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My mom had an anecdote about meeting Miłosz when he visited the Bay Area (We're Polish). My father, a professor tried to have an intellectual conversation about something with him, but Miłosz only seemed to only take interest in 'Milpitas'. He kept on repeating the name over and over, expressing marvel at the strangeness of the sound. How could a place be called Milpitas. Milpitas, milpitas, milpitas. It apparently drove my dad nuts. It was not the intellectual exchange he had hoped for with the famous author.
That was pretty rude, but I do think Miłosz was on to something.
The word “Milpitas” sounds kinda funny in Polish, honestly, in a hard to convey way.
Intellectual conversations are meh.
If anyone likes more folklorish stories, The Issa Valley is a really good read