Why Hungarian Goulash?

Okay, the Hungarian part is self-explanitory. Goulash? Is it really Hungarian? Or is it like French fries? Is it supposed to sound tastier than plain old goulash? Is this going to ba a blog about the food Audrey eats? I don't really know if the Hungarian goulash you might make in the states is a Hungarian recipe. Maybe it is, maybe not. If you give it to me, I'll eat it either way. No, I'm not going to take a billion pictures of my food and describe to you its tastes and textures. I might snap a shot if it's something I've never seen before. Anyway, I was thinking about a blog title, and many friends and family sought to help me as well. They thought of pretty awesome ones, and I'm sorry if I disappointed you by not picking the one you thought of. For instance, I could have chosen The Hungary Games, I'm Here, I'm Hungary, Get Over It, and Hungary for More. This opportunity to teach overseas was made about 7 months ago. Everything worked out pretty darn well, at least to my knowledge. Of course, I didn't do it all on my own. And if I do say so myself, it turned out beautifully, sort of like a goulash. Maybe you read a book called Stone Soup, by Robert Moser. My mom reminded me of it and I thought the analogy was kind of perfect.

It is a folktale about a hungry traveler who arrives in a small village and decides to make stone soup. This raises the curiosity of the townspeople, for how could stone soup be any good? But the traveler exclaims how great his soup would be with a little cabbage. A townsperson hesitantly offers some cabbage, for the town has also suffered from famine. The traveler then says it would be even better with potatoes. Another townsperson spares some potatoes. After the townspeople have all contributed to the pot of stone soup, the traveler serves it to the population. They were so well fed that the traveler was welcome any time and stone soup became so popular that it was, from then on, offered as the first course of every meal.

Pretty great, right? The people's individual resources were pooled together to produce something that benefited everyone. The story is told as a lesson in cooperation, even in scarcity. What does that have to do with me? I am here in Nyiregyhaza because many entities, Mission of Christ Network, my gracious donors, my family and friends, have decided to support me. I pray I can do them justice by serving God to the best of my ability. I pray that I can use my gifts to serve the people I work with and teach on a daily basis, just like that soup, that started out as nothing became something that helped everyone in need of food.

I am extremely thankful that I am here. It won't always be easy. I don't even speak their language and teaching has been an interesting experience to say the least. I guess that's why I'm keeping a blog. I'll share my experiences with you and be happy that I'm not alone in my adventures. The townspeople in Stone Soup ended up pretty happy after all. And guess what, Hungarians eat soup or goulash as a first course to every meal.