Is 'meat' not an ingredient?

Well I haven't written much about Polish food on this site for awhile, partially because we've had few successes in finding really good food, of any ethnicity. But I've learned several words in Polish so I know what to look out for when I'm shopping at the neighboring grocery stores: the Select Market (owned by Shell Gasoline, and it's not even a gas station-go figure!?) and Marc Polo (unlike most 'c's in Polish, this one is anglo-cized to a 'k' instead of a 'ts' sound).

Granted, Jill and I are vegetarians (she does eat fish, though), but in a city of this size and worldliness, you'd think it wouldn't be that hard to eat here.

But it is.

Tonight I'm eating Pierogi Ruskie, a potato/pasta dumpling that is filled with spices and (cottage) cheese.

Usually.

Even armed with a Polish dictionary and/or asking some of the few employees who understand 'does this have meat?' or 'I'm a vegetarian' you still can't win.

Once again, my cute, little pierogies, of which all the ingredients are listed and decipherable in my dictionary, have some damn meat in them. Sometimes it's bacon-ish, sometimes it's beef/chicken or who know's what-ish. Tonight it's bacon-ish.

Grr.

Time for another plug for Krakow, where when out to eat they have way more options for vegetarians, and you get what you expect...another sad sign that the capital is here and not there-the former political, artistic, education and cultural capital of Poland.

Ho hum, you were right, Chirs N.

:-(

Place your bets!
It took Carolyn Nelson 5 years of living here to finally give in to the dark side.
How long will Jill and I last?!