Contemporary
Polish Americans are largely assimilated to American society and personal connections to Poland and Polish culture are scarce. In the United States, about 90% of Polish Americans of single ancestry report live in a neighborhood of other white ethnics, indicating a very low rate of ethnic isolation. Among American-born citizens of Polish ancestry, roughly 50% report eating Polish dishes, and many can name a variety of Polish foods unprompted. Whereas over 60% of Italian Americans reported eating Italian food at least once a week, less than 10% of Polish Americans ate Polish food once a week. This figure is still a higher occurrence than Irish Americans, who can only name a few traditional Irish foods (typically corned beef and cabbage), and only 30% report eating Irish food each year. Even fewer English, Dutch, and Scottish Americans can report that they eat ethnic cuisine regularly.
Polish imports to the United States have increased in the 21st Century, particularly Polish vodkas. Poland is the world's 4th largest manufacturer of vodka, and as of 2012, is the 4th largest exporter of vodka to the United States. Polish-manufactured Belvedere Vodka launched the "luxury shelf" segment when it was first sold in the United States in 1996. Chopin Vodka similarly is produced in Poland and according to Travel World international magazine, is the "world's only luxury potato vodka". The highest-selling Polish imported vodka in the United States is currently Sobieski, which ranked 8th in U.S. imported vodka consumption. Sobieski has endorsed, as part of its marketing strategy that "Poland is the birthplace of vodka", a historical claim that is of great pride to Poles and Polish Americans. Sobieski actively markets itself in Polish American communities and at Polish American parades, emphasizing the Polish history and heritage of vodka.
Read more about this topic: Polish American History
Famous quotes containing the word contemporary:
“Why is it that many contemporary male thinkers, especially men of color, repudiate the imperialist legacy of Columbus but affirm dimensions of that legacy by their refusal to repudiate patriarchy?”
—bell hooks (b. c. 1955)
“Anyone who has invented a better mousetrap, or the contemporary equivalent, can expect to be harassed by strangers demanding that you read their unpublished manuscripts or undergo the humiliation of public speaking, usually on remote Midwestern campuses.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)
“Men are so charmed with valor that they have pleased themselves with being called lions, leopards, eagles and dragons, from the animals contemporary with us in the geologic formations.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)