Poland 08 - Killing Me Softly With Their Food

Restaurant in Ciechanow, Poland

One of Przemek's favorite treats was sweet, however. He seemed to have a craving... no, craving isn't the right word... maybe an insatiable, unrivaled longing... yeah, that's it... for the uniquely Polish candy bar Prince Polo. You won't find as many varieties of candy bars in Poland as you do in the U.S. Most of the ones you find are chocolate coated wafers, something akin to Kit-Kats. There are many different companies that make them, but Przemek swears that Prince Polo is the absolute best. "I ate these as a child," he'd say.

The first time we got one was right after we'd eaten at a pizza place together. Przemek wanted one, and he treated all of us to a taste of this Polish tradition. And, it was good! The chocolate coating is more on the dark side of the chocolate spectrum. If you've ever had the chocolate coated gem donuts, then you're pretty close to knowing the exterior of a Prince Polo. He was right. They are very good!

Now I don't know if Przemek is this way all the time or if he used our visit as an excuse to indulge in Prince Polos, but after that first encounter with the royal candy, he always seemed to be on the hunt for another. Like a junkie after the next fix, Prince Polo was on his mind. On one of our travel days, we stopped a shop to get our mid-afternoon Prince Polos. Much to his chagrin, they didn't have any. We then went on a search that got more and more desperate as we visited shop after shop that didn't have them. Finally, sweet relief! A shop had them!

In his defense, they are very good. We brought a box home to give to people we know. Everyone who sampled a Prince Polo quickly understood how it could become addictive.

In our research before we went to Poland, we read over and over that pierogies were a major part of Polish cuisine. Pierogies are not uncommon in the U.S. In fact, frozen pieroigies are available at most grocery stores and in big bags at Sam's.

Pierogies are like stuffed dumplings. Perhaps wontons are a decent comparison, although pierogies are not fried. Ravioli is close as well. They are stuffed with a variety of things. We encountered mostly meat and/or cheese stuffings. They are closed on the side and generally take on a semi-circular shape. Most often they are boiled then baked. The ones we had were usually oniony as well.

They cropped up at more than one meal, and we noticed many restaurants that touted their pierogi prowess. We also saw food trucks with pierogi advertising on the sides. It's serious business in Poland, and it should be. I found out later that the pierogi originated there, and to be Polish is to love pierogies. In fact, there is an annual pierogi festival each year in Krakow. So when you go to Poland, prepare to get your pierogi on!

And as with all the rest of mankind, food is the international symbol for hospitality for the Poles. They may not be outgoing, overtly friendly, or extremely cordial, but you can be assured when you are a welcomed guest in a home, you will be fed and fed well. There were some days we'd visit several different families. Food was always a cornerstone of each visit. It isn't that I didn't appreciate their hospitality, but I don't think each of our culinary benefactors realized how many others were feeding us as well. Eating, at times, seemed to be a job. I think you could kill someone with food. I am quite assured of it.

Poultry liver & onions. Yum!

One culinary highlight for me occurred at a restaurant in Ciechanow. I could not read the menu, so Przemek translated for me. When he got to the poultry liver and onions, I knew he need go no further. Yes, I admit it, I love liver. I like chicken liver, I like beef liver; I just like liver. Big whoop. I was brought a plate of cooked liver and onions and fries, and boy, were they good! I don't think they were chicken livers because of their size. Przemek guessed they were goose or turkey. The dish is probably not uniquely Polish or a national favorite, I suppose. When Przemek ordered for me, the waitress made a slight face of disgust and asked him a question that I only presume was, "Is he sure? Does he know what that is?"

Finally, I want to conclude with a comment not on the food but on how the Polish people eat. EVERYONE I had the opportunity to eat a meal with held a fork in the left hand and a knife in the right (unless they were eating soup, of course). These utensils stayed in place at almost all times, and they used them like their bodies were machines and the knife and fork were the business end of said machines. The only way I can describe how they eat is efficient. Nearly every Pole would finish a meal before any of us Americans. Each movement was precise, unwasted, and with purpose. It was something to watch. And because they all eat the same way, they must be formally taught as children. I know no other explanation. I tried to learn the skill but failed. It is probably something best learned in private.

Oh, one more thing. The Poles love their pizza places. In Ciechanow, there were not a great number of restaurants. There were certainly no American chain joints. But there were pizza places everywhere. I was jokingly told that Poland had more pizza places than Italy. They like 'em large too. Take a look at the pics. One restaurant boasted a 57cm pizza. The American equivalent is ginormous. Wow.

Poland 07 - Eat, Drink, and be Merry, for Tomorrow We May Diet

Food. It is truly phenomenal. It serves so many functions in the human realm. First and foremost, it is fuel to keep the body going. Many who are fortunate enough to have more than we need rarely see it in that light. We utilize its other functions: celebratory device, source of pleasure and comfort, and a communication tool to express love, courtesy, and even sympathy.

So it's no surprise that when I found out I was going to Poland, one of the first things I researched was Polish food. So did my friends and family. And they all reported to me their findings. Food is not only essential to human life, it is so near the center of all we do.

So here's the skinny on Polish food: it's really not that different than some traditional southern U.S. food traditions.

SOUP!

We were told off the bat that dinner (lunch) and supper (dinner) are both, at a minimum, two course meals in Poland. It is especially true for older generations. And the first course is always soup. It would be common to hear a Polish mother or grandmother asking a houseguest, "Are you eating enough soup?"

I was told over a good bowl of soup that soup is the national dish of Poland. For most, it is a necessary component of a good meal, and many are loath to think about how the young folks are forsaking the soup slurping ways of their ancestors. Many encourage the kids to eat plenty of soup and keep the tradition alive.

The soups are usually very brothy and not very heavy or chunky, so it doesn't get in the way of the main course. We experienced many chicken broth based soups, a few with beef origins, and one nice cucumber soup.

One of the other things we noticed is that they eat salad as a side with most of their meals. Now when I say salad, I know what comes up in your mind. You envision a bowl of leafy lettuce, maybe with some cheese, tomatoes, croutons, and blobs of dressing. Salad in Poland is different but not foreign to the American palate. Salad is normally shredded carrots made into a carrot salad type dish, or it is a shredded cabbage dish that gets very close to coleslaw.

Schnitzel, potatoes, & salad (slaw) made by two different
people who didn't know one another. Almost identical!

We had several main courses that were nearly identical to foods I've had many times at home. At a conference, we ate a lunch comprised of a lightly breaded and fried pounded chicken breast, mashed potatoes, salad (slaw), and, you guessed it, soup. It was chicken noodle. I was asked if I liked such Polish food. I replied that it was very good and really not much different than a traditional southern U.S. meal, especially those of the Sunday afternoon variety. In fact, I've had such meals many times at my wife's grandmother's house in rural Arkansas. In her home, the meat is usually deer, and in Poland, various meats are used. The pounded and fried meat is called schnitzel, by the way.

Dried sausages

Another natural question is: What about Polish sausage? The Poles are fond of their cylindrical meat, and it often shows up at breakfast. Polish sausage takes on a variety of forms and flavors, so don't pigeonhole it to be the stuff you find at fairs and carnivals. Some is of the refrigerated variety, others are air dried and eaten at room temperature. There was an interesting meat market in Ciechanow that is typical of others found across the country. Behind the counter was a rack of drying sausages. Przemek swore that the best ones were those that had been hanging there the longest. They were a little tougher but more flavorful. He bought us a variety bag, and all the meats were different and good. Some did indeed taste aged and smoky.

Speaking of meats at breakfast, the Poles don't think of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast when it comes to breakfast. They think sandwiches. Everywhere we went we encountered almost identical breakfasts. Usually it is a plate of cold cuts along with some Polish sausages, a couple of varieties of bread, maybe some cheese, and a plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. It's a make your own sandwich bar every morning! Amazingly enough, each host even laid the meats, breads, and tomato slices out in identical fashion.

We did have one strange dish. Sylvia had breakfast out for us nearly every morning by the time we got ready. We went to the kitchen, and one of the dishes appeared to be chicken noodle soup. Michael began eating and liked it. I wasn't convinced the noodles were noodles. It seemed like a masquerade. I studied the "noodles" carefully. One side of them did appear noodle like. But on the other side, I saw little fringy, finger-like things. I wasn't sold. We asked Przemek, and he asked Silvia. He looked at us, laughed a little, and said, "haggis." While it wasn't the traditional haggis dish, he was trying to communicate to us that what Michael ate was tripe. Yup, cow stomach.

Speaking of Silvia, I had a bad cold early on in the trip, and toward the end was coughing quite a bit, even though I felt ok. She heard this, and brought a bottle up to the kitchen and proceeded to pour me a shot of a slightly yellow, milky concoction. I took a whiff. Wow. She did not speak english, so I couldn't find out what was in it. I drank it down. KA-POW! Talk about a shot! It immediately cleared up the congestion in my chest. I found out later it was "spirits" (I think vodka), with garlic and onion juices. Ahhhhemmmm. Try ordering onion-garlic shots at your local bar.

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(Notice the Polish Grandmother)

The Finer Diner - Episode One

Here is a new venture. Watch to see how you can win an IHOP gift card!

Ode to a Jilted Lover 04 - Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

As I flipped through the radio stations the other day, I ran across my favorite Meat Loaf song. Yes, I have a favorite Meat Loaf song. Actually, I listened to Bat Out of Hell quite a bit during high school and was a fan of Bat Out of Hell II when it came out in '93. I don't own those albums anymore and will probably never actually pay for any more of his music. I would do anything for love, but I won't do that. Glad I got that out.

While I don't seek out Meat Loaf music and usually ignore it when I pass it on the radio, when I hear Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, I turn it up and sing along. The chorus is a bit corny while, at the same time, is a little clever. 

When I heard it the other day, however, I realized that it is a jilted lover song with a twist. First off, the song is written from the point of view of the jilter, or, in in other words, le jerk. He, le jerk, is singing to the jilted lover. She loves him and asks for a confirmation of his love. He replies with, well, no love. He wants her, he needs her, but there ain't no way he's ever going to love her. Hence the name, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. 

But before you write him off as a total dodo, he reveals that he simply cannot love her. There is only one girl he loves, but he too was jilted. Can you say twist? I guess that doesn't give him the right to pass it along, but it is a unique jilted lover song in that the jilted becomes a jilter. It's a vicious cycle.

Baby we can talk all night 
But that ain't gettin us nowhere 
I told you everything I possibly can 
There's nothing left inside of me 

And baby you can cry all night 
But that'll never change the way that I feel 
The snow is really piling up outside 
I wish you wouldn't make me leave here 

I poured it on and I poured it out 
I tried to show you just how much I care 
I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout 
But you've been cold to me so long 
I'm crying icicles instead of tears 
And all I can do is keep on telling you 

I want you, I need you 
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you 
Now don't be sad 
'Cause two out of three ain't bad 
Now don't be sad 
'Cause two out of three ain't bad 

You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach 
You'll never drill for oil on a city street 
I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks 
But there ain't no Coup de Ville hiding at the bottom 
of a Cracker Jack box 

I can't lie, I can't tell you that I'm something I'm not 
No matter how I try 
I'll never be able to give you something 
Something that I just haven't got 

well there is only one girl that I will ever love 
And that was so many years ago 
And though I know I'll never get her out of my heart 
She never loved me back,ooh I know 

I remember how she left me on a stormy night 
How she kissed me and got out of our bed 
And though I pleaded and I begged her not to walk out that door 
She packed her bags and turned right away 

And she kept on telling me 
She kept on telling me 
She kept on telling me 

I want you, I need you 
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you 
Now don't be sad 
'Cause two out of three ain't bad 

I want you, I need you 
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you 
Now don't be sad 
'Cause two out of three ain't bad 

Baby we can talk all night 
But that ain't getting us nowhere

Ode to a Jilted Lover 03 - From Sad to Downright Tragic

Many jilted lover songs are about two people (as would be fitting for such tales): one is usually a sensitive, loving person with whom we empathize. The is other is usually, well, a jerk. They seem to be unfeeling, uncaring, and aloof. But some cross over into super-jerkdom as does today's example.

The song is Levi Stubbs' Tears by Billy Bragg. Now let me be upfront, I am actually not a huge fan of how this song sounds in its final form. The most I know of Billy Bragg is a three album project he did with Wilco where they created songs from lyrics penned by Woody Guthrie. The songs had never been set to music, and I think the albums are absolutely wonderful. But outside of that, I am not familiar with Billy Bragg's work. But I think this song has merit lyrically, and musically, it isn't just a train wreck or anything.

The song is about a woman who seems to be perpetually alone. She makes the best of her life and finds solace in music, which seems to be the only constant, bright spot she can find. Levi Stubbs was the lead vocalist of the Four Tops. The song mentions others involved in Motown's heyday, and apparently this is the type of music she finds comfort in.

She runs away from home at a very early age and marries almost right away. The guy she marries is terrible. He leaves her then resurfaces in her life later on only to do her physical harm. I tend to think that the actual story starts in verse two, and its conclusion is actually verse one. I tie the "accident" to whatever happens in verse four. She just called it an accident because she didn't want to turn him in for what he had done.

Here are the lyrics and the song, so you decide what the story is. A key line is And her husband was one of those blokes, the sort that only laughs at his own jokes; the sort a war takes away, and when there wasn't a war, he left anyway.


With the money from her accident
she bought herself a mobile home
so at least she could get some enjoyment
out of being alone
No one could say that she was left up on the shelf
It's you and me against the world kid she mumbled to herself

Chorus:
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears run down his face

She ran away from home in her mother's best coat
She was married before she was even entitled to vote
And her husband was one of those blokes
The sort that only laughs at his own jokes
The sort that war takes away
and when there wasn't a war he left her anyway

Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
are here to make everything right that's wrong
Holland and Holland and Lamont Dozier too
are here to make it all okay with you

One dark night he came home from the sea
and put a hole in her body where no hole should be
It hurt her more to see him walking out the door
and though they stitched her back together they left her heart in pieces on the floor

When the world falls apart some things stay in place
she takes out the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears...

Poland 06 - Przemek- A Rose by Any Other Name...

Przemek is not an uncommon Polish name, but it is certainly far from being the most common. You meet many with names like Jan (John), Pawel (Paul), Michal (Michael), Jakub (Jacob/James), etc. due to the heavy Catholic influence. So Biblical names abound.

Przemek is derived from an old slavic name that means clever or ingenious. I'm not sure if I'd classify Przemek as ingenious (sorry buddy), but clever, yes. He is fluent in English, although he'd have some problems from time to time. Idioms across languages are about the toughest.

Since we spent most of our time with Przemek, he was Poland's representative to us. He's all we had to go by. So for the first few days, we could only assume that all Poles were like him. True to form, he was like others who grew up under communism. He was nice, but conversations were sometimes stilted. I think it was partly because he was guarded, at first, while he tried to figure us out. By the third day, however, I started to pick up on a sense of humor.

We had dinner one night with Przemek and his family at their home, and, toward the end of the evening, Michael went to another part of the room in order to Skype with his wife. Joseph and I visited with the family, and 45 minutes later, Michael rejoined us. Przemek quickly remarked, "I notice a difference between you Americans and us Eastern Europeans. Here, we can't think of anything that would take 45 minutes to talk to our wives about!"  A ha! A joke! Now we're getting somewhere.

Of course Michael knew he was joking, but seeing that he is Mr. Romance, he took the comment as a challenge to get Przemek to be romantic toward his wife. This became a theme that surfaced off and on throughout the rest of our trip. We traveled the second week, and when we'd stop anywhere that had free Wi-Fi, Michael was instantly in touch with his wife. Przemek would often look at me and Joseph and make kissy faces. One constant for Michael was blowing a kiss to his wife every time they ended a Skype conversation. Oddly enough, he'd never do it with his whole hand. Przemek noticed that he'd done it with just two fingers. One day, he did it with three. This amazed Przemek. He looked at me and Joseph and said, "Oh! The romance is growing! Now we're up to three finger kisses. Tomorrow, it will be four!"

Gosia & Przemek (Note his body language. Isn't this how
you imagine all Eastern European men talk?)

While the topic of romance was joked about, it was clear that Przemek and his wife Gosia (a variation of Malgorzata, which is Polish for Margaret), shared a great amount of love for one another. They married after only their third meeting. They knew from the get-go that they were meant to be together. I am not sure how long they've been married, but it's been long enough that their oldest daughter is 19.

Gosia is a very sweet lady. She was more open than Przemek and liked sharing about Polish life and culture and answered many questions I had. She also had many for us. We spent some time telling her about where we are from and showed her photos on the internet.

Joseph, Ela, & Ola having fun
with a statue

Przemek has two daughters, Ela and Ola. Ela's name is simply Ela. Could that really be Polish if it's that easy? Ola is actually short for Aleksandra (Alexandra, the same as my middle daughter). Here, in Przemek's two daughters, we saw a major difference in Polish people across generations. They were much more talkative, much more open, and more free to be themselves right off the bat. We found this to be true with most anyone under the age of 25 or so. Just being young may have something to do with  it, but those we asked said there is a big difference socially between those who were under communism and those who were not. The young people seemed to have a greater sense of curiosity about us and were more willing to ask questions. They were also more excited to share with us about themselves, their families, and Poland. It's not that those inclinations did not exist in the older generations, but they didn't act on them. We did discover that being a teen is universal.

Because all of us Americans do tend to be more open than the average Pole, the younger generation read that as a sign of self-confidence and tended to think of us as very confident people. To borrow and modify a joke from Garrison Keillor, do you know the difference between a normal Pole and one who is outgoing? An outgoing Pole will look at your shoes instead of his own during a conversation.

Emilia & Sylvia

By the time we left, we'd discovered that Przemek was a real cut up. I think you can probably see that from some of the photos I've included with this blog. We'd become so close over the course of the trip that it was definitely hard to say good bye when he took us to the airport to leave. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. We'd grown so close to many people, especially in Ciechanow. It had become home. When we traveled around Poland and came back to Ciechanow, it felt like we were coming back home. From Przemek and Gosia, to Emilia and Sylvia who took great care of us in their home, to new friends like Jacek (Jack) and the two Pawels, we had a hard time leaving our new friends.

I can't say I know what it is like to visit a foreign nation as a tourist. I'm sure it is fun. But we visited Poland as new friends of an amazing group of people. And we're really more than new friends now. I feel like we are family.

Nations are more than places to see and cities and terrains. Nations are people, and they are what made this trip to Poland most memorable. I can say we truly love our new, extended family, and we were certainly blessed to be able to experience Poland in such a way. Here is the heart of a country, for the culture, the architecture, all the amazing things to experience, and the very life of a nation start in the hearts of the people of the land.

(Click on any of the photos to see it larger)

Ode to a Jilted Lover 02 - Dylan Style

According to many, Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. I don't dislike most Bob Dylan songs, but in all honesty, I'm not so impressed that I think he's one of the greatest. Maybe I haven't given the songs much chance. Maybe I haven't analyzed them enough. Maybe his songs are the musical version of Citizen Kane, a movie that many credit as one of the greatest of all time because it was the first to break into a new cinematography style. I wasn't impressed.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Bob Dylan. At any rate, one of Dylan's songs is my next topic in the Ode to a Jilted Lover song series. The song is Simple Twist of Fate and was released in 1975 on his landmark album Blood on the Tracks. Like most Dylan songs, a gazillion people have covered it, starting with Joan Baez in the same year Dylan released it. Covers of the song continue with one already done in 2012. Amazingly enough, I've never heard Dylan sing it. I guess there's no reason to start now. In fact, the only person I've heard sing it is Tim Curry. According to many (and especially my wife) this is a double curse. But aren't most Dylan songs best when Dylan doesn't sing it?

In a cursory look at what some think about the meaning of this song, I ran across one commenter who saw striking similarities between this song and a poem by 19th century French writer Paul Verlaine. The similarity is even more relevant because Dyan mentions Verlaine in another song from the same album. The poem, Colloque Sentimental, is about a couple walking in a park together. As they go along, they discuss a romance that they once had. We find out, however, that the romance was very one sided. One remembers with a heart full of fondness. The other blows it all off, stating that there was really never any love, at least from his or her point of view. Ye olde tyme jilted love. Here's the original poem, translated into English by Gertrude Hall:

In the deserted park, silent and vast,
Erewhile two shadowy glimmering figures passed.

Their lips were colorless, and dead their eyes;
Their words were scarce more audible than sighs.

In the deserted park, silent and vast,
Two spectres conjured up the buried past.

“Our ancient ecstasy, do you recall?”
“Why, pray, should I remember it at all?”

“Does still your heart at mention of me glow?
Do still you see my soul in slumber?” 

“No!”

“Ah, blessed, blissful days when our lips met!
You loved me so!” 

“Quite likely,—I forget.”

“How sweet was hope, the sky how blue and fair!”
“The sky grew black, the hope became despair.”

Thus walked they ’mid the frozen weeds, these dead,
And Night alone o’erheard the things they said.

Now compare that to Dylan's song. Here, a young man falls in love, but the lady never reciprocates. He can't shake it out of his mind. She, on the other hand, shows no feeling at all in walking away. A key line here is "She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate, and forgot about a simple twist of fate." Also notice that the song switches to first person in the last stanza.

They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark,
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones.
'Twas then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.

They walked along by the old canal
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burnin' bright.
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate.

A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walkin' by the arcade.
As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin' up,
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate.

He woke up, the room was bare
He didn't see her anywhere.
He told himself he didn't care, pushed the window open wide,
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate.

He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks,
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in.
Maybe she'll pick him out again, how long must he wait
Once more for a simple twist of fate.

People tell me it's a sin
To know and feel too much within.
I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring.
She was born in spring, but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate.

Poland 05 - The Poles of Poland

Polish people are called Poles. They call themselves Poles when speaking about themselves in English. Ok, I've poorly set the stage for a bad joke I made on the third day of our trip. I saw a cat in the backyard and told my traveling companions, "Look! It's an authentic Pole cat!"

Ok, once you stop doubling over in pain from all the laughter, resume reading.  I'll wait.

An amazing truth that I learned from the trip to Poland is that while it is wonderful to see lands different than my own, and it is surreal to visit distant places you've only heard about, to find and make new friends is one of most satisfying and memorable experiences you can have.

I had been told that the best traveling occurs when you aren't purely a tourist and are connected to local people. I don't know how that occurs if you don't know anyone in a country you want to visit, but I can attest to the fact that spending your time with people who are simply ordinary natives of the land is the best way to truly experience a nation.

Our contact in Poland was Przemek Bartczak, the pastor of the church in Ciechanow. He is also the associate director of the food bank in their area of Poland. Przemek was our host and really the one who took responsibility for our well-being. And we certainly needed someone to do that. It's easy to lose your bearings in a land where you don't understand the language, culture, and social norms. Paul Simon lyrics often drifted through my head during those first few days.


A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the Third World
Maybe it's his first time around
He doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man


You can call me Al. Or Albercie, if you prefer to use Polish.

While Przemek did share with us some touristy things, and I'm glad he did, it was really spending time with him, his family, and the people that told us what Poland was all about.

Przemek & his friend Tomek

Many people in Poland grew up under a communist regime, which lasted from 1945 to 1989. That experience seems to have really shaped the personality of the generations who grew up during those years. The government, a product of Russian supported liberation after World War II, was oppressive and left the people of the post-war nation with little of their own. The communists provided minimum infrastructure, but money to buy sufficient food and provide one's family with the necessities of life was  a scratch-and-claw kind of existence.

And to oppose the government in any shape or form, including to speak against it, was often met with consequences that no one wanted. We heard from several people that in the quiet seclusion of their own homes, Polish people often taught their children that the way they were treated was not right. This was a risk for the parents for if any of the children mentioned their conversations in school, for example, there could be retribution. Yet most parents wanted their children who did not know true freedom to know the longing for it that resided in their hearts.

The result of that environment is a people who are often unexpressive and stoic. That is how they were accustomed to being around others, and it has become a part of their national identity. Michael, who spent the two weeks speaking to groups of people, was often confused at the lack of responsiveness from those whom he addressed. There were no signs of agreement or disagreement. He eventually said that the Polish people would make the best poker players.

Michael asked Przemek how you can tell whether or not the crowd agrees with and likes what you are saying. Przemek responded, "If they don't rebuke you afterward, they liked it." Someone else told us, "If they don't say anything or give any indication of liking you or what you said, that is a compliment."

Our host, Przemek fit the Polish mold well. We had a hard time reading Przemek at first. He was friendly enough, but it was difficult getting to know him. I like to joke a lot, but I hope I know or am at least learning to know when it's appropriate and when it is not. So around people I do not know, I am often more reserved until I have a better feel of the situation. I guess we are all that way. But if you want to play social chicken with a Pole you'll lose every time.

So for a while, it was a game of observation, analyzation, and drawing conclusions. It's just that in Poland, the game is a little more difficult. Fortunately, I can tell you my eventual conclusions were good ones. I will blog next about some of the specific people we got to know. And I'll share soon what kind of person our friend Przemek turned out to be.

One story about communist leftovers before I go. Przemek often shared with us that as he grew up his parents taught him to never waste food. To get enough to eat every day in communist Poland was not easy. We stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch one day. Yeah, KFC. We informed Przemek that we'd be able to tell him if it was authentic or not. We ordered a bucket of hot wings to share among the four of us. We went around eating the wings until we were pretty stuffed, and yet four wings remained. We decided that each of us should eat one and finish it off. Unfortunately, Michael didn't want to eat his wing. Now here's a guy who doesn't know how to finish a job! Michael walked away to call his wife, and Joseph, Przemek, and I each ate a wing, leaving just one. Przemek said, "Well someone has to eat it!" I laughed, thinking it was a joke. But the longer I looked at his face, I became unsure if it was a joke or not. I looked at Przemek. I looked at the wing. I looked at Przemek. I picked up the wing and ate it. Wow. He wasn't joking.

How'd I Lost a Hunert Pounds OR From Flab to Fab!

****Please note, I have not reached my goal weight yet, and I planned on writing this article then. I reached a milestone of a hundred pounds lost, however, and I reckon this information is just as valid now as it will be when I reach my goal. I hope it helps someone.

Carrying a Heavy Load

Last week I transported two bags of goat feed from my garage to our humble goat barn not too far behind my house. The bags weighed fifty pounds each. As I hoisted one up and onto my shoulder and walked a short distance to a waiting cart, I could hardly imagine actually carrying that much weight all the time. I hoisted the second one up and took it to the cart. The two bags together equal the amount of weight I've lost since October 1st, 2011. It's insanely crazy to think of a hundred pounds of fat hanging on my frame day in, day out. If you put a bag of feed on each shoulder, your body would immediately feel the oppression of its weight and, in no time, start to tire from the added load. A hundred pounds! Good grief! That's heavy! 

The Things That Scare Me Most

I knew I needed to lose weight. I helped a co-worker carry a heavy item a short distance, and, once we put the object down, I was out of breath. Then it took forever for me to recover. My co-worker, who really isn't in shape either, kept looking at me and asking, "Are you going to be OK?" What a wake up call! If I am getting this way now, how will it be 10, 20, 30 years from now? What will I want to do that I will not be able to do? I could already see it in my life. I was not doing many of the activities that I used to because I was out of shape and lazy.

And the health risks of being overweight are undeniable. First there are heart problems, which run on my mom's side of the family anyway. I wasn't just overweight. My heart and lungs were not conditioned because of my sedentary lifestyle. The heart becomes weak due to its lack of inactivity, and its condition deteriorates. Just like any muscle, a lack of use will eventually render it useless.

Another health factor that really gave me the heebie jeebies was diabetes. I don't mean to minimize or make light of the disease, but it really is a frightening thing to have. Not only is it closely linked to cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes, it is a disease that, if it fully runs its course, causes one to basically slow rot. Diabetes ultimately damages small blood vessels as well as the nervous system. Ultimately, these two combine and many diabetics lose their eyes and limbs due to the slow decay of these body parts. If a heart attack or stroke don't get ya, its a slow, miserable death.

Over 11% of the U.S. population 20 years and older have diabetes. About 27% of people 65 and over have it. And the numbers continue to grow! In my state alone, the percentage of those diagnosed with diabetes grew from less than 1% in 1958 to almost 3% in 1985 to over 11% in 2010. Guess what other percentages grew as well? Obesity was a little over 10% in 1985 and up to over 31% in 2010! Now just because those two things happened concurrently does not mean they are related. Please don't be duped by junk science. But the correlation between the most cases of diabetes and obesity and inactivity are well established and documented. 

So what does it all mean? The risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and a host of other problems are greatly reduced by maintaining a healthy body weight and exercise. Yup, you can prevent most of these woes! Not only that, many of them can be reversed. Many with diabetes who lost weight and developed an active lifestyle actually reversed their disease to the point that it simply disappeared.

So What's Our Problem?

If such terrible, physical maladies are, for the most part, preventable, why aren't we doing anything about it? The problem is instant versus delayed gratification. There is a saying that goes like this: hard work pays off in the future, but procrastination pays off now! When it comes to our health, it appears many of us hold fast to this motto. Eating large amounts of bad-for-you food and inactivity is enjoyable.  If it weren't, the national trends would be headed the other way. And the pleasure that comes from these things is immediate, just like we want it. 

Eating healthy and exercise don't appear to have an immediate pay off. In fact, they feel like self-denial. Exercise brings the sweat and an expense of energy, and that huge hamburger or extra piece of chocolate pie sure seem more satisfying than that diety food. Plus being in good, physical condition may pay off in the future. It reduces the risks of disease, but it doesn't elimate them. We're all going to die anyway, right? 

Let's think about this logically for a moment. You are going to die. There is no doubt about it. But imagine you are presented with these two options: 1. You choose a lifestyle that will provide you with some immediate gratifications, but your overall quality of life will be lowered, you will eventually not be able to do all the other activities you enjoy, your risk for a slow, decaying death is increased, and you die early OR 2. You maintain a high quality of life until death, able to enjoy many different activities without serious health complications, all the while feeling your best. Seriously, which would you choose?

My lack of desire and inability to do things I enjoyed coupled with the real possibility of grave physical problems woke me up. I had tried to lose weight many times before. You may be familiar with that ten pounds that you lose only to have it move back in within a month. Yeah, I've been there, done that. But this time, I wanted that ten pounds and about ten of his buddies to move out for good. I didn't make up any excuses, and I urge you not to either. Most of your reasons to not do anything are not reasons, they are excuses. Call them as they are. Honesty with yourself and your situation are crucial on this journey.

So, How'd You Do It?

Every time I see someone who has not seen me in a while, and they notice the weight loss, the question is always the same: how'd you do it?  My daughter jokingly suggested I answer with the Shake Weight. 

I think the question is, in some ways, the wrong question. Normally a person is asking me how I lost weight. I cannot approach my life changes simply from the one avenue of just losing weight. Granted that is how I started, but that is not where I am today. I have not just lost weight. I've decreased my risk for disease, increased my physical capacity and endurance, increased my energy and quality of life, and I've enhanced all other life activities. 

Why do I make this distinction? Because simply losing weight as a goal is short-sighted. Sure, the number on the scale is the main figure I use to gauge the overall progress in these areas. But if I make just weight loss the goal, I will feel that my job is done once I get to where I want to be. I've seen it happen many, many times. A person goes on some sort of diet in order to lose weight. They are met with a measure of success, and, once they feel satisfied with how much they've lost, they go back to normal, only to gain it all back. They met their goal, so why keep going?

The problem is that weight maintenance, a decreased risk for disease, increased energy, and increased quality of life don't just happen for the rest of your life. They must be pursued. If you are like me, however, you will want to pursue these things because you've come to realize the quality of these benefits.

It's All About the Calories

For long term success, you have to view food first and foremost as a fuel. Let's make an analogy. Think of your body as a 1987 Dodge Ram Pickup with a 318 engine (the best truck engine ever made, or so I've been told), and you want to drive from Paducah to St. Louis. The truck will use a certain amount of energy to get there, and that will come from the conversion of gasoline into usable energy. You go to the gas station thinking it will take about one full tank to get you there. You fill the tank up, leave, and sure enough pull up to your destination in St. Louis with no excess fuel to spare.

The same holds true for your body. Your trip is from the time you get up in the morning until the time you wake up the next day. You need a certain amount of fuel to get that done. We don't measure our fuel in miles per gallon, but we can measure it in calories. Calories tell us how much energy we can expect from the food we eat. For instance, an average medium peach will give you about 50 calories. That's 50 units of energy you need for body function and the activities you set about during your day. The conversion of food into energy measured by calories is amazingly accurate. It has been around since the 1800s and is very reliable. 

So how many calories do you need? It varies depending on age, sex, and height. A man my age and height who has a moderately active lifestyle needs roughly 2000 calories per day in order to maintain my goal weight. Any less, and I'll lose weight, any more I'll gain. It's just that simple. I will give some links at the bottom of this article that will allow you to figure the calories needed for your situation. 

Let's get you back into being a truck. If you don't give it enough energy (gasoline), you ain't gonna make it to where you want to go. This is not usually a problem for Americans and their calorie intake. The body is amazing in that if you take in more fuel (calories) than you need, it sets it aside for later use in the form of fat. Unfortunately, our storehouses are full, and we are being crushed by stored energy we'll never use.

If I filled the truck bed up with gas tanks stacked up to the sky, and, once the main tank was full at the gas pump, I one by one filled the extra gas tanks, the truck would soon become weighted down under the burden of the extra gas. Imagine I drove around all the time, filling the main gas tank daily, but never using the ones stacked in the truck bed. In fact, I'd occasionally add more tanks to the pile. Eventually the truck would experience problems in the suspension, brakes, premature engine wear, and so on.

See the analogy? How's your suspension doing?

How Do You Track Your Calories?

The science of figuring calories and measuring calories in food has been around for quite sometime. There is hardly any food you stick in your gullet that cannot be measured. Packaged food comes with nutritional informal printed right on the label. The calorie content is normally at the top of the information listed. 

If you look at the example, you will notice that the first information you see tells you about the serving size. Don't assume that the number on the calorie line represents how many calories are in the package you are holding. The second line under the heading Nutrition Facts tells you how many servings are in the package you are holding. In the case of our example, there are two servings per package. So, if there are 2 servings per package, and a serving is 170 calories, then the entire package of food is 340 calories. 

The nutrition facts also tell you how to determine a correct portion size. In our example, you can do it one of two ways. You can weigh the food, and 1 oz. (28g), which represents one serving, is 170 calories. Since this particular food comes in pieces of equal size, you can also determine a serving by counting out 21 pieces. 

I started out tracking calories by simply writing them down on a piece of paper everyday. If I ate the whole package of whatever food is represented here, then I would write down 340 calories consumed for that day. When I hit my limit, I could not consume anymore food that day. 

I do suggest buying a food scale, which is not that expensive, and available in many department stores. Some foods such as various meats, vegetables, etc. have to be measured out by weight because packaging is often not uniform and the nutrition facts for your particular package may be a bit vague. A great resource for finding calorie information is the USDA Nutrient Database, which you can find here. Many fitness tracking websites have calorie information, but beware if it is input by the website's users. I have found some entries to be inaccurate.

If you eat out at a restaurant, take a look at their website before you go. Many list nutritional information for their meals. A personal preference for me is Subway. They have several low-calorie choices that are good, satisfying meals. Many other restaurants such as Applebees and IHOP have added a bigger variety of lower calorie entrees.

What About Exercise?

Exercise is a way to burn stored energy (fat). The upside to exercise is that it does allow you to eat more calories per day. Here's how it breaks down: a pound of body fat is equal to about 3500 calories. You will naturally burn a certain amount of calories by just being alive. Physical activity burns calories. For example, a 185 pound person will burn 66 calories an hour simply by watching TV. That same person will burn 410 calories an hour weeding a garden. See how just getting up and out will help burn fat? 

So let's say that at your level of daily activity, you need 2000 calories to maintain your weight. Now eat only 1500 a day. In 7 days, you will have used 3500 more calories than you took in. Thus, your body tapped into the stored energy supply (fat) and used a pound of it. Increase your activity level, and your calorie needs increase. 

But exercise is not just about earning calories, although that is a good benefit. There are many normal-weight people who are in bad shape because their bodies have little capacity for stress, and they have little endurance. Exercise increases your overall energy, your capacity (ability), and gives you better endurance. What does all that mean? You can do what you love to do longer, better, and with renewed energy. Now I will admit that when you first start exercising, you may not feel that way. Your body may say, "Hey, hey, hey champ! Hold up there. I don't know what you think you're doing, but let's hold up for a bit." All I can say is keep going. Keep pushing. I don't mean ignoring an injury or health problem that prevents exercise, of course, but push through the desire to stop because it's pushing you more than you're used to. Exercise is also known as physical conditioning. You have to condition your body to hold up under the exercise and increase its capacity for more.

The end is worth it. My energy level soars compared to what I used to be. I am at the point now that if I don't exercise, I feel lethargic and run down. Normally my energy levels spike after I've exercised. And you don't have to start out big. The first day I walked about a mile. That's it. I simply walked. I tried to do it at a decent pace, and I thought it was going to kill me. But I continued, day in and day out until my body met the mile walk challenge with no problem. Now I exercise at least one hour a day. I encourage a minimum of thirty minutes. If you hear words like "just ten minutes a day" coupled with exercise, run. Sure, some is better than none, but there is no way you will fully increase your physical capacity and endurance by cheating yourself. The research bears it out. Look it up.

Isn't There an Easier Way?

There are so many weight loss plans out there, you can easily get lost in the sea of information. Most center around what foods to avoid and what foods to eat. They say you can eat all of the good foods you want, and you'll still shed the pounds! Let me just say this off the bat: there are no foods that will make you fat or foods that will cause you to lose weight. Anything you stick in your mouth to eat or drink is converted to energy to be used by your body. If you eat more than you need, it will be converted to stored fat no matter what it is.

I've known plenty of people who were on such diets that did lose weight. And those who tout such plans will look and say, "See, it obviously works!" The problem is, like I mentioned before, faulty or junk science. They claim a correlation between their diet and weight loss without mentioning other factors that come into play that may be the actual reason people are losing weight.

A friend of mine went on such a diet and dropped a considerable amount of weight. When questioned about his dietary changes, I discovered that in his approach to what foods were good and what foods were bad, he had drastically dropped his daily calorie count. He wasn't tracking his calorie count, but it was lowered by the food choices he made. This is a person who would regularly visit a sports bar/grill and, according to our calculations, consume nearly 3000 calories during the course of a televised sports event.

When he started his diet, he stopped consuming the 3000 calorie meals. The diet restricted his foods greatly, and limited the types of foods he could eat. Because the diet was one regarding which foods are good and which food are bad, and he lost weight, it is easy to attribute his success to the particular diet. What is missed, however, is what else was taking place. His calorie count dropped dramatically as well.  You cannot say for sure one thing causes another if there are other factors that may actually be bringing about the result. 

I don't want to argue over the different diet types as it seems to open the proverbial can 'o worms with some people, but the truth of the matter is that if you eat more calories than you need, you will gain weight. If you are on the Atkins Diet, for example, and you adhere to it strictly and eat only the best and leanest meats, you will gain weight if you take in more energy than you expend. 

The science behind calories and how your body uses energy is well established. For some reason, that is the very thing that causes many to be suspicious. They look at it as if it is archaic and outdated. After all, haven't we learned so much more since that was the way to lose weight? Just because it is old knowledge doesn't make it wrong.

So I Can Eat Whatever I Want?

Yes! Eat whatever you want! Just stay within the daily limit you set so that you can lose weight. You will learn quickly which foods provide the most bang for your buck calorie-wise. So naturally you will start to gravitate toward foods that aren't as high in calories so that you don't spend all your calorie bucks in one place. And, if you do have some of the foods that are higher in calories, you will probably eat them more sparingly. Your sugar intake will probably drop because sugary foods are higher in calories. Does that mean you can't eat any sugary dessert or treat ever? No! Just do it wisely.

Don't go to extremes! I did when I started. I wanted only really, really low calorie foods, so I ate low cal veggies and salads, mostly. It wasn't long before all my energy was gone, and I couldn't figure out why it took all that was within me just to get through the day. My wife asked me if I had been eating much protein. When I tracked a day's worth of typical food, I realized I was getting hardly any! I incorporated meats back into my daily intake, and my energy went back up. Plus, proteins helped me feel full longer. So don't go into a ditch on either side. Don't live off lettuce, and don't get all your daily calories from a 2/3lb Monster Thickburger at Hardees. 

Remember, it's about balance and moderation. And it is a lifelong journey. One of the problems with food-restrictive and fad diets is that once most people lose some weight, they stop the diet and gain the weight back. They really haven't learned a lifestyle change and were just doing what they had to do in order to reach a goal. Most of those diets are not realistic from the point of living on them the rest of your life. 

No Excuses

There is so much I can say about this journey, but this article is already very long. I hope it is an encouragement to you. Others who took this path before me encouraged me to get going and stay going. Remember, most of the reasons we give for why we don't do what is best for our bodies are really just excuses that mask our laziness, gluttonous cravings, etc. Call them as they are.

A friend of mine once pointed out that we will always do what we want to within our power. Your actions follow your will all of the time. His example is that of a man robbing you at gunpoint. He asks for all of your money. You really don't want to give him your money, but your will bends and gives it to him because you value your life. Your will wants to live more than keep your money.

So when it comes to your will, what do you want the most? Do you want the menial, fleeting pleasure that comes from eating too much and being sedentary, or do you want the long-term rewards that come from a healthy weight and an active and conditioned body? The latter will touch nearly every area of your life and spread throughout everything you do in ways you can't imagine.

** A great resource for your journey is myfitnesspal.com, which I use to track my daily calorie intake, exercise, and weight loss on the web and on my smartphone.

*** I have to give Billy and Shellie Blanks and all the folks at team Tae Bo a shout out. I have used their DVDs and the series PT24/7 for much of my exercise routine throughout this journey. They don't have a clue who I am, but they sure have helped me a great deal. I have really enjoyed the workouts, and they've given me a great, overall workout that's provided results in nearly every part of my body.

****I also thank my wife who has done this with me. Wow, honey, we're getting there! And you look amazing!

*****Lastly, thanks to our friend Missy who started her journey before we did. She has been very inspirational and a means of encouragement for us