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The original was posted on /r/poland by /u/ALM46 on 2023-09-07 10:59:55.

In the past weeks I saw some posts from people outside Poland, usually from Western Europe or USA, saying that Poles were not smiling or that they were behaving rude and so on. So I thought to offer a different perspective from a foreigner too - that is me, an Eastern European (Romanian) linked with Poland since 2009. Now, I do not live in Poland, but I studied Polish in University, I worked with Poles and I traveled several times in Poland.

So, are Poles not smiling or rude? Well, before reading all these posts here on r/poland I never observed such behavior in Poles. Most probably because as an Eastern European I am not smiling to people without any reason and not greeting all the strangers I see around me. So for me this behavior seemed very natural. So natural that I did not even notice it.

Also, people did not seem rude to me. In shops I was greeting the seller, asking to pay by card, then saying a simple thank you or goodbye and that was all. No small talk - we also hate it. Everytime they responded back. Also, I used Polish, especially in not so touristy areas, and no one looked weird at me or refused to speak in Polish with me. But yeah, I am not butchering the Polish words, so maybe this matters a lot, LOL!

Yes, Poles are not that warm on the first interactions compared to my fellow Romanians, but they are not rude or giving you frown looks or whatsoever. Plus, once you get to know them, they are very warm and talkative.

In fact, I found Polish tourists in the Romanian Carpathians and start talking with them and they were very open and talkative. I remember a time when they heard a Romanian speaking Polish they all gathered around me and asked different questions. That was funny.

So, my fellow Poles, I really feel you when you say that no smile is better than a fake smile. Totally agree!