How to drink vodka in Polish style... and how to cope with it.

As many of you have probably already heard, I spent last weekend in Poland celebrating the wedding of my two good friends. Even before going to Poland I had heard lots of rumours about the vodka drinking nation and its traditions. As it turned out, everything that I had heard was more than true.

Polish weddings last always for two days (or as one taxi driver put it "in the good old days they lasted for 3 days") and both days have certain things in common: there is a lot of food, a lot of people, a lot of dancing and of course a lot of vodka. As I personally (or actually my beloved stomach) has always disliked hard liquor, I was surprised how much vodka I (not to mention the locals) can really drink. However, there is a simple guideline how to drink vodka in Polish style and in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you are expected to drink vodka for 2 days, bear the following in mind:

Step 1. Say "Na zdrowie" and raise your glass of vodka
Step 2. Take a quick sip of juice (NO water but juice)
Step 3. Drink your vodka shot (if you feel that you are about to die, don't drink the whole shot)
Step 4. Drink immediately more juice
Step 5. Smile and start dancing

However, the most important thing is to eat all the time even if you are not that hungry. When you are not drinking vodka or showing your best dance moves, EAT. This juice-drinking is naturally very common only among the younger people, according to the taxi drivers the young people nowadays are much weaker and can't stand as much vodka as they do. One taxi driver also called vodka the "only pure and organic drink" as you can make it at home from simple ingredients. And yes, I had many conversations in taxis in Poland... in English, Polish and German. (Yes I know that most of you didn't know that I speak Polish. Well neither did I.)

Although I followed these guidelines my stomach was a bit angry with me when we got back home. I understand him: I had promised him many times before that I will never EVER drink hard liquor again. So I had to stay at home for 4 days and try to make him feel better... we even had to go to see a marriage counselor (also known as doctor) who recommended peace, love, bananas and carrot soup. So I've spent the past 4 days at home, spending quality time with my stomach and eating carrot soup... all possible different versions of it. Here's one that you might wanna try out when your stomach is ever upset:

Thai carrot soup
0,5 kg luomuporkkanoita
5 dl vettä
2 rkl raastettua inkiväärinjuurta
2 limen mehu
1 tl kuivattua chiliä
1,5 rkl thaimaalaista kalakastiketta
1 tl suolaa
1 rkl valkoviinietikkaa
1,5 dl kookosmaitoa



Keittäkää porkkanat, soseuttakaa ne, lisätkää mausteet, lämmittäkää keitto. Tsadam. Kannattaa muuten tarkkailla paljon keitinvettä jättää ettei keitosta tuu liian löysää.

As I was bloody fed up with carrot soups on day number 4, I added some chorizo and beans to give it flavour (check out the beautiful and this time authentic picture above).

Na zdrowie!