Polish stereotypes?

Okay, seeing how they measure up so far:

1. Polish people eat a lot of pierogies and kielbasa.
Absolutely true. Not that other traditional food isn't amazing, the soups in particular are incredible here, but pierogies ( containing everything from strawberries to meat) and kielbasa (which refers to sausage of all shapes and sizes) are very important food groups here. I suspect this has something to do with their cheapness, Polish wages are still very low compared to the US. It's not uncommon to see very well dressed business men alongside the homeless people and students in the milk bar eating 2.85 PLN (about $1.25) pierogies.

2. Everyone is Catholic.
In Krakow, yes. There are Protestant enclaves in various regions, but the population is generally considered 93 -98% Catholic. Krakow has one very tiny Protestant church.

3. The country is extremely conservative.
I don't know about the countryside, but Krakow has made a strong effort to become modern in all aspects, including those that defy the church. While divorce was unheard of a generation ago, its common now. Abortion is still illegal, but prostitution is surprisingly not.

4. Everyone drinks a lot.
Well, people drink differently. Admittedly, the Polish students put most American students to shame tolerance-wise, but most adults aren't that enthusiastic in their alcoholic beverage consumption. In general, alcohol just enjoys less cultural stigma here. It's completely normal to see two respectable men sitting at a sidewalk cafe drinking beer before noon. Spiked coffee can be found in breakfast establishments in winter. Poland is also a hard liquor country, supposedly the originator of vodka, so very cheap liquor abounds. Amusingly enough, one of the most strongly enforced laws here is no drinking in public. God help the poor tourists that open a beer on the street. The police always catch them. I'm convinced the police live of the fines from that law alone.

5. Polish jokes.
Eh, the only two things that live up to the Polish jokes so far are people's driving, which even the Poles recognize is a bit hazardous, and the government bureaucracy, also the frequent butt of jokes here.

6. Poland is part of Eastern Europe.
Poles would disagree with you, citing everything from cultural heritage, to the EU, to economic standing. It's debatable. Poland is less modern than say Germany or the UK, still "second world" in outdated terms, but a far cry from much of what's considered the rest of Eastern Europe.

7. Polish style
Most people under the age of sixty look very European, very elegant and coordinated always. Over sixty though and the little babcias emerge in their headscarves and colorful skirts. It's adorable.

8. Poles like polka.
Perhaps secretly, but I've yet to hear any and I keep going to musical festivals downtown. Poland is really proud of Chopin, the greatest classical composer it can claim as its own. Bars and clubs play almost all American music, unfortunately usually from the 80's.