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Post by leslie on Oct 7, 2007 3:09:54 GMT -7
Czesc Pawi I'm so glad that you agreed to try to answer my questions (even with practical research - don't worry!).
This is from an article I read and I wonder if you could comment on the currency of the advice?
""Greetings
Polish people enjoy greeting each other. If you find the word "czeϾ"(Hi!) to difficult to pronounce, you can use "Hello" instead and you'll certainly be understood. When arriving at a meeting, Polish people shake hands. When the company is larger it's right to shake hands with all those present. As a rule the first few minutes of any gathering are taken up with everyone greeting everyone else. This breaks the ice and makes life easier for the shy. Don't be surprised if some people exchange embraces or even a kiss during a greeting. This indicates familiarity rather than love. In the fervor of greetings someone may even lean over to kiss visitors from abroad. If that happens, don't panic, just return the gesture. But with moderation, a kissed greeting is in fact a delicate touch of cheeks.""
What is the custom in 2007 of a man on meeting a Polish woman for the first time; kissing her hand? What part of the hand?!! - with her palm facing downwards, kiss her fingers or the back of the hand?
On meeting a woman for the first time, and hand kissing is passe, do you give her a two cheek kiss (and to hell with these 'delicate touching of cheeks!)?
Is there a different protocol in these meetings if the woman is a married woman or single?
I am sure that with your wide knowledge and experience of this subject, I can be certain of true learning. I give you my permission to undertake the research if necessary!
(Any body else can join in if they wish!)
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Pawian
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Post by Pawian on Oct 7, 2007 15:50:22 GMT -7
Czesc Pawi I'm so glad that you agreed to try to answer my questions (even with practical research - don't worry!). This is from an article I read and I wonder if you could comment on the currency of the advice? Polish people enjoy greeting each other. If you find the word "czeϾ"(Hi!) to difficult to pronounce, you can use "Hello" instead and you'll certainly be understood. When arriving at a meeting, Polish people shake hands. When the company is larger it's right to shake hands with all those present. As a rule the first few minutes of any gathering are taken up with everyone greeting everyone else. This breaks the ice and makes life easier for the shy. Don't be surprised if some people exchange embraces or even a kiss during a greeting. This indicates familiarity rather than love. In the fervor of greetings someone may even lean over to kiss visitors from abroad. If that happens, don't panic, just return the gesture. But with moderation, a kissed greeting is in fact a delicate touch of cheeks.""Most of it holds water, yet kissing stranger` cheeks suggests poisoning with alcohol, not familiarity. The custom isn`t regulated by any special rules. Every man kisses whenever, whoever and however he feels like. I kiss hands of mature women as well as my former female students, today 21 years old. When I perform the act, I intend to show my respect and positive feeelings towards a woman. When I kiss the flat top part of the hand, between the wrist and the knuckles, I delicately touch it with my mouth. That`s enough for a kiss. I never kiss a woman`s cheek on our first meeting. This act is reserved for family relations and very close friendships. Yesterday I met my auntie and we kissed each other`s cheeks. And I am never so drunk as to forget myself so much to kiss a stranger woman`s cheeks hahahahaha No, there isn`t such a protocol. As I said, I kiss hands of both married and single women. PS. Yes, sometimes funny situations arise when a man is uncertain whether he should kiss a woman`s hand or just shake it. Some women help males by the way they offer their hands. It is a very intimate procedure, discernible for Polish people, a male just intuitively knows if a woman desires to have her hand kissed or just shaken. My final observation - hand kissing is normal for a mature man, like me. Experience!!!! If I want to show my respect, I raise a woman`s hand to my chest height and kiss it, no matter if she expects it or not. I play a macho then!!! Young men often have problems with it, but soon they reach perfection by practice. It means that in Poland, having such problems, you are still a young man. Lucky you!
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Pawian
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Post by Pawian on Oct 7, 2007 15:53:36 GMT -7
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Post by leslie on Oct 8, 2007 1:53:41 GMT -7
Hi Pawi Many thanks for the interesting and useful answer. I seem to see that there is a wide range open for people in these greetings - I think I'll just kiss everybody!!
Also thank you for the 'young man' compliment - the problem is that nearly everybody is younger than me (not that this stops me at all!! ;D)
Leslie
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zooba
Full Pole
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Post by zooba on Oct 8, 2007 3:26:41 GMT -7
I would say that kissing ladies' hands is very passe. I prefer a handshake. In my opinion a kiss tries to shift the relation toward non-professional kind-of-romantic one.
Among friends I kiss men on cheeks but when I think of it, I do it more rarely than I used to. I prefer a hug than a kiss.
My generation of women is more into handshake (30-something), older women still cherish being kissed on the hands.
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Pawian
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Post by Pawian on Oct 8, 2007 14:32:00 GMT -7
Hi Pawi Many thanks for the interesting and useful answer. I seem to see that there is a wide range open for people in these greetings - I think I'll just kiss everybody!! Leslie Why not? I forgot to corroborate that cheek kissing is fake on most occasions - it is cheek touching rather than kissing. However, I never perform fake actions. When I cheek kiss, I really do it. Then my mouth usually touches not the cheek but the area close to the ear. It feels very funny.... for both sides I suppose.... hahahahahaha If you have decided to kiss everyone, you can try my style cheek kiss on some woman - and later tell us about the result!
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Pawian
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Post by Pawian on Oct 8, 2007 14:35:50 GMT -7
I would say that kissing ladies' hands is very passe. I prefer a handshake. In my opinion a kiss tries to shift the relation toward non-professional kind-of-romantic one. Of course it does. Gentlemen have always been appreciated more by women..... and we know it..... How about a simultaneous hug and a kiss? No real woman can resist it...... When I am intent on hand kissing, nobody and nothing can stop me!!! I work out regularly!! hahahahaha
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Post by Jaga on Oct 8, 2007 19:20:40 GMT -7
++++How about a simultaneous hug and a kiss? No real woman can resist it......+++ not always. You have to be clean, fresh and have a look like Brad Pitt otherwise... I prefer some distance
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Post by bescheid on Oct 9, 2007 8:09:19 GMT -7
Ok you fellows
Best go easy with this kissing business, this for sure!! For it could very well be a kiss of death...
Ok so be it: I learnt my lessons very well with those cheek kiss whilst a little fellow in school.
The one time I flipped up the ladies dress with a stick whilst we were all walking to school. She or some person told the school mistress and I received some very painful knuckle strikes with a stick by the school mistress, and that hurt!!
The little lady that suffered the dress flip, then walked to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek for my troubles. {Do you realize the large amount of rubbing it took to remove that kiss!!}.
Charles
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Post by rdywenur on Oct 9, 2007 10:25:03 GMT -7
So Charles is that why you wear the hat...so we don't see those horns growing out of your knoggin ;D ;D
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Post by leslie on Oct 9, 2007 11:13:09 GMT -7
Pawi I was delighted to read that you are not one of these faking, air-kissing cheek kissers. Life presents itself always in three ways - our mouths were made for eating, for talking, and naturally for kissing. Why should we waste our inheritance by just blowing air past a young lady's cheek - I think it is an insult. The only thing with which I disagree in your stated actions is where you plant your 'cheek kiss'. I do the reverse to you and place the kiss much further forward - this offers the young lady almost with delights that are so close!! One time I had been out with a young lady once before, so when we met I kissed both her cheeks and went for the third kiss of friends, but aimed not for the cheek! She stopped me, and said something that today I am not sure exactly what she said - the one word had two possibilities 1) That's Russian (she was Polish) or 2) That's rushing!!! Are the Russians a little different in this or was I just mishearing?!! Leslie
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Post by bescheid on Oct 9, 2007 11:31:18 GMT -7
So Charles is that why you wear the hat...so we don't see those horns growing out of your knoggin ;D ;D Hmmmmm, OKie Dokie Chris You have me on this one!!! Now what is the saying? {It Takes One To Know One} {Ein Mann, ein Wort. Eine Frau, ein Wörterbuch}---A man, a word, A woman, a word buch} Charles Charles
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Pawian
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Post by Pawian on Oct 9, 2007 12:18:56 GMT -7
++++How about a simultaneous hug and a kiss? No real woman can resist it......+++ not always. You have to be clean, fresh and have a look like Brad Pitt otherwise... I prefer some distance I am clean and fresh, and I look better than Pitt. I look like Pawian!
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Post by bescheid on Oct 9, 2007 12:24:43 GMT -7
++++How about a simultaneous hug and a kiss? No real woman can resist it......+++ not always. You have to be clean, fresh and have a look like Brad Pitt otherwise... I prefer some distance I am clean and fresh, and I look better than Pitt. I look like Pawian! Okie Dokie Pawian there is no way of this world I would as a man, place a smootche upon your pale face as another man!!! Charles
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Pawian
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Post by Pawian on Oct 9, 2007 12:30:04 GMT -7
Why should we waste our inheritance by just blowing air past a young lady's cheek - I think it is an insult. The only thing with which I disagree in your stated actions is where you plant your 'cheek kiss'. I do the reverse to you and place the kiss much further forward - this offers the young lady almost with delights that are so close!! I am afraid you haven`t read your Van der Welde`s carefully enough. Don`t you know that for ladies the area close to an ear is as sensitive and recipient to male`s lips as this close to the mouth??? hahahahahaha Yes, kissing on the lips is Russian style. Soviet communists used to welcome their comrades in this way. And if she meant something like rushing, she would have probably preferred to say: Don`t be so fast, cowboy!!! Nie bądź taki szybki Bill, wstrzymaj się przez kilka chwil Przestań działać jednostajnie, porozmawiaj o Einsteinie Nie bądź taki szybki Bill
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