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| Ziegniew 'Zbig' Szafrański |
They visited an infamous Polish beer/dance hall and restaurant called 'Zbigs' (pronounced Spigs), named after the Polish proprietor Ziegniew Szafrański, a famous Polish immigrant in the community. Legend says that Zbig participated in the Poznań protests in 1956, that involved industrial workers of that city in concerted efforts against the communist government. The workers demanded better working conditions and an improvement of the harsh economic times of 1956. In the beginning the communists dealt quite harshly with the protests, but in the end there were some reforms that came about because of them. Zbig was involved with a group that was in the thick of things. There were casualties within the group, including six deaths. Zbig himself suffered some very serious injuries to his arms and especially to his neck and throat. These injuries led to the coarse quality of his voice, as he was struck in the throat with the butt of a Russian rifle. He managed to escape before capture, and never got treatment for his neck and throat injuries. He had a price on his head, and jumped a ship that led to his being a stow away and his arrival in the U.S. His appeal for asylum was approved and he headed for Chicago to gain employment in what he had experience in inn Poland, the steel industry. But his injuries prevented him from getting hired, so he went to work in the Polish section of town in a restaurant, starting out as a dish washer. He moved his way up, learned how to cook and how to manage the business. Soon he bought his own restaurant, and he has been a legend in the Polish community ever since.
Even though in his 80's, he is in the restaurant most days overseeing the kitchen, meeting and greeting customers. on the night that our associates were there, he insisted on taking the stage and 'singing' (more like growling) a song in his accented English. They decided to record the old man, if for no other reason then for posterity, so he rendered his version of a 'slow polka', as he called it. He kicked most the musicians off the stage, and gave everyone a hoarse, barking song that was as much a lesson comparing English words to the Polish equivalents. And the warning to all the men to look at the barmaid's tits all they want, but don't touch because they are his daughters!
So if he's in his 80's how old are his daughters? Well, Zbig's been married numerous times, and his youngest daughter by his latest wife is 19 years old! His voice not only sounds kind of rough, his face looks kind of rough. He's led a tough life!
The lyrics are especially handy for this song, as Zbig's English still isn't the best!
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