What will become of the Polish milk bar tradition?

DW (English)

This former kitchen for the poor is now a cult hit. Poles love their milk bars, which once mainly served cheap milk dishes. Today, you can eat traditional food there, such as potato pancakes or pierogi. But for how long?

Transcript

00:00Hi, I'm Monika, and I ordered fried dumplings with sour cream and orange lemonade.

00:06Welcome to a Polish milk bar.

00:10Enjoy it while you can.

00:15My name's Beszamek. I've ordered my favorite vegetable soup.

00:20Tasty food, affordable prices.

00:23But this man is worried about the future.

00:27Hello, my name's Kamil.

00:30And I'm the owner of Warsaw's oldest milk bar.

00:34He's warning Poland that its milk bars could soon be history.

00:40The bars have lots of patrons every day.

00:44People wouldn't be thrilled if prices went up.

00:48They definitely wouldn't be happy if some of the bars had to close.

00:54Here, seven vegetarian dumplings cost a modest 4.5 euros.

00:58Subsidies help keep the prices low.

01:02But now, for the first time in decades, the government is thinking of cutting them.

01:09Milk bars first appeared in the late 19th century as social establishments.

01:14Under socialism, they thrived because there were hardly any restaurants to go to.

01:18And the concept still works today.

01:22Milk bars don't serve milk and aren't bars.

01:25They're cheap and popular bistros.

01:27I like the food here a lot.

01:31It's close to school and the prices are good.

01:34The prices are really affordable for Warsaw.

01:38It's much better than at school.

01:40Not expensive, but good.

01:41A peek at the kitchen.

01:43We'll fry up some potato pancakes.

01:46Made with state-subsidized spuds.

01:50But the chicken schnitzel is more expensive.

01:54The state only pays for ingredients of meatless dishes.

01:57These have a long tradition in Poland's country cuisine

02:00and are now becoming popular with the growing numbers of big-city vegetarians.

02:06That's why the looming cuts in subsidies and threatened price rises

02:10are becoming rather unpopular.

02:16I think it would be a very bad decision.

02:19So many people come here, middle-class people,

02:22as well as some who don't have much money.

02:23If the prices were higher, we wouldn't come here every day.

02:29We'd have to look for a cheaper place.

02:34Parliamentary representatives of Poland's governing coalition

02:37are trying to smooth the ruffled feathers.

02:43The finance minister has decided to give milk bars in Poland

02:46as much money as they need.

02:48Even if the budget is to be cut by nearly 14%,

02:54what's left should suffice to keep the milk bars going.

02:58But is it fair or appropriate to subsidize milk bars

03:01while other eateries in Warsaw's tourist centers

03:04have to charge much higher prices?

03:07In this restaurant, for instance,

03:09eight dumplings cost nearly eight euros.

03:11Well, we're debating that.

03:15Owners of unsubsidized restaurants say it's not fair.

03:22At the Prasovie bar, no one's panicking just yet.

03:28Our economy, our civilization has undergone a major revolution,

03:32but milk bars are still near and dear to all of us here in Poland.

03:35And a budget cut is not about to change that.

03:40So, until further notice,

03:42Poland's milk bars will remain cheap and good.

03:46My name's Daria.

03:47I've ordered a chicken filet with a cheese and herb sauce.

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