PURO Q&A: Kasia Pilitowska
The time has come for a Q&A session with Kasia Pilitowska* – a Kraków-based member of our PURO team – who on the pages of our magazine continuously shares her incredible knowledge about Kraków with all its spots, nooks and gems. Keeping up with Kasia is not easy, though! She writes, cooks, and travels, but – above all – she loves organizing all kinds of stuff. For – as she says, she loves connecting things, people, ideas and actions. See it for yourself.
I experience a city…
Through places where locals relax, listen to music, buy fruit and vegetables, dance and eat. I become one with the crowd and observe, and eat, and talk. No photos. Just memories.
When I want to meet people…
I go to a flea market and various market spaces in Kraków, such as Hala or Stary Kleparz. I like talking to sellers, getting to know the stories behind objects, asking about countries of origin, species, or weather. I listen to others, curious about their questions, willing to cut in, give advice, tell my stories. I am a little bit like these older ladies waiting for a bus and speaking to strangers. I like people, that’s all there is to it.
When I need relax…
I go to a quiet place.
I walk…
In the mornings, by the river, and I don’t care if it’s snowing or raining, if it’s nice or ugly. I like this kind of loneliness, with my dog by my side.
I discover…
That you just need to sit down anywhere in Kraków to have someone approach you and start telling you stories. Unbelievable stories!
I find treasures…
When it comes to inedible treasures, I find them in Hala Targowa (Market Hall) among breathtaking and ordinary, yet unique objects. Targ Pietruszkowy (Parsley Market) is where I find edible treasures – always bedazzled by diversity, things you falsely believed to be inedible and people who make it all tangible.
I taste…
simple food – on a street, bazaar, market – locals eat day to day.
Things I always have on me…
A very small bag (as for a woman) with a pen, notebook, smartphone and dog waste bags.
A must-have item in my suitcase…
A book, always, regardless of the size of my luggage, and a gift for all the nice people I haven’t met yet but surely will, wherever I go.
Kasia Pilitowska (in her own words): I believe I have many selves, each of them willing to do different things at the same time. That’s why my day is 24 hours multiplied... I’ve worked in corporations, national institutions and a small firm; I’ve been hosting a radio program, babysitting children, waiting tables in Paris and cooking in Kraków. Kraków is also where I received my degrees in Romance languages and journalism. Still, I know that being an organizer is what I am. Connecting things, people, ideas and actions. I organize a culinary festival Najedzeni Fest!, Piknik Krakowski – a summer open-air picnic in Kraków, and cooking workshops. With Bart, my partner, I run a tiny food spot with hummus Hummus Amamamusi, and – with my daughter Zosia – an equally tiny breakfast spot Ranny Ptaszek. I am socially active, cooking soup for the homeless, volunteering in a dog shelter, fighting for trees, and bringing benches to my beautiful district – Kazimierz. What I believe to be my greatest success is the launch of an alternative radio station Radiofonia. I relax in my kitchen – I am a cook as well. I like cooking soups best – a soup is like a warm coat in winter and a refreshing shower during summer.
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