Green Flag / Red Flag · by Achieng Njeri · 2026-10-29
He met my babcia and dziadek and brought five tulips, not four, because he googled it
I'm Polish but grew up in Chicago, moved back to Kraków last year. My boyfriend is Irish (from Cork). Last weekend he met my grandparents for the first time in Nowa Huta. Without telling me he:
- googled Polish grandparent etiquette
- brought 5 tulips because even numbers are for funerals
- brought a bottle of żubrówka for dziadek
- took his shoes off at the door and accepted the guest kapcie like a man
- learned "smacznego" and "dziękuję, było pyszne" and said them maybe 14 times total
Babcia made pierogi ruskie and he ate 19. She kept putting more on his plate and he thought refusing would be rude, so he just kept going. He was sweating. He told me after he couldn't feel his legs.
Dziadek asked him (through me) if he's Catholic and he said "Irish", which dziadek accepted as a yes.
My mom thinks it's a bit much, like he's trying too hard. I think I'm going to marry him
- googled Polish grandparent etiquette
- brought 5 tulips because even numbers are for funerals
- brought a bottle of żubrówka for dziadek
- took his shoes off at the door and accepted the guest kapcie like a man
- learned "smacznego" and "dziękuję, było pyszne" and said them maybe 14 times total
Babcia made pierogi ruskie and he ate 19. She kept putting more on his plate and he thought refusing would be rude, so he just kept going. He was sweating. He told me after he couldn't feel his legs.
Dziadek asked him (through me) if he's Catholic and he said "Irish", which dziadek accepted as a yes.
My mom thinks it's a bit much, like he's trying too hard. I think I'm going to marry him
22 sparks · 14 comments