Thursday, August 30, 2007 — You might only know me as the guy around town who builds and fixes things, 'cause that's what I do! But when I found out the Gazette was doing an "Around the World" theme, I had to pitch in. Those of you who come by the store regularly know I love nothing more than a hot, home-cooked meal. And by home-cooked, I mean my mom's awesome Polish cooking. I really wanted to share these memories with all you guys.

I could go on for days about my mom's food. I mean, there are so many stories attached to those meals. My grandfather, the only one of the family who lived in Poland as an adult, used to come over when I was young and tell the most amazing tales. While biting into a hearty piece of kielbasa (pronounced: keel-BAH-sah), Grandpa would recall chasing pigeons in Royal Castle Square in Warsaw, Poland's capital. He was a pretty mischievous kid who would try to put the pigeons in his jacket pockets and take them home as pets!

My mom has some memories of Poland, but she left the country to attend a boarding school, and eventually ended up in the U.S. She still tells me about the beaches on the Baltic Sea in the north of Poland, and how she has always wanted to see them. She seemed to get especially talkative about this stuff while making pierogies (pronounced: peer-oh-ghees). These little dumplings filled with mashed potatoes, cheese, or even fruit, taste great with sour cream or applesauce. For me, this is true comfort food.

Do certain foods or smells remind you of your family, or bring back good memories? Whenever my family gets together, we all help prepare a huge spread, and just sit at the table catching up for hours. My grandfather has a lot of Polish pride. Frederic Chopin was Polish and is one of Grandpa's favorite composers. Other famous Polish people include the chemist Marie Curie and the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. He loves to remind me that I still haven't been to Poland and must experience its wonders firsthand!

For now though, I'm kept very busy in Millsberry and can only explore my heritage through my grandfather's stories and my mom's wonderful food. I hope I've gotten you guys interested in Poland, or at least hungry for Polish food.

See you around!