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“Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.”
-Rosalind Russell (‘Auntie Mame’)-
Infant mortality rates are used to gage a nation’s health. For every infant under one year old born per 1,000 20 will die back home 8 in Hungary. Hungarians live on average three years longer than their Filipino counterparts; life expectancy in the Philippines is 71 years; Hungarians 73. The Philippine GDP is $3,000 compared to Hungary’s $18,000. The GINI Index measures the degree of inequality in family income distribution; back home its’ 45.80 to Hungary’s 28.00. Hungary spends $1,492 on health care per person compared to the mere $120 for Filipinos. Both countries have high unemployment rates; Hungary 11% to 8% in the Philippines. A mega-dose of Filipino joie de vivre could blunt the Hungarian tendency towards melancholy. Filipinos could borrow a page from Hungary’s economic play book. (Above sources: CIA World Fact Book)
Hungary abounds with fine art galleries that cater to an assortment of artistic tastes. As a practicing artist (multi-media drawing & ceramic sculpture) I appreciate art. When you visit Hungary’s numerous art centers don’t skip the Budapest Exhibition Hall in the Szabad Sajto Utica district. This gallery hosts a variety of visually stimulating events for professionals seeking knowledge, browsers in search of inspiration to casual art lovers who want to gawk/kill time.
The Budapest Museum of Applied Arts main attraction is its’ architecture. Though not entirely a white elephant, the big museum has some pretty decent stuff. If I were in Hungary on holiday I’d spend time in the Hungarian National Gallery; its’ where the best stuff’s kept. For a palatial experience the Museum of Fine Arts and Gallery Exhibition House are top of the line. The sculptural pieces, elegant architecture, and huge modernist paintings will wow you.
The Dorottya Gallery specializes in promoting Budapest’s local talent together with works of emerging artists. A history buff; the Ernst Galeria features works completed during the 10th century and earlier. Sign up for their guided tours.
Hungarians love meat. How they stay so thin is beyond me. You can count the vegans on one hand. The primary cuisine of Hungary is beef, pork, and other meat laden dishes. I love meat especially pork! Hungary’s cooks have my deep and undying admiration. Like your writer they take their cooking seriously. Reader you got a fight on your hands if you botch a Hungarian meal! Meat stews, juicy steaks, yummy roast pork dinners, poultry dishes, lamb, game, you name it they’ll cook it to perfection. Reader you just gotta’ love a country where every menu a feast every meal a banquet!
I fondly remember Quebec, Canada. There was this Hungarian restaurant (Pam-Pam) off Montreal’s central business district that served the best Chicken Paprika in town! I found it so good I practically camped out at this restaurant during my brief stay in that beautiful city. Last time I checked they still do a brisk business as a Mexican-Hungarian eatery.
Stuffed cabbage or Fatanyeros, their traditional world famous Goulash, stuffed peppers, mutton, savory meat off the bone soups, winter salami, fresh oven baked breads….you gettin’ hungry…meat drowned in creamy paprika gravy, yummy porkolt and Hungarian stews smothered with savory boneless meats. Reader there are many other delicious Hungarian dishes worth mentioned but not enough space; sorry ‘bout that. Use your search engine to enter the many Hungarian food sites to get a better understanding of what’s served in Magyarorszag.
Organized religion has taken some heavy hits in Hungary. Since its’ inception during the reign of King St. Stephen I around 1000 AD, Catholic-Christianity once the primary Christian denomination has dwindled to 39% according to the 2011 census. Despite this downturn Christianity is still the dominant religion. 11.6% of Hungarians are Calvinists, 2.2% Lutherans, 2% adhere to other religions (Islam, Judaism, others), 16.7% are non-religious, and 1.5% are atheists. In the Eurostat-Eurobarometer Poll of 2005 44% of the people believe in God, 31% profess belief in a Higher Power but 19% are non-believers.
The Protestant Reformation trimmed the sails of Hungarian Catholicism. The Catholic Counter Reformation spearheaded by the Society of Jesus or Jesuits enabled Catholicism to remerge as Hungary’s primary Christian denomination during the 1700’s albeit not with an overwhelming majority as previously enjoyed before Luther. As a result of past upheavals religious sentiments swing back and forth. It’s understandable why Hungarians are ambivalent towards matters of the spirit; through the centuries they’ve endured so much pain. Their suffering reflects their skepticism towards the divine.
When I was a 5th grader at St. Bernard’s Elementary School on Chicago’s South Side I remember our teacher describe the horrors of Hungary’s uprising (October 23rd thru November 10th, 1965). Blood was being spilt in the streets of Budapest as we listened. I purchased then popular book ‘I’m 15 and I don’t want to die.’ This small book was based on the true story of Christine Arnothy a young girl who lived in Budapest during those tempestuous times when the Nazis, Red Army, and various other special interest killers battled for supremacy among Budapest’s ruins that left little to the imagination in terms of barbarity. Little Christine was among the hapless populace who ducked and dodged bullets and bombs struggling to stay alive.
I’ve always had an interest in this central European country. My high school freshman term paper was on the Soviet Union’s oppression of Hungary’s people and her religious/ democratic institutions. I could never forget reading about the horrors of underground torture cells. An agent of Satan the infamous communist tormentor referred only as ‘Major Meatball’ because of her demonic grin and flaming red hair. Her torture sessions were described in minute detail by the book’s author. I got sick when I read about the suffering that diabolical b***h inflected on her helpless victims. I couldn’t trace the book title. I wrote that paper in 1961; so its’ been a while.
When I attended Chicago’s Loop now Harold Washington City College before transferring to university I remember a young Hungarian woman and fellow biology student. She was tall, well dressed, friendly, and attractive. There was always a note of sadness in her voice. After enduring so much misery/sadness the concept of an All Powerful loving Deity is an alien concept among many Hungarians who could benefit from a healthy dosage of Filipino spirituality.
Hungary is a northern country; so its’ cold in winter. The best time (and most expensive) to travel is during summer when days are hot nights slightly cold; ideal sleeping weather. If you want to avoid hordes of tourists visit Hungary during spring. Go on line and type: Hungarian weather forecast for weather conditions.
There’s no US State Department Advisory; Hungary’s relatively safe. Watch out for pick pockets and other petty criminals who prey on tourists. Use common sense at home and abroad. Many airlines serve Hungary. Use your search engine and log in to www.travelzoo.com/hungary for moderately priced flights from the United States. There are over 350 hotels in Budapest. Use the Internet; that’s what it’s there for. Type in ‘Hotels in Hungary’ which opens the door to many hotels of varying quality and price range to suit your budget; Reader talk to me; my email address is: vamaxwell@yahoo.com. GOD bless; see you in Budapest!