Local authorities, celebrities and the hospitality industry are appealing to people to support struggling businesses over the festive season, including by ordering their Christmas dinner from restaurants rather than cooking it at home.
The news comes as Poles are set for very different holidays from normal amid the pandemic. The government has limited gatherings to a maximum of five guests from outside the household, meaning that the large get-togethers many families normally hold are not permitted.
Meanwhile, restaurants have been closed since October, allowed only to offer takeaway services. A prohibition on most types of public gatherings and events has also hit the catering sector, as well as traditional Christmas markets.
In response, the northern city of Gdynia has launched a #ŚwiętaNaWynos (#ChristmasToGo) campaign to support businesses. Its slogan is “I’m not cooking. I’m buying. I’m rescuing”.
Over 40 local restaurants are taking part in the action, offering special Christmas dinner menus that range from classic Polish dishes to Indian fish curry, Greek spinach and feta pies, and even vegan alternatives such as a plant-based version of bigos, a traditionally meat-filled hunter’s stew.
“Poles like to help, especially during the holidays,” says the city’s mayor, Wojciech Szczurek, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza. “Additionally, Gdynia has a strong sense of local patriotism and solidarity.”
🎄#ŚwiętaNaWynos serwuje @MiastoGdynia. 🎄⭐️❄️Te święta będą inne niż zwykle. Może warto pójść za ciosem i zrezygnować z części kulinarnych przygotowań w domowym zaciszu? O szczegółach akcji przeczytacie tutaj: https://t.co/kDFasybG9z pic.twitter.com/bfNXclD3wT
— Metropolia Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot (@metropoliagdn) December 7, 2020
The governor of Warmia-Masuria, one of Poland’s 16 provinces, has also called on people to support local producers over the Christmas period by buying food from businesses that are part of the province’s culinary heritage network.
In a Facebook post, Gustaw Marek Brzezin said that “many regional and local enterprises are struggling with an unimaginably difficult financial situation” as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
“Let’s help them survive this difficult time and choose to go shopping at local markets instead of large retail chains,” he appealed. “Let’s show that we are in solidarity and that we are not indifferent to the fate of the regional economy.”
Similar initiatives are also being launched elsewhere. Kraków has created several interactive online maps to support local businesses. A “Map of Kraków Gastronomy” shows 671 restaurants, cafes and other businesses offering take-out food. It is used by approximately 6,000 people a day, reports Gazeta Wyborcza.
Because Kraków’s famous Christmas market had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic, the city launched an online version instead, in the form of an interactive map showing businesses selling Christmas items.
One of the city’s restaurants, Gąska, has also teamed up with a charity to allow people to buy meals for those in need. Donors can pay for a traditional Christmas dinner from the restaurant and it will be delivered to lonely, elderly or otherwise needy recipients identified by the charity.
Kraków’s virtual Christmas market (www.rynek.krakow.pl/)
Another campaign was launched today by one of Poland’s biggest stars, Anna Lewandowska, a sportswoman, celebrity health advisor and wife of footballer Robert Lewandowski.
Under the slogan #ŚwiąteczneWsparcieGastro (#HolidayCateringSupport), she appeals for people to help the catering industry over the holidays by “ordering at least one Christmas dish from a local restaurant”, as well as buying presents from Polish firms.
“Every bit of support counts for them; every dish ordered can help them survive the lockdown,” Lewandowska wrote on Instagram. “Together we can save our favourite places and Polish businesses!”
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Main image credit: Pawel Loj/Flickr (under CC BY 2.0)
Juliette Bretan is a freelance journalist covering Polish and Eastern European current affairs and culture. Her work has featured on the BBC World Service, and in CityMetric, The Independent, Ozy, New Eastern Europe and Culture.pl.
