I was told that during the Solidarity backlash in Poland vodka was pretty well all that was available in shops. People who managed to get out were skeletal; their stomachs were so badly shrunk they could not eat anything approaching proper meals for days.
My mom was in Poland during 1978 and 1980. She lost more than 20 lbs being there because food was so scarce, and she was already a thin person so by the time she left you could see her ribs below her collarbone. They had to boil their water to even make it close to drinkable. Having a Coke at a restaurant was a real luxury. Ice was a non-existent idea, especially in summer. Her being American immediately put a target on her back while being there and honestly I think she's lucky she made it out of there and went back again.
I was told that during the Solidarity backlash in Poland vodka was pretty well all that was available in shops. People who managed to get out were skeletal; their stomachs were so badly shrunk they could not eat anything approaching proper meals for days.
My mom was in Poland during 1978 and 1980. She lost more than 20 lbs being there because food was so scarce, and she was already a thin person so by the time she left you could see her ribs below her collarbone. They had to boil their water to even make it close to drinkable. Having a Coke at a restaurant was a real luxury. Ice was a non-existent idea, especially in summer. Her being American immediately put a target on her back while being there and honestly I think she's lucky she made it out of there and went back again.