2015-01-30: Food From Home Day!

Cultural Observation: Advertisements

Ad breaks start with a warning: Reklama. This is to ensure that Polish People know they are watching advertisements. They don't have "End of Reklama" warnings though. This keeps slow witted foreigners on their toes.
The ad breaks seem excessively long as well. I think they bundle up an hours worth of ads and show them all at once at about 35 minutes past the hour. This is based on watching a movie last night and so is how it happens every time.
One of the ads was for a product I always thought should exist, hair dye in shampoo for men (I was thinking to do it with hair gel but close enough).

Doesn't everyone keep their shampoo in the shower? This looks like a recipe for wet floors to me. Poles live life on the edge.

I think I prefer the "Ladies in the Shower" ads where you get to see some side boob. He could have at least rubbed it sensually (and vigorously) into his chest hair.

But his beard is still distinguished. Magic product!

There is another great one which is for some kind of product you put in your bum (I think). The model pretending to be a doctor has big wide eyes and doesn't blink once. I think she might have put too much test product in her bum before the cameras were rolling.I ended up yelling "Blink, Damn You, Blink!" at the tele. I might be very tired though.

I also like the slight twist in delivery that occurs occasionally. In Australia we are used to ads telling you how smart / sexy / successful you are for buying something.

Nie dla Idiotów! - Not For Idiots!

Fairly run of the mill ads here approach it from the other side: Don't Shop With Us If You Are An Idiot. Same basic idea but so much more fun the Polish way.

Rating 4/10 (Even when they are amusing I hate ads)

We went back to the market from last week for a proper look around and to buy some food made with blood.

And finally I find kitchen stuff including a roasting tray with rack. Next time the goose will be easier.

Food and Beverage Review: Salceson Czarny (Black meat in aspic)

This is the "meat in aspic with blood in the aspic" that I got a photo of last time but didn't know what it was. Kind of rubbery and tasteless actually. Not bad in any way to complain about but not really anything special. Usually blood products are rich and have interesting textures.

Science means trying variations! Plus beer for inspiration.

The various bits of meat had a bit of texture variation. At a guess it is mostly meat from the head of the piggy, possibly some tongue. Goes well with some mustard on bread and a ItsNotAGherkin on the side. Most things do though.

Rating: 5/10 (I think the family meat in aspic is better)

Rolls of stuff ham in aspic... it might be just showing off but it does look good.

Nominally we went to the market so I could grab some stuff to make a curried chicken & noodle soup as I haven't eaten chillies in ages and have a craving for them. I really like the Polish diet but occasionally there are things I can get a fixation on. Man cannot live on salt, fat, meat and bread alone.

Many chillies left. ohhh maybe I could make some Ring Of Fire Chilli Con Carne! Perhaps not though.

Note For Future: Chillies can really scare people with no experience with them. I ended up only using 2 dried chillies in about 4 litres of soup and everyone could still notice it. Only one flat out refusal to eat it though.

Reheated leftovers with many additional chillies and a beer. All homesickness gone.

Secondary Note: Cultures which usually have soup as a first course for every meal can get confused by soups which are pretty much the meal in themselves. "I like it but where is the real meal and plus I might be too full to eat the real meal, oh I am confused, I'll have another bowl then try to figure it out".

Tertiary Note: Making sure a kitchen has the ingredients I need and the utensils to cook the food is all fine and well (and I am getting better at it) but I have to remember to check if they have the plates to eat it with. I serve this soup in those huge blue and white Chinese bowls because it is a meal I like to eat vast quantities of, it is messy and it has huge chunks of chicken in it. We had to use teeny tiny normal people bowls. On the bright side I forgot to check if there were chopsticks and ceramic soup spoons as well, this is good as their lack of presence was noted in a positive way.

At least I didn't make too much mess in the kitchen.