Polska

One of the best things about Chicago in the summertime is probably all of the festivals that start popping up.  Take any one of the major cultures here, your favorite kind of music, hobby, or food, add "fest" on the end and you now have something to do over the weekend.  Chicagoans really know how to make the most of the nice weather, and really pack in a lot of activities that are available in the city and surrounding suburbs. 

Since moving to the midwest, I have learned that Chicago has a large Polish community.  I figured this out when I saw a marquee outside of a Walgreens that I only understood to be a language I had never seen before.  It's interesting to me, because I've never really been exposed to the Polish culture before.  I'm even surprised by how many people I hear speaking Polish regularly, and that I can actually recognize the language and the accent.  I suppose this is one of the my favorite parts about having lived in different states... learning about and appreciating what makes us different, but ultimately very much like each other.



Maggie D. YouTube Video



With that said, it was easy to decide that Polish Fest would be my first stop in my "Fest Quest" (yeah, I just came up with that right now).  The biggest part of the experience that I was looking forward to was hearing the music and tasting the food!  On one side of the park, there was a band that played covers of music by the Black Eyed Peas, Sugarland, and Lifehouse.  On the other side, the Polish stage was in full swing.  I was there to hear Maggie D.  (As great as she was, I'm sad to say that I missed Polish Elvis.  THAT would have been awesome!!)  The singer had a great stage presence, and although I couldn't understand a word, I enjoyed the music and watching people dance and sing along.

Next up?  The food.  Of course, I had to try everything.  What you can't see in the bottom right hand corner of the menu is: "All orders include applesauce and sour cream."  After seeing the menu, and reading this little excerpt, I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to be doing with the applesauce and sour cream, so I ended up trying a bite of everything with the applesauce and/or sour cream and then without.  It's not exactly ketchup (or if you're me... ranch dressing), but I'm not scared.  The food was delicious!  I had the best time experiencing the culture and enjoying the atmosphere, although I was pretty bummed to miss seeing the Pierogi eating contest.  Those things are so filling, it's hard to imagine that the winning number would have been very high.  :)  Anyway, I can't wait until the next festival.  Enjoy the pics, and just try not to get hungry just looking at them!



I missed out on the Shish Kabobs this time!



These ladies were so fast.



Polish Sausage, Rye Bread, & Sauerkraut, Cheese Blintz (with apple sauce and sour cream), Pierogi (one Sauerkraut, one Potato, & one Meat), Stuffed Cabbage, Potato Pancake, more Sausage & Sauerkraut and yes, more applesauce and sourcream.

You can't go to Polish Fest and not have the Polish beer!  (I still can't remember how to pronounce it.)