15 Minutes of Fame

Obviously, the Gazeta’s readership is much larger than Polish Housewife

Andy Warhol said it, and I have to agree, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.”  You can see from the graph above what an article in a Poznan Gazeta newspaper did for my blog traffic. . . I’m sure it will fade just as quickly. 😉

If you read Polish, here’s a link to the article.  If you need an English translation, be forewarned that google translate plays fast and loose with pronouns.  I’m often referred to as he, but that is the translator app not Justyna, the journalist.  I’ve inserted a translation at the very bottom of this post.

Justyna  explained that the last page of the paper has light, human interst stories.  Usually on the day before Easter, they have bunnies and chicks.  Looking for something different this year, one of her colleagues, who reads my blog, suggested an American take on Easter in Poland.

So all I can say is “dzęnki,” for thinking of us and for my 15 minutes of fame.  xoxox

PS – now I’ve had a chance to read some of the comments left on the gazeta’s website.  I’m sure that I’m missing some of the eloquence because I have to translate them, but the gist of the writers’ thoughts come through.   Much like readers who comment on news websites in the US, they are very opinionated and bold in their anonymity. I’ve included the translations below for your enjoyment.  (Coming so soon after my post on plagiarism, let me say that these have been copied and pasted from the Gazeta website, linked to above.)

Not to worry, I’ve had a good chuckle over the comments.  When I wrote a cooking column for a weekly paper in Tucson, the editor phoned me one day to read me a message the paper had received from a reader.  She said something to the effect, “that Louis (sic) Britton has lost her mind.  Halibut cost $12 a pound.  Does she think we can afford to cook that?  We need some recipes with beans that people can make!”  I guess I should have mentioned that my market didn’t carry halibut, so I substituted a piece of cod, but I had a 400 word limit including the weekly recipe.  I was just excited that I’d gotten the hottest, up and coming chef in Tucson to share a recipe with my readers.  The editor assured me that he did not share her feeling; he thought I was doing a fine job for the paper, and he said in the newspaper game, the most important thing is that they’re talking about you.

Here we go:

Lois and Ed Britton is Poznanians imported from Tuscon, Arizona. While living in Greater for several years, it was not until this year, will spend his first Easter. – We did not think that the holidays can also be white – they laugh and tell what they would like to put in the basket. The first came to Poznan Ed. It was the end of October 2009. Ed, aviator and avid golfer, was brought to the Polish, to train our pilots. In those early days he loved sunny, autumn weather. The people and the city full of beautiful buildings. To get to know them better, went everywhere on foot. During one of these walks wandered into St. Martin, and that happened to be on Nov. 11, much surprised – the parade had not expected. Preoccupied colorful crowd, he began to take pictures. Then he spotted one of the television, and journalists began to question what he was like in Poznan. Ed, by nature an optimist, he could be replaced without end: buildings, trams, climate. Finally, the journalists could not resist – Something you must not like – tormented smiling American. And this after a moment’s reflection he remembered that it actually is one thing – Wisla Krakow! – Ed retorted. From the first match was a fan watched Lech Poznań.
Lois appears
After a year, right before the match against Juventus Turin Lech, Poznan appeared Lois. – To date, Ed visited every couple of weeks, I was flying across the ocean back and forth. And then it was decided that since the husband and so will work in Poland and it’s still a few years, then you need to move. I also chose Poznań – he says.
Remember the circumstances well, as anyone who watched the match with Juventus drew and advance to the next stage of the Europa League. – That snow that thwarted Poznan, we can not forget – Lois laughs now. To commemorate this day Ed did a picture of her on the tram. Scarf wrapped on the very top of the nose, with a fur hood on his head, can not be properly recognized. This photo blog was the beginning of a significant title: “English Housewife” (polishhousewife.blogspot.com, ie Polish housewife). Lois decided to lead him to the friends and family who have been in the remote Arizona. And not only that Lois visits, but also cooks and testing Polish dishes, the stories on the blog are very colorful (like the one about the surprise, when he suddenly disappeared in Malta water) and tasty (list of Polish dishes made by an American is very long).
From tea to champagne
Now, Ed and Lois jedzeniowego waiting two days festival – just before Easter warned one of their Polish friends. I’ve never shared it, because at that time traveled. It manages to throw the tape. On Wednesday Lois returned from the States, where he flew the whole two months to spin their bakery. – Well, that Ed warned me before the snow! I know it looks like Poland Spring and certainly not as – Lois complains.
This time we will spend this Christmas in Poznan, the two of us. – For sure will be unique, because although in Arizona also bought a few dozen eggs for us and daughters, the Easter looked completely different – says Ed.
In the United Lois, a trained accountant, worked for many years in one of the churches. – So at Easter time all of my closest friends were at work – he laughs. – Our tradition was to organize tea parties for friends and family, after the Mass at the church.
On the table there were snacks, then that could be taken in hand – small sandwiches, cookies – and that’s tea. – And the more our daughters were older, the tea was less and more champagne and cocktails – he adds with a laugh.

– Mind your baskets! – Lois is exciting. Święconka her opinion is the most beautiful Polish custom of Easter.
The blog writes: “True, a Polish housewife prepares food basket. With salt, horseradish, eggs, cake, cake shaped can in the lamb.” A dopowiadają Internet users in the comments: Polish real housewife washing the window now! Lois, of course, it will take care of the windows (the pressure from the neighbors washing windows is large), but that spiritual experiences are more important to her. – What in the basket represents the part of the Easter story, which will be available to us until Sunday. This is a beautiful custom that symbolizes the expectation of something important – he said. – The extraordinary thing that in the United States had never heard, maybe because Arizona does not have many Poles. I hope that this practice will never give up. These baskets are your real treasure!
This Easter, Lois and Ed certainly prepare eggs and white sausage. – I will also make soup, I hope it’s good to pronounce (doskonale! – we provide), I was able to learn it through sekretnemu provision from a friend. Delicious soup and probably fit for Easter, right? – Inquires.
Polish friends had told her that every meal should begin with soup. Also threatened that in śmigus dyngus rather not leave the house, because the water can get not only the girls, in which the boys love.
Do not complain to the trams!
This may be the last Polish Christmas Brittonów. In December, likely will return to Arizona. In addition to Polish tastes would like to bring our trams. – If you do not complain, and it seems to you that you are late, it’s only because you are too close to Germany – explains Ed seriously. – This is the impression of punctuality can bring on a trip to Berlin. And the Germans are deceiving! They did not have a timely means of communication, they just do not give a classical distribution, only the information for how much S-Bahn arrives. And then a man think that it is all the time – he said. A Lois adds: – After Poznan, the trams actually move anywhere. We live close to Malta, so the connections are excellent. I remember a time in Arizona when we were needed as many as four cars, here is completely different – he said. I extolled the compactness of Polish cities, where it is easy to get from the suburbs to downtown.
Lois: – Deadline for return of our constantly changing, can soon be seen again that it was not December, because it is already supposed to be in June. We will be happy as long as Polish. Nice people, sights, which are more than a hundred years, not like the buildings here. And even this variable weather.

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.