Pierogi, anyone?

[Tannerman]

Nearly one million people of Polish ancestry live in Chicago, which gives us the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw. Inside the city, Amy and I live in a heavily-Polish neighborhood. And yes, I do have a little bit of the mother country in my blood. What's the point of all this?

We assume "Witamy" means "Welcome"

Recently, Amy and I attended one of the most popular neighborhood festivals in Chicago: Taste of Polonia. Started in 1979, this Labor Day weekend tradition celebrates Polish customs, entertainment, and food. Held on the grounds of the Copernicus Center (same place as the Silent Film Festival we attended earlier in the summer), it's been a big deal for quite a while.

Another event brought to you by the City of Chicago

Every year since I was a kid, I've made fun of the goofy people who go to this thing. Well, Amy and I finally decided to check this out on our own and see what all the fuss was about.

Mmm, frying up the pierogi

Unlike the Taste of Chicago, this event had a $6 cover charge to even get in. If you wanted food or whatever, that was additional. It was quite a culture shock because pretty much everything was printed in Polish... of which I don't understand anything. (Well, I knew a little about the food from a song once featured on Steve's 25 Days of Christmas Music).

Amy tries a cheese pierogi

The most popular food item seemed to be Polish beer... and lots of it. Beyond that, there were the popular offerings of the Bobak Sausage Company and pierogi from Kasia's Deli (voted "The Best Pierogi in Chicago").

I haven't a clue what they were singing about

Entertainment offerings included live music on 3 stages, including polka, rock (sung in Polish), and some weird looking Elvis impersonator. Many of these were sponsored by local businesses we were familiar with. The funny part was seeing all their slogans and marketing taglines in another language. (Well, at least I thought it was humorous).

I'm sure Tommy Hilfiger thinks this is hilarious

Amy had never tried pierogi before, so we bought a couple different types... meat, potato, and cheese. The cheese were the best, as they had a very sweet taste. It was almost like a dessert!

Step right up and lose some cash!

There were also carnival rides at the event, including the classic Tilt-A-Whirl. Yeah, I can't imagine how much vomit they had to clean up after all those drunk Polish guys got done on that thing! After checking out all the booths, food vendors, and live acts, we called it a night. Frankly, it was fun to experience once, but I don't think we'll be doing it again.

Crowds flock late into the night

Just for fun, when we got home we flipped on the local Polish television station, Polvision. They broadcast two hours of Polish programming every day on Channel 23 -- yes, the same channel that is home to our previously featured MeTV. Anyway, the programming consisted of a tour of Athens during the Olympics. So there we were, two non-Polish speaking people watching Polish TV about Greece. Yeah, it was an interesting night.

So, what Polish foods have you experienced?