Episodes

  • I Don't Like Pierogi!
    Mar 23 2026

    The podcast for expats and lovers of Poland interviews Palina Piatsiul of The Burman Robinson legal services firm that specialises in all matters of immigration law.

    In an entertaining and enlightening interview, Palina tells us of the main mistakes incomers make, some of the pitfalls to avoid, and sheds light on what for many is a stressful and oblique application process.

    Along the way, we hear about her controversial views about pierogi, how her own experience as a citizen born outside of Poland helped give her insight into her professional role, and the perils of turning to Facebook for life-changing legal advice.

    John, fresh from not having been eaten by a sleuth of bears in Zakopane, has a go at a flag-centric Three in 10, whilst Peter confesses how little he knew about Polish history as a young man.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish Podcast’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    The Burman Robinson: https://burman-robinson.com/

    sanah - Miłość jest ślepa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSiOWFwHR4U

    Interesting collective nouns: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/19/ten-best-collective-nouns

    Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

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    49 mins
  • Poland Sucks
    Mar 16 2026

    Pole-ish 007: “Poland Sucks”

    The podcast for expats and lovers of Poland interviews British author and filmmaker Patrck Ney, who says “Poland sucks” at telling the world its story. That’s why a whole generation of non-Poles know so little about Polish history.

    Patrick gets stuck into topics including parenting, tech use amongst teens, what becoming a Polish citizen means to him, and the secret of his father-in-law’s bigos.

    As always, Peter gets his kickers in a twist about which food is Polish, and John somehow avoids being devoured by a bear.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish Podcast’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    Patrick Ney: https://www.youtube.com/@PatrickNey

    Goulash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash

    Młody Polak – Kękę: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Z7wp8jRxM

    Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Pole-ish: Going Home-ish
    Mar 8 2026

    Our guest this week is Salvatore Canzio, author of Ex-pat: Straniero due Volte (Ex-pat: Stranger Twice), in which he charts his life living and working in Warsaw before his return to his hometown in southern Italy. In a deep and revealing chat, Salva talks about his identity and sense of belonging, his redefinition of success, as well as other interesting stuff such as culture shock, language, social integration, working life…

    In answering our Five Big Questions, Salva adds another tune to our Pole-ish Playlist vault. Coming from the land of bounteous food & drink, he has strong views on Poland’s contribution in this area – listen out for his surprising observations.

    Elsewhere, Peter tries to remember his wedding and John introduces to us a quaint Polish saying.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    Ex-pat: Straniero due Volte (in Italian) - https://www.amazon.it/Ex-pat-straniero-volte-Ediz-integrale/dp/B0G44W4ZJC

    Chopin Concerts in Łazienki Park - https://tifc.chopin.pl/koncerty-w-lazienkach/

    Varsovie by Brodka - https://open.spotify.com/track/0fWOMvjgnyenpnLolfB5UJ?si=8f7f09c1d2934da4

    Foreigner’s Guide to Polish Weddings (Peter needs to read this!) - https://culture.pl/en/article/a-foreigners-guide-to-polish-weddings

    Pole-ish Guest Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

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    54 mins
  • Pole-ish: Zubignu Ribchki-Sky-Something
    Mar 9 2026

    As the cinema world prepares to crown the latest bunch of Oscar laureates, we delve into Poland’s record at this most glittering of occasions, featuring some magnificent Polish films and filmmakers, and including the excruciating moment a Polish animator was hurried off the stage, and later thrown in jail, Oscar-in-hand, on his big night.

    Expanding on the cinematic theme, our Pole of the Week is Stanisław Bareja, famed chronicler of the absurdities of late-era communism. John gets on his bike and heads to The Biggest Castle In The World, and beer is discussed on more than one occasion.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish Podcast’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    Tango (Zbigniew Rybczynski): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z27z7oLQb3o

    Tango Oscar Ceremony: https://youtu.be/w3BDAvM1FqY?si=G83xfPuEnrVF_mFe

    Nepo Beer: https://nepobrewing.pl/

    Malbork Castle: https://zamek.malbork.pl/en/home/

    Miś (Stanisław Bareja) - Bar Mleczny Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-viM9WyGss

    Rondo Stanisława Barei: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wv9KKeyKxT2tE4YU9

    Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

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    30 mins
  • Pole-ish: Cold Medals
    Feb 23 2026

    John and Peter take to the slopes – and the rinks – as we look at Poland’s record in the Winter Olympics. We take a deep dive into the frozen waters in profiling some of Poland’s winter sport heroes, including our Pole of the Week, Wojciech Fortuna – the man who’s ski jump caught everyone by surprise in 1972.

    As well as running through some of the nation’s other success on ice and snow, John introduces us to his Food of the Week – a Silesian regional special – and Peter fulminates about the letter ‘zed’ (John would call it ‘zee’) in the Polish language.

    We also touch on the frozen Baltic Sea, the interface between a Polish national delicacy and a world-famous rapper, how Britain collected words during its colonial years, and we only very slightly take the mickey out of the ridiculous sport of curling.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    Frozen Baltic Sea: https://tvpworld.com/91578140/-thickest-baltic-ice-in-15-years-amid-record-low-water-level

    Moczka Recipe: https://www.slaskiesmaki.pl/dish/512141/moczka-potrawa-wigilijna

    Poland vs. USSR 1976: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEIQOfrOHNs

    Wojciech Fortuna – That Jump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRITSDhgUHs

    Honolulu Social Cooperative, Katowice: http://drzwizwanekoniem.pl

    Luft shop (where you can buy a Pieroguszka): https://luft-sklep.pl

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    40 mins
  • Pole-ish: Guested Development
    Feb 16 2026

    Our first guest edition introduces the wonderful David Kennedy to the Pole-ish audience. Listen to Scotsman David’s stories about his early visits to Poland, where he witnessed the shipyard strikes in Gdańsk, his lock-out from a Krakow monastery, and the strong bonds between his homeland and his adopted one.

    Plus, he plays the part of a guinea pig as he faces the first airing of our ‘Five Big Questions’.

    We suspend most of our regular features to leave room for David, but there’s still space for plenty of chit-chat between John and Peter.

    Please like, subscribe, share, review and comment, and tell your friends, family and colleagues about us. Dziękujemy.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    Bober k*rwa!: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bober-kurwa-bobr-bobrze

    List of Polish Desserts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Polish_desserts

    Scottish Festival / Dzień Szkocki in Jadów: https://www.dzienszkocki.pl

    Scotland / Poland connections: https://www.scotland.org/inspiration/scotland-and-poland

    Kraków tartan: https://www.krakow.pl/otwarty_na_swiat/215929,artykul,-szkockakratadlakrakowa.html

    Barszcz Ukraiński recipe: https://aniagotuje.pl/przepis/barszcz-ukrainski

    Jest Super by T.Love: https://open.spotify.com/track/0IpGOqvBr3mloK9HzrY0GJ?si=ac7bff723e8943d1

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    58 mins
  • Pole-ish: Donut Worry, Be Happy
    Feb 9 2026

    John and Peter plunge headfirst into a barrel of Polish traditions and come up for air chatting about pączki, arguably the world’s tastiest doughnuts. In a food-heavy edition, we look at the Polish national sport of grilling sausages, and Peter takes a deep-dive into a bowl of his favourite żurek. Pole of the Week is Maksymilian Faktorowicz, better known as the patron saint of make-up, Max Factor. We also find time to discuss the work of American lexicographer Noah Webster, who single-handedly ruined/improved (delete as appropriate) the English language.

    Please subscribe, like, share and comment, and tell your friends, family and colleagues about us. Thank you.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

    Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

    Śmigus-dyngus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Amigus-dyngus

    Tlusty czwartek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Thursday#Poland

    Authentic pązcki recipe: https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/polish-paczki-donuts-recipe/

    Name Days: https://www.kalendarzswiat.pl/imieniny

    Noah Webster: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noah-Webster-American-lexicographer

    Żurek recipe: https://tinyurl.com/4jf3kh4t

    Max Factor’s Micrometer: https://tinyurl.com/5dpyvswv

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    41 mins
  • Pole-ish: Highway to Hel
    Feb 2 2026

    Episode 1 sees John and Peter cover a lot of early ground, including a weirdly numbered bus, an extraordinary (female) Polish spy, the weather, cheese on toast Kraków style, and a whole load of other stuff.

    Please subscribe, like, share and comment, and tell all your friends and colleagues about us. Thank you.

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    Read our blog: www.Pole-ish.eu

    Write to us: peter@pole-ish.com

    Follow our socials: Search Facebook, Xwitter and BlueSky for “Pole-ish”

    Krystyna Skarbek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krystyna_Skarbek

    Zapiekanka at Okrąglak (Kraków): https://maps.app.goo.gl/irzfTTxyJ6T5xaGi8

    Hey Now! (Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House): http://youtube.com/watch?v=J9gKyRmic20

    666 to Hel: https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/06/14/end-of-the-line-for-polands-666-bus-to-hel/

    Suffolk Accent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJWdEo7zpbo

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    39 mins