I had a trip planned to visit some friends on the East side of Toronto, so I decided now was the…read moretime to make a stop in Mississauga to check out the Polish delis. It's been 8 years since I've lived in Warsaw, Poland, and I miss the food! So Wisła Deli was first on my list.
At the time of planning my trip, I didn't think about the fact that I was visiting on Holy Thursday. So let me tell you - this is not the time to visit if you're some average Joe just trying to check out the place for the first time. Avoid the high holy days because every Polish person will be on a mission and it can be scary. (I say this with all the love in my heart for my Polish ladies!)
As soon I as was waiting for the turn into the plaza, I knew the mistake I'd made. The whole little plaza is filled with Polish stores - bakeries, cafe, flower shop, deli, and the parking lot was a zoo. I made the decision to pull around the the next office building area and parked there to avoid some of the chaos.
On the walk over to the store from where I parked, everyone was speaking Polish. Most were on a mission. Get the goods for Easter.
I entered the deli (I think through the exit) and maneuvered around the line at the check out counter and the line for ordering meats. I hadn't gone in with a plane of what I was actually going to buy, so I meandered through the aisles a bit refamiliarizing myself with all the Polish products. I found the raspberry Delicja Jaffa cookies, and I grabbed some real chrzan, scoped out my Zywiez Zdroj Mocny Gaz water and made a mental note to come back and grab a six pack. I scored some pączki z różą (oh my gosh were the deilcious), decided on a rye sunflower seed bread, and I found some Ser Flavita (not the exact kind I used to eat, but I think it will do). Then I headed to the prepared food counter and got a quart size container of sauerkraut and mushrooms - sort of like a vegetarian version of bigos.
In line to check out, the three ladies were running an efficient process. There's not time to dally, you have to be ready. The memories of all the times I've checked out at the grocery stores in Warsaw came floodback. Did I want a rekalmowka? (Yes, please). Is it ok that I'm paying $20 for 6 bottles of water (yes, I still want it), trying to remember what the numbers are in Polish, then fumbling with cash and correct change (if you've been to Poland you know...) in a foreign currency (remember I'm from the US and was paying with Canadian money that I don't instinctually recognize)... It made my blood pressure rise and my heart race, but at the same time I loved it. It brought me back to a time and place I was very happy in.
Overall, there was a good selection of foods, they were well stocked, and they worked efficiently - so even though it was croweded I was in and out relatively quickly. But, a visit to the Polish deli is not for the faint of heart, and stay away from holiday weekends if you've never been before!