Poland, part 3

For some reason, I was under the impression that sausages were a much bigger thing in Poland than they seem to be. I rarely saw kielbasa on menus unless it was in something else, like zurek, the soup made from sour rye. Maybe it’s more of a home dish and not a restaurant one?

Side note: There’s a Polish song that goes “She likes kielbasa, that’s her dish. She likes kielbasa better than fish.” It just occurred to me recently that this is probably a metaphor for sexual preferences.

My first night in Krakow, I was so tired that rather than walk to find some place for dinner, I just decided to eat at one of the many al fresco dining spots in the square where I stayed. Incidentally, this square/section is home to several locations where “Schindler’s List” was filmed. Consequently, many restaurants here have a photo of director Steven Spielberg on their walls.

Technically, the place I went to was known best for it’s some 30 kinds of pierogie. Considering that sadly, I cannot eat such lovely things, I opted for a combination of sausage, lamb kebab, fries and a salad that would actually turn out to be the best veggies I had during the entire trip. Not a bad combo actually! I’m sorry it’s a bit phallic, but that’s hard to avoid when it comes to sausage.

My hostel also had sausage barbecues a few times a week in which we’d just grill up some Polish sausage and eat it with mustard. Nothing fancy.

But finally, at a little place called Kuchnia z Doroty (Dorothy’s Kitchen,) I got some kielbasa for 7 zloty (about 3 bucks) and with it I ordered a side of the braised sauerkraut, which was delicious. For some reason, in a lot of restaurants, you have to order your protein and sides separately. I also had a weird warm beet salad that turned out to just be a pile of warm beet mush. I love beets, but a week of eating them all the time will certainly wreak a little havoc on your digestive system. You know what I’m talking about.