and Indian.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by PeteDz

Ahhh... Blue Seal Kielbasa is excellent (as good as Martin Rosol in New Britain, CT). Used to stop by the market in Chicopee when driving my daughter to UMass. Having lived in MA for 38 years, we would frequently get Millies Pierogis. Have to ever been to Galemo's (spelling?) in Worcester? Homemade Veal Loaf, and fantastic Kielbasa. There were some great Polish Restaurant in New Britain, CT. I was raised a couple of towns from there.
Now I need to find out how to UPS the Blue Seal, and Millies....

It is the best we've ever had. Used to buy the supermarket variety kielbasi until we got the "Polish Party Package" which included the Blue Seal Kielbasi in with our cabbage (saurkraut) pierogi, potato and cheese pierogi and potato and onion pierogi...........(myself, my mom and my mother in law would make the farmers cheese and mashed potato variety at home and then smother them in sauteed onions.......)

Ukrainians call piergoi "varenky".......exactly the same.

Ann, the lady who ran Millies and would call me on the phone to confirm my orders , sadly passed away at a young age last year...........so if you order, fill out the order blank.........submit it and then I would suggest calling them to confirm. I just had to do that. The manager was nice to talk to; she told me that Ann's husband is now in charge of production........he left his job to help out.........it's a great successful business........and I'm glad it's still in operation...........here's the hyperlink:

Welcome to Millie's Pierogi On Line!



Remember to figure out your own postage as well before submitting or the "items in green" will have to be re done by you.

Last year I kept emailing Ann at her email, not knowing she had died. I still can't believe it. These pierogi taste just like homemade. Not cheap, but it's a labor intensive dish to make.

Great for Christmas Eve.

[cab1948]

I think the bands name was Jimmy Stur.....might now be spelling it right. Boy, I use to love to Polka, that is before the knees gave out haha. I can still remember my Mom and Dad doing the Oberik ( again spelling?...it's like a polish waltz...

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by cab1948

I think the bands name was Jimmy Stur.....might now be spelling it right. Boy, I use to love to Polka, that is before the knees gave out haha. I can still remember my Mom and Dad doing the Oberik ( again spelling?...it's like a polish waltz...

That's it. A neighbor in town (mom of my daughter's , at the time, school friend) would go to all of Jimmy Stur (sp?)'s get togethers. She was born in Pittsburgh, PA (again, large Polish population) and married her penpal from Vermont, the rest is history......went to all those polka bands......

I "hear you" on the knees.......

We live in Southwestern Vermont , however, Rutland has a large Polish population still.........

Again, Millies in Chicopee, Mass. has some wonderful pierogies and Blue Seal Kielbasi. Too far to travel to, so we have them ship it to us.

Welcome to Millie's Pierogi On Line!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by PeteDz

Where in Vermont are you from? My father was born in Bellows Falls, and my "Uncle" would always travel the few miles to go to Polka parties in Massachusetts until a couple of years ago. I can still remember the Polish Picnics in Bellows Falls, that we would travel to from Connecticut every year.

BTW - From the responses to your thread, it looks like a few of us still appreciate, and respect our Polish heritage.

Southwestern Vermont. Our daughter and family live in Northern Vermont; our son in Colorado........rest of our family , what's left of it, in New Jersey, Arizona, California.
I think Bellows Falls is on the other side of the state, separated by the Green Mountains.

[Papa]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Southwestern Vermont. Our daughter and family live in Northern Vermont; our son in Colorado........rest of our family , what's left of it, in New Jersey, Arizona, California.
I think Bellows Falls is on the other side of the state, separated by the Green Mountains.

Yup... Bellows Falls is about 30 miles up from Massachusetts on the Connecticut River. Just off of I-91. Sounds like you are near Rt-4 South of Rutland, where my mother was born.

[skip0358]

My wife grew up in a Polish family so I guess I'm Polish by marraige. If been eating poPolish foods of all types for almost 43 years. Her parents are both gone but she still make stuffed cabages,perogia,cabbage soup etc. We found a place on Long Island called Rapackis where we've been buying Kielbasi for almost 25 years, They'll ship it here but we usually bring it back down on the plane or ask my daughter to bring it down when she comes. Had a Kielbasi cook off one night between the Polish Deli in Leesburgs Kielbasi and Rapacki's the neighbors oneof whom is also Polish said the Long Island stuff won hands down. We're usually asked to bring Kielbasi when we do our spur of the moment parties, Great boiled or on the grill.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by PeteDz

Yup... Bellows Falls is about 30 miles up from Massachusetts on the Connecticut River. Just off of I-91. Sounds like you are near Rt-4 South of Rutland, where my mother was born.

We head up to Rutland to take Route 4 EAST to cross the mountain by Killington and then head north up Route 100, etc., etc., etc. to Calais, Vermont.....which is up by North Montpelier......very rural area up there.

West Rutland, I think, is where the Polish church is, etc....
on the way to lake Bomoseen??? Castleton? Fairhaven?

We're in southwestern Vermont, which is what they call the "banana belt" as our snow melts faster than those towns up north. Our kids went to the University of Vermont on Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont.

We cross the Green Mountains going east to Brattleboro to head to Maine seacoast (and or New Hampshire of course).

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by skip0358

My wife grew up in a Polish family so I guess I'm Polish by marraige. If been eating poPolish foods of all types for almost 43 years. Her parents are both gone but she still make stuffed cabages,perogia,cabbage soup etc. We found a place on Long Island called Rapackis where we've been buying Kielbasi for almost 25 years, They'll ship it here but we usually bring it back down on the plane or ask my daughter to bring it down when she comes. Had a Kielbasi cook off one night between the Polish Deli in Leesburgs Kielbasi and Rapacki's the neighbors oneof whom is also Polish said the Long Island stuff won hands down. We're usually asked to bring Kielbasi when we do our spur of the moment parties, Great boiled or on the grill.

Yes, it is great grilled.......or simmered gently. Sometimes I just throw it in the oven in a baking dish.

Your Long Island kielbasi sounds kind of like Blue Seal's from Chicopee Mass.........I'll bet you make everyone hungry on the airplane.....just the aroma. Or is it in your luggage?

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by skip0358

My wife grew up in a Polish family so I guess I'm Polish by marraige. If been eating poPolish foods of all types for almost 43 years. Her parents are both gone but she still make stuffed cabages,perogia,cabbage soup etc. We found a place on Long Island called Rapackis where we've been buying Kielbasi for almost 25 years, They'll ship it here but we usually bring it back down on the plane or ask my daughter to bring it down when she comes. Had a Kielbasi cook off one night between the Polish Deli in Leesburgs Kielbasi and Rapacki's the neighbors oneof whom is also Polish said the Long Island stuff won hands down. We're usually asked to bring Kielbasi when we do our spur of the moment parties, Great boiled or on the grill.

p.s.
I forgot to mention that I'm really glad to meet some folks who eat something other than kale and beans. I like them, don't get me wrong, but there are so many other tasty morsels out there. We actually love all ethnic foods.