I come from a country (Brazil) with a long history with BBQ, in my region we do BBQ every Sunday, all year round. So obviously I am always excited when summer comes and I can finally have some BBQ over here.
But the thing is, the rules for making it at home are too strict. So far I lived in 3 types of apartments.
My first one was the last floor, open balcony. I was still afraid of what was and was not possible in Poland, so I bought a non-smoke charcoal BBQ and grilled in the balcony praying for no neighboor to see.
My second one was first floor, neighbors on all sides, but it was a small building and I could talk to my neighbors and they said they were fine with me doing some BBQ in the balcony, still with my non-smoke grill.
My third and current I finally got a unit with a garden. I was excited and bought a proper grill. Did some BBQ, was happy, until a general email from management (not directed at me) mentioned this is forbidden… I did some research and apparently I can only use electrical gill (not charcoal, not gas). I just bought an electrical one now, but it isn't the same and I am sad.
So I ask, why do you guys seem to enjoy BBQ so much in the summer and yet make it super complicated? I understand the "fire hazard", but its very rare for anything to happen, I never heard of anything happening in Brazil and we do BBQ in some very improvised grills… Also anecdotally, but it never happens with this side-of-the-river type of BBQ you guys do over here…
And finally as an extra, every apartment in Brazil comes with a balcony grill and I think you guys would love the concept.
by Veka_Marin
24 comments
We don’t like being smoked by our neighbors 😉
BBQ culture in Poland is more outdoors – either in houses with gardens (but actual houses, not blocks with neighbors above you) or just somewhere in the nature.
First thing it’s fire hazard to have barbecue on balcony, second thing it’s about smell. And last thing: barbecue with friends is social thing in Poland, we do it with friends and family
I already want this balcony grill, looks beatiful
Are you asking why it is not legal to blow tons of smoke to other peoples apartments?
There are places where it’s ok to make a BBQ, balcony in an apartment building is not one of them.
Also, there is no such thing as no smoke charcoal – only less-smoke charcoal (and only when it’s fully lit).
BBQ is super popular here, and easy to do if you have a house or allotment or similar, but you will find that doing it in a flat is going to be verboten across most of Europe for safety reasons
Tbh I’d also be a bit irritated if some people around me started grilling on their balcony because of the smell – you are an anomaly with your smokeless grill :). It’s a bit like not liking someone smoking on their balcony and the smell coming into your place
>I never heard of anything happening in Brazil
🤣🤣🤣
I just exhaled coffee through my nose and onto a wall – your post reminded me of a time when my flatmate almost burned the place down by doing a balcony bbq.
I’ll let you guess where he was from😆
Granted, he was dumb af – leaving a spoon in a blender or a fork in a microwave was kind of his signature move
Edit: Just to clarify, this is not intended to shit on BR people or lump them together as special – far from it.
I had a fuckton of friends hailing from Brazil, i spent over a month in Rio and i kid you not – Brazillians are one of the kindest, friendliest, approachable, humble and genuinely good people to be around and absolutely no one can beat them at partying (carnival block parties are something to witness)
But they are also – very carefree😁 in their approach to life – not dumb dumb, just yolo.
That one guy, my flatmate – was rather an exception – most BR folks are usually life smart cause the dumb ones end up dead – crime/systematic racism is pretty much a norm in their everyday life, but thats another can of worms.
I would piss on your BBQ if you were my neighbor. Come on, you should go to places where such things are allowed, and not to an apartment where people are working, resting, sleeping, etc. Think of others..
P.s maybe the concept of having bbq on the balcony is alright when you have some big distance between yours and your neighbor’s balcony, but it’s almost never the case here in Poland
I think it’s valid for people not to want charcoal smoke in their apartments
BBQs here are an outdoors activity, partially because of the smoke. As your landlord suggested, either use an electric grill, have BBQ outside, or find a detached house with a garden where this won’t be an issue
There could be place in a park to do barbecue outdoors. We do it on działka usually as a party. And about being fire hazard, well 😅 my family putted barbecue in a wrong place recently and almost putted the house on fire so I wouldn’t say it is so uncommon. And this balcony grill looks like it solve those issue 🙂 (fire hazard and smell)
Hello dear Veka, I’m from Mexico and I’m in Poland 18 years. When I came here I also wondered about regulations, people coming to the apartment to check the gas/ventilations, the inability to build my own greenhouse in my balcony…. I asked my wife… why? She told me: go outside and look at other balconies…. Isn’t it beautiful? Do you want it to stay this beautiful? Or for it to look like Mexico? I’m saying this in good faith but thanks to regulations we have great streets, great metro, clean looking buildings, etc… so I learned to embrace regulations.
Why we don’t make grills from 200 liter oil containers here? First I don’t see many of them here like in Mexico and it would be more expensive than going to Castorama and buy a small grill. Heck you can even get a one-use one (I don’t recommend, it’s full of chemicals).
I bought an electric grill for 100 PLN and it does the job perfectly whenever fire is forbidden.
Disclaimer: I met my Polish wife in Mexico and after long consideration we decided to come here. I’m not a sexpat, I found 1 woman and stayed with her like a real man. I always need to clarify that 😂
The one, single thing I miss about South Africa is the fact that you’re never far from a braai (bbq) spot. On Sunday afternoons, the country smells like heaven. It is unheard of for a neighbour or anybody to complain about braai smoke. It is uncommon for a block of flats NOT to have permanent bbq structures right on the property for tenants to use.
Here in Warsaw, a braai is a serious mission. Poles seem to LOVE a bbq, but they also seem to hate people making them if there’s a chance somebody might smell smoke. Different cultures will always have different norms. But, damn it breaks my heart knowing all the good times that Poles are missing out on.
This grill you attached looks like it’s designed to divert smoke somewhere via chimney. Hmmmm, I wonder if that has to do with anything🤔🤔🤔🤔
On a serious note, it’s not complicated at all and you’re just being a nusance to your neighbours (the sound of that post is that you’re unfamiliar with the rules of the places you move into and are surprised that different blocks have different guidelines lol)
The bigger open parks often have places for campfires and BBQs, that way you can eat surrounded by a bit of nature, not blow tons of smoke to all the neighbours living next to and above you (which is just rude) and you’re also not creating a potentially very serious fire hazard.
Barbecue super popular here. Done differently from Brazil or my country but yet, just adapt and you will enjoy.
I don’t get it either, it’s a plain win-win situation, where you get to enjoy you BBQ and neighbours get your smoke
Grills on balconies are awful ideas. In America it’s illegal most places.
It’s the easiest way to light an apartment building on fire. Not to mention the damage from smoke.
In America they put bbqs in parks everywhere for people to come use for free. In Poland you can rent places too.
In Sosnowiec you can rent an entire cabin to make a fire and cook.
>I understand the “fire hazard”, but its very rare for anything to happen, I never heard of anything happening in Brazil and we do BBQ in some very improvised grills… Also anecdotally, but it never happens with this side-of-the-river type of BBQ you guys do over here…
It’s not just about the fire hazard. You have lived in Poland for a long while so you’ve noticed that for us balcony is a place where we dry clothes and where we also leave some stuff (e.g. blankets) prone to catching the smoke, thus smelling and looking… you know how. And then even in cases of “last floor open balcony” you can’t really manipulate physics, smoke is heavier than air, it’ll fall down on your neighbours.
We aren’t really strict with BBQing, the rule of thumb is just “don’t do it on balcony that is a part of apartment complex”. Nobody would tell you anything if you did it on the balcony of your own house, or in a park (at least I imagine nobody would), or in some other open space.
If you plan on living in a big city for the rest of your life, you have to adjust to the rules. Which is why most of my family either has ogródek działkowy or simply built their own house, since that allows them to grill (and do bunch of other stuff) without ruining other people’s day
In my homecity in germany some guy burned his and two neighboring houses down because he made BBQ with a gas grill on his balcony.
You really believe making a barbecue on the balcony isn’t a fire hazard? Its also more out of respect for your neighbors which might not want their whole house smelling like smoke and meat. And since someone reported you then it does bother someone. BBQ is very popular in Poland and some of us do it every week in the summer but its mainly done by people living in detached houses. People living in apartaments generally accept that grilling on the balcony is a no and typically their able to find some other place to BBQ either when someone else invites them to their backyard or maybe in some public park.
mustbeBrazil exists for a reason
Just please don’t. Just because they are too strict for your liking doesn’t mean there is not reason behind it.
It smells, we don’t have a culture of making bbq on balconies, small gardens on the first floor apt.
Most people do it in their own homes or recreational gardens (RODO), there are sometimes also places in parks that you can do them.
*angry foreigner shaking fist because things in the country he moved to arent the same as in his home country*.
We have tenant laws against emissions. Please do it only in the open air.
Your flat’s balcony doesn’t serve as bbq place. You are not in Brazil.
There are at least two obvious reasons for it – one being fire hazard and other being smell. First one doesn’t need explanation, second one is not everybody wants to have a smell and smoke from BBQ in their flats.
You didn’t really think your post through my friend. Plenty of spaces outside to have a BBQ without being a nuisance to other people, let alone to your neighbors.