A report in the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita – that the Poles, according to sales figures, no longer enjoy their traditional drink, pure vodka – could have been just an anecdote. But anyone who has recently visited Poland knows that the Poles are becoming a nation of beer drinkers and, in this respect, are similar to other Central Europeans.
Coincidentally, I recently attended the traditional Visegrad Summer School in Krakow, where participants took a full day in the course of the two-week program to discuss the ties that bind Central Europeans – even if plenty of other things keep them apart. The popularity of beer is one of them, but don’t remind the Poles that the Pilsner Urquell sold in their country was produced in the Silesian city of Tychy until the production license was revoked for poor quality in 2011. Thanks to the Polish-Swedish sociologist Barbara Tornquist-Plewa and a debate with other experts, we didn’t just stop at beverages and food but could discuss deeper bonds.
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