– It used to be nice that there were pubs by the road. Now nobody needs it anymore, the roads are very fast. It really made it very difficult for people to live and earn money. However, let’s remember that in small towns there are wonderful surprises, wonderful pubs – says Magda Gessler.
Field kitchens
Michał Skoczek, who runs the blog “Street food Polska”, has a lot of knowledge about old places that could be found by the roads.
– Field kitchens used to be popular. There was a pork knuckle and a must have pea soup. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer such places. There are places left on side roads. At the moment, when it becomes on the highway, you can eat at a gas station or in an elegant restaurant – says Skoczek.
Mr.Michał took us to a place where a large chain store is being built today, and some time ago there was a bar loved by drivers.
– On the one hand, I am happy, because people should have a choice, and on the other, I feel sorry, because such places are a thing of the past. Perhaps young people will wave their hands and say: it was, it was, it is not, it is not. On the other hand, if someone has been driving a route for years and ate in such a place, losing an old bar is like taking an old friend – says Skoczek.
We asked Magda Gessler about what the food of Poles by the road looks like now.
– Very hard, because all the nice restaurants are not on the main high-speed routes now, you just have to wander somewhere and look for them. Such a map is needed. It is really fantastic to eat in Poland, we cannot imagine how good it is compared to the countries around us – says the restaurateur, well-known from the “Kitchen Revolutions”.
Fight for survival
We visited the restaurant located on the so-called the old seven, which was the fastest way to the sea a few years ago. The development of highways meant that in order to eat in such a place, you have to leave the main road. As a result, these places, despite good food, struggle to survive.
– Our restaurant is based only on the cuisine that we create ourselves. We do not buy frozen items, except fries – says Andrzej Adamczuk from the inn “In the old cinema” in Małdyty.
And will we get the once popular fresh cut and pea soup?
– No, we walked away from it. We had fish, but it was hard for us to live off the fish alone, so we introduced pizza and 70% of it. we live on it. In roadside inns or restaurants, time is the most important thing. Nobody will wait 40 or 50 minutes for food because everyone is in a hurry. Each station is a restaurant and we also have to fight them – says Adamczuk.
Gas stations
It cannot be denied that the biggest crowd is now not in restaurants, but in parking lots by motorways and expressways. Fast food dominates there, but gas stations are also increasingly crowded.
These no longer offer hot dogs with several sauces to choose from. Now each of them is trying to have at least a dozen dishes on the menu that can be eaten quickly.
– Together with my dad, we make a selection for this gas station – says Mikołaj Makłowicz and shows us one of the original hot dogs. – We have a turmeric bun, a sausage with sun-dried tomatoes and a cheese sauce. The inspiration for this came from a trip to Amsterdam, where we visited a restaurant whose chef has 3 Michelin stars. It’s a jalape cheese sauceñoh, there’s also some roasted onion.
Even people like me who are food professionals don’t eat fowl pate, foie gras and tournedos à la rossini every day, but they also eat hot dogs and stuff like that. And the point is, these things should be good. Fast food does not have to be junk food – thinks Robert Makłowicz.
– Fast food is a necessary evil, but we take care of our diet and health more and more often. Poles’ preferences are that they want authentic food – both pea soup and pork knuckle, but they also want lettuce and good potatoes. You have to look for such restaurants and you have to be interested in them. If not, man will live sloppy, and our life is to last a long, tasty and healthy life – concludes Magda Gessler.