If We Had No Winter, Spring Would Not Be So Pleasant

Time to enjoy some more Hungarian quirks! Hungarians don’t particularly appreciate the culinary luxury of molecular cuisine with artistic morsels clustered in the middle of a plate arranged in the shape of a fleur de lis. Sorry France. I wouldn’t say Midwesterners from the U.S. really like this style of dinning either, but Hungarians take it to the extreme. They want their food in large helpings, usually fried until crispy or boiled, with their meat accompanied by…meat. I feel like I have been to enough Hungarian homes to realize that your helping of vegetables will be three slices of carrot in your soup (the first course ALWAYS) and as many pickles as you want. There shall always be palinka before the meal. There shall be wine to drink throughout. There shall always be dessert with coffee afterwards. How does one digest all of this? I still don’t know. Hungarians have stomachs of steal. Every dish is seasoned with a generous sprinkle of paprika, from potatoes to their famed fish soup. In fact, last week I enjoyed a trip to Tokaj, where much of Hungary’s wine comes from. I ate delicious fish soup (halászlé), usually cooked in a big outdoor pot called a bogrács over a toasty fire.

I recently spoke to someone who spent time in America for school and confessed that they did not enjoy American food. The worst was the bread. I suppose I can understand that. Wonder bread doesn’t compare to the variety of crunchable, grainy, flakey breads in Europe. I can walk down the street and get a loaf of bread that make my adventurous ;) grilled cheese sandwiches taste like they are from Panera.

I appreciate the food I eat at the school canteen. No, I really do! It’s convenient and usually pretty good, but I can’t count how many times I’ve mistakenly eaten liver and spent the rest of my lunch hour separating it from the rest of my food. I remember Dad occasionally making liver and onions. He tried to prepare me for my future, but in vain. I can’t do it. Although, I will confess that duck liver is much better than chicken liver. That’s right. I try the food before I reject it entirely. In my mind, it’s a small act of bravery. Another interesting dish that has tested my digestion abilities came in the form of cubes of fat dripped hot onto fresh bread.

Hungarians love their food, but what nation doesn’t? It’s just unpatriotic. It’s why Americans embrace the hamburger, chips and salsa, peanut butter and jelly, ranch dressing eating culture. To us, it’s delicious. The only downside I see in Hungarians enjoying their cuisine is the bellyaches and dishes that have to be washed at the end of the day. So, if you ever decide to visit Hungary, I think I have sufficiently prepared you, as far as mealtime is concerned, which is basically the most important part of the day anyway.

Spring has sprung! I’m so happy that the flowers are blooming and sun in finally shining. Easter is my absolute favorite time of the year. It was so nice that I went to the Nyiregyhaza zoo! I rarely go to zoos. In my mind, nothing can top the St. Louis zoo. And really, all zoos have the same attractions, the same animals, don’t they? But let me tell you, the zoo here is worth visiting. It was declared the best zoo of its kind in Europe! I felt like a kid again. My favorite animals are the big cats. I enjoyed the lively reindeer, monkeys, seals and penguins, but the cats are the coolest.

Last weekend, I visited the Brauns in Budapest. They actually live in a small town outside of Budapest, but all you have to do is take a twenty-minute train ride to the city and you’re good to go. I always freak out a little when taking public transportation because I’m afraid I’ll do something wrong. I think I’ve done it enough times to know what not to do, but my heart always beats a little faster when the ticket checkers come around. I’ve heard so many horror stories about things going wrong. A friend of mine told me how her son once forgot his wallet with his student ID in it, so the ticket he bought was not valid. The ticket checker threatened to throw him in jail in Budapest! That is basically my worst fear. Oh, I’ve been scolded a few times. My answer is always “bocsánot” (sorry) and “Nem tudom Magyar.” (I don’t know Hungarian.) After which the scolder continues to explain in Hungarian what I did wrong. I understand some of what he says but ask someone I know later what exactly I did wrong. Many signs and directions are in English in big cities like Budapest, but not in places like Nyiregyhaza. This makes it rather difficult to find what you need. Anyway, my trip to Budapest went smoothly, no worries. I had a great time with them, and even went to an English speaking church service full of Americans, Australians and Brits. We saw the sights, ate great food (in a restaurant that Matt Damon ate in!) and did a bit of shopping. Oh I could have gone shopping for days.

I’m back in Nyiregyhaza now, preparing for two days of classes before Easter break starts. The youth group has prepared two songs to sing on Easter Sunday that sound beautiful! One is in Hungarian and one is in English. I think we should start a church choir, but that is a future project.

Have a great Easter!