User:Kpalion

About myself
I work as a business analyst, but privately I'm interested in so-called humanities, such as philosophy, history, linguistics, sociology, religion, politics, cuisine, etc., and this are the areas where I try to contribute to Wikipedia, mostly in Poland-related areas. I also maintain the Poland Portal and try to answer questions about Poland and Central Europe at the Humanities and Language reference desks. &mdash; Kpalion(talk)

Did you know...

 * ... that the painter Jan Matejko always depicted Stańczyk (pictured), Poland's most famous court jester, with a concerned and reflective look on his face?
 * ... that King Christian IV of Denmark was probably the most notable person in history to be afflicted with the hair disease known as Polish plait?
 * ... that girls in Poland wear red lingerie underneath their dresses during a studniówka (high school ball)?
 * ... that not all Polish names end in -ski?
 * ... that according to an old Polish legend, the sorcerer Pan Twardowski was the first man on the Moon?
 * ... that there are several theories about the origins of the name of Poland?
 * ... that the Polish cochineal (lifecycle pictured) gave its name to the color red and the month of June in most Slavic languages?
 * ... that the Banner of Poland, despite its 1000-year old history, is not officially considered a Polish national symbol?
 * ... that the Jack of the President of the Republic of Poland was originally intended only for usage on naval vessels in the presence of the commander-in-chief?
 * ... that the position of the President of the Republic is the only undisputed one in the Polish order of precedence?
 * ... that Józef Kowalczyk served longer in one country than any other apostolic nuncio?
 * ... that only one of the 114 registered museums in Poland is privately owned?
 * ... that popes awarded blessed swords and hats to defenders of Christendom, including at least 12 emperors, 10 kings of France, 7 kings of Poland, 6 kings of Spain, and the nation of Switzerland?
 * ... that the motto of a cookbook by Paul Tremo (pictured), a court chef to King Stanislaus Augustus of Poland, was, "Not everyone thinks, but everyone eats"?
 * ... that the Polish street food known as zapiekanka has been described both as "Polish pizza" and "a poor relative of its distant Italian cousin"?
 * ... that common hogweed was originally the main ingredient of borscht?
 * ... that Compendium ferculorum by Stanisław Czerniecki is the first cookbook written originally in Polish?
 * ... that in 2013, Poland became the world's largest producer of mead made according to traditional methods (example pictured)?
 * ... that Compendium ferculorum ("A Collection of Dishes"), the oldest cookbook in Polish, inspired the description of a traditional banquet in the Polish national epic?

pl:Wikipedysta:Kpalion