Europe flushed with speargunning Poles?

#1 03 March 2007, 01:34 PM

I keep hearing about this one from divers, from British ones as well as dutchmen. Interested wether it popped up elsewhere in Europe as well, and if there is any truth in it.

For the Americans here:
Poland is a country in Eastern Europe. Since it has joined the European Union, it has become much easier for Poles to travel to countries in the EU. And this, they do, in numbers as yet uncertain.

Anyway, according to this story, they're not just sending their hard-earned money back to Poland. They're spending it the best way any human could, namely on diving courses.

Dive operators welcome the new customers and their enthousiam for the cold waters of Northern Europe, until they discover the true reason: carp. Carp may taste like foul muck, Poles consider it a delicacy, and are amazed that the Western European waters are crawling with huge, healthy, tasty-looking carp. A diving certificate and a speargun is all they need to mine this bounty!

Personally, I think it's bull, but anyone else heard this one?

Stoneage Dinosaur · #2 03 March 2007, 02:10 PM

Poles in feud with britons over carp fishing

Quote:

Unlike Britons, to whom carp are inedible bottom feeders fit only for sport, Poles and other Eastern Europeans eat them as a matter of culinary tradition. And many of the half million Poles who have streamed into Britain in recent years love to serve them on Christmas Eve -- starting with a nice fish head soup.

The Poles would much prefer to buy their fish at market. Trouble is, British fishmongers no longer mong it.

Monger, surely?

Seraphina · #3 13 March 2007, 07:11 PM

Carp does taste like mud during the summer, but if caught in the winter they are a delicacy. That is why they are eaten only at Xmas time. So, unless these divers are diving under the ice they would be wasting their time. Also, carp is usually bought alive and killed only just before cooking, so i am not sure how much market there would be for one with a spear through it.

BringTheNoise · #4 13 March 2007, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoneage Dinosaur

Poles in feud with britons over carp fishing

Monger, surely?

I don't think so. If the verb is "to mong" then one who mongs is a "mong-er". Presumably "mong" in this context is pronounced "mung". However, "mong" (pronounced phonetically) is a rather offensive term for mentally disabled people, so I can see how it fell out of favour.

Tenko · #5 27 March 2007, 06:11 PM

I'm a Pole and I did not know this. (O_O) Amazing!

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. I recall a story where Europeans went to Africa and tried to farm a fish there, but the natives liked cichlids (sp?).

Elbe · #6 27 March 2007, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BringTheNoise

I don't think so. If the verb is "to mong" then one who mongs is a "mong-er". Presumably "mong" in this context is pronounced "mung". However, "mong" (pronounced phonetically) is a rather offensive term for mentally disabled people, so I can see how it fell out of favour.

Two different dictionary sites I visited list "monger" as the verb meaning to sell. Mong just shows up as a short form of mongrel.

Stoneage Dinosaur · #7 27 March 2007, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BringTheNoise

I don't think so. If the verb is "to mong" then one who mongs is a "mong-er". Presumably "mong" in this context is pronounced "mung". However, "mong" (pronounced phonetically) is a rather offensive term for mentally disabled people, so I can see how it fell out of favour.

From answers.com:

Quote:

The verb monger has one meaning:

Meaning #1: sell or offer for sale from place to place

Monger rather than mong can also be used as an offensive term (at least where I live).

Stoneage "flamin' mongrel" Dinosaur

ETA: Spanked by Elbe - you great galah! (sorry, I appear to be possessed by Alf Stewart at the moment)

Troberg · #8 28 March 2007, 07:23 AM

Why bother with a spear gun and diving equipment when an ordinary fishing rod works just as fine, probably even better. Carp are not the smartest fish around, and can easily be fished with normal methods.

Fishing them with a sliding sink and the hook on the bottom (baited with corn or, if you are not squeemish about it, worms), with no float, is also very relaxing. Just sit back and watch the line going into the water for movement.

charlie23 · #9 29 March 2007, 07:44 AM

Carp are considered a "delicacy" here as well and are also a traditional dish for some holiday (just which one escapes me). I'd eaten it BBQ'd back in the US; it wasn't too bad since all the fat cooks out of it, but here they bake it and it does, indeed, taste like "foul muck". Considering that we live on the Black Sea and have a huge fish market, I really don't understand why anyone eats it.

Jay Tea · #10 29 March 2007, 10:45 AM

Poles take pike around here - another fish that's not eaten in the UK but is pretty tasty once you've got all the millions of bones out.

As far as i'm concerned they can fish all they like, but I do wish they wouldn't make such a fecking mess of the river bank, everybody else seems to enjoy the river without leaving it looking like a landfill

Troberg · #11 29 March 2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Poles take pike around here - another fish that's not eaten in the UK but is pretty tasty once you've got all the millions of bones out.

Pikes are good for paté, provided they're not too big (once they get to 10-15 kg or more, they taste like wood).

I have to admit that the carp fishing (and bream and some other bottom feeders which I don't know the name for in English for that matter) I've done has not been for human consumption. Cats like them, though. It's a nice, relaxing form of fishing, though, although nowadays I just feed the fish and watch them instead of fishing.