9 culture shocks Americans will have in Hungary
 

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"I?ve visited Hungary several times and recently moved here with my Hungarian wife. It?s a completely different world compared to Southern California where I grew up.

1. I survived my first disznóvágás (pig slaughter).

http://www.purinatakarmany.co.hu/Ima...gas_2006_3.jpg

It was early morning in September. My father-in-law and his friend, Zoli, had just slaughtered a pig; I thought I was going to puke. Steaming blood spilled across the cracked concrete. Zoli?s scruffy dogs began lapping it up.

http://www.fogyasztok.hu/kepek/cikk_...1259068029.jpg

This was my first disznóvágás ? or pig slaughtering. From dawn to dusk the whole family participated in dismembering the sow: the men hacked and sawed; the women labeled and bagged; I stirred the massive pot of bubbling organs. The pig?s head occasionally floated to the surface. Together we made link after link of kolbász (paprika-rich sausage) and hurka (organ and rice sausage).

It was messy, but that?s the reality of where meat comes from.

2. It seems like everyone smokes.

Statistically, 30% of Hungarians smoke (though I have a hard time believing it). I?ll never forget the day I sat in the car waiting for my wife while she shopped. One person after another passed by, a plume of smoke floating in their wake. Twice someone appeared without a cigarette in their hand, but promptly lit up.

Another time I was in the middle of a dental procedure when the dentist?s phone rang. She answered?then lit up and smoked out the window. Not to complain though: The filling cost $20 and she did a stellar job.

3. Food reigns supreme over anything and everything.

Hungarians are serious eaters. I grew up with Taco Bell, Carl?s Jr. and microwaved chimichangas. Food was always a quick fix. In Hungary, food is religion. The question is always ?Mi lesz az ebéd?? (What?s for lunch?). And lunch is not simply a few crummy sandwiches.

Sunday family lunch here is sacred, and is nearly always a three-course affair: You?ll likely have a soup, perhaps húsleves (clear broth with chicken, turkey and/or pork with vegetables), or maybe gyümölcsleves (chilled fruit soup with cream, cloves and cinnamon). Then a main course like pörkölt (meat stewed in onions, garlic and paprika), usually accompanied by savanyúság (pickles or sauerkraut) and served over nokedli (little egg dumplings).

If your host is the real deal you?ll finish with dessert. Common confections include rétes (strudel), bukta (jam filled buns), diós rácsos (a sort of walnut coffee-cake), and dobos torta (a sponge cake with chocolate buttercream topped with caramel).
More like this 9 ways to humiliate yourself in Budapest

4. Not all toilets are created equal.

In Hungary, don?t be surprised if the toilet features a shelf positioned right where your crap makes its debut. I?m guessing this is designed so that you can examine your stool (an indicator of health). Or maybe it?s to minimize splashback. In any case, it?s unsettling to turn around and have your little friend staring right back at you.

5. Learning Hungarian will bring you to your knees.

I?ve been coming to Hungary on a yearly basis for ten years now. Despite this, my Magyar is still elementary at best. I know a plethora of words and can express myself on a basic level. However, once a conversation goes deeper, I?m hopelessly lost. With its complex suffixes and vowel harmony, Hungarian is unlike any other language in the world. In fact, English has more in common with Russian and Sinhala (a Sri Lankan language) than it does with Hungarian.



6. Get used to pessimism, straightforwardness, and the Hungarian temper.

I?m not an expert on the Hungarian psyche, however, I can share what I know. As a whole, history has been unkind to the Magyar people: Relentless invasions and occupations have attempted to suppress Hungarian culture. The Mongols, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the Germans, and the Russians?they?ve all left deep wounds. Being suspicious, overly cautious, and critical are the resulting cultural traits.

In California people ask ?How are you?? and the response is generally ?I?m good. How are you?? In Hungary this question often elicits a venting response of complaints. Call it pessimism or call it realism, but Hungarians are self-expressed and to-the-point. If someone has the slightest problem with something, they?re going to let you know. They might even come off as rude or blunt, but that?s just the way it is here. Don?t take it personally ? tempers flare, decibels rise. Get used to it, bazd meg.

7. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.

It took me a while to get used to the fact that drivers in Hungary are not going to stop for you. I?ve almost been run over on multiple occasions. Drivers turning left as you?re crossing (with the walk signal) will sometimes come within inches of hitting you?this happened to me recently. Many Hungarians drive fast and aggressively, and in turn have little patience with you. Look both ways before crossing and repeat, repeat, repeat.

8. Pálinka will find you and try to kill you.

This fruit brandy is ubiquitous throughout Hungary ? a party isn?t a party without a couple bottles of pálinka. You will be offered shots relentlessly and refusing the first is more or less an insult. Hungarian nagymamák (grandmas) swear by its powers: Have a headache? Pálinka. Menstrual pains? Pálinka. Feeling nervous? Pálinka.

9. Dubbed movies are the law of the land.

Flipping through TV channels you?ll find almost every foreign show or movie is dubbed. Hungarians don?t do subtitles. This, I believe, also goes back to the language; translations won?t cut it. With all the nuances and peculiar expressions in Hungarian, it simply makes sense to dub.

Still, it?s hilarious for me to see Arnold Schwarzenegger on the TV and hear his dubbed Hungarian voice?his trademark Austrian accent noticeably absent. Hungarian dubbing has a long history and its performers are national stars in their own right. Perhaps the most celebrated product of this is the Hungarian Flintstones. Hungarian writer and poet József Romhányi famously translated the English dialogue into a constant rhyming prose. Each episode is full of clever puns. Forget Fred and Barney ? in Hungary it?s Frédi és Béni."

Magyar is related to Finnic languages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uralic languages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yeah, because we never slaughter pigs in California. Which makes me wonder exactly what it is we ate the yearly pig roast I attended here a few months ago.

:thumbsup:thumbsup:drinkup

Probably a whole pig already prepared by a butcher ready to be thrown in the roaster. I'm guessing the majority of people dont kill them in their yard, bleed them out, deal with the organs, make their own sausage, etc.

Quoted from OP:
"6. Get used to pessimism, straightforwardness, and the Hungarian temper.

I’m not an expert on the Hungarian psyche, however, I can share what I know. As a whole, history has been unkind to the Magyar people: Relentless invasions and occupations have attempted to suppress Hungarian culture. The Mongols, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the Germans, and the Russians—they’ve all left deep wounds. Being suspicious, overly cautious, and critical are the resulting cultural traits."


I actually love the straightforwardness and it is much preferred to the passive aggressive back stabbing sissified "men" who are so common on the west coast of the USA. So many guys on the west coast will smile at your face when you make your opinion known and act like everything is ok and then will turn around and stab you in the back. Fucking cunts. Seattle is ground zero for sissified males

I'd happily participate in the pig killing if I could have some of that sausage! o_O

Honestly, the shit shelves is one of the things I freakin hate here in the netherlands. Luckily, I come across them less and less.

Honestly, I would highlight the pessimism from this point, straightforwardness is not that common here as the article shows. We are always complaining and always blame Everyone Else But Us for all the problems.

Also, most Hungarian girls get slightly offended if you don't go straight for the ass the first time you hook up.

Anal sex seems to just be more normal to them than it is to the typical girl in the US or Western Europe. It's expected.

:2 cents:

One the first things I noticed in my travels in Europe is people tend to be more straightforward than in most areas of the USA.

Sounds like a mix of Russia and Ukraine in the heart of the EU to me.

Is that supposed to be a fresh kill?

:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thum bsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup: thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumb sup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:t humbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

Many years ago I worked in Vernon, CA (LA Area) for a glass shop/automotive wholesaler. Vernon has some of the biggest slaughterhouses in the United States. Farmer John slaughtered 300+? pigs a day
Livestock tractor/trailer trucks were lined up all day and you could smell the stink of fresh kill carried by wind all day for a mile. Shit on the killing floor and guts (endtrails) in dump trucks heading for rendering plants to become dog and cat food and soap.

900,000-square-foot plant on a ten-acre site near downtown Los Angeles

http://www.lataco.com/wp-content/upl...0f1b6c9ed2.jpg

I was in Budapest a while back, that is the Hungary I visited. But I took the train from Prague to Budapest and saw a lot of small farms and towns. From your pictures they are living in the past.

Hungary is in the far east of Europe and saw the invasion of the Mongols. I spent the day on the Danube with some friends there. I saw the Buda Castle and the Hungarian National Parliament building from a ferry on the Danube.

http://3mp1r3.cam500.com/img/budapes...012-danube.jpg

Budapest was not a culture shock - a large European city, charming stone architecture, but I am sure the country towns were. The working class parts of the city were like other eastern block cities I have been to in Europe -- they took me to Tesco's to get some foodstuffs for my studio apartment in the central city I rented.

http://3mp1r3.cam500.com/img/budapes...w-2012-002.jpg

It was in a building above a store and atrium-plaza.



I had a nice time in Hungary. The Magyar tongue is very difficult as it not Latin base language -- maybe a bit akin to Bulgarian in its uniqueness?

.

Yes 4 weeks ago.

they burnt off the bristle (hair? fur? dunno...)

I've been to Budapest a couple times but my most memorable experience in Hungary was going to a party at Lake Balaton during a solar eclipse in August 1999. It was pretty awesome. Eger is another fun place to visit. Especially if you like wine as it's where they make Bull's Blood.

Looks like roadkill indeed ...

yup that's what they do, put it on some straw and burn the hair off :2 cents:

Post some pics of Hungarian tits or GTFO. Jeez. LOL

PS: For real, I want a Hungarian wife. What's the best way to meet one? Go to Budapest or try some agency? :)

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Yeah definitely go to Budapest. One of my favorite cities in Europe.

You could also maybe check out the Balaton Sound festival in July. Looks pretty fucking fun.

MasterCard Balaton Sound 2015

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MDCMx-TSkwU/maxresdefault.jpg

Or maybe you can just start hanging out at Keybar in the East Village and try to become friends with the owners b/c they are Hungarian and have Hungarian friends. I used to hang out there quite a bit in the mid-2000s and it seemed like there were always girls from Hungary who would go there because they knew somebody who knew somebody who knew the owners. Or something like that. Fun times. That's how I know about how much Hungarian girls love anal!

keybar, the ultimate party place, happy hour, free birthday shots

sounds very Polish to me...

OK, so it is not "fresh" kill anymore, well.. time wise is, but already processed.

They are probably washing the burnt remains in that picture. I do the same with birds; I first use a torch similar than in the picture (after plucking) and then wash the remains. Normal cigarette lighter is enough for birds, but these kind of cooking torches are fucking fisty; does it much more quicker.

http://www.kori.fi/uploadkuvat/SEKALAISIA/12844_1.jpg

east europe, almost all same shit

Get used to it, bazd meg.

/thread

I could never, ever slaughter a pig, or ever work on or own a farm for meat. I couldn't even shoot an animal. If I was being attacked by a bear or something and had to shoot it to protect myself, I'd probably have a massive cry afterwards looking at that poor dead bear.

That being said, I'll probably have a cheeseburger for lunch.

Go ahead - hit me with your best shots. You'll probably be right, so I won't fight back.

how unexpected...

How about you "expats" move in and bring your own wifes for a change?

well slaughtering a pig that you raised is far more humane that what goes in in factory farms.

It is so because in US "how are you?" can almost be translated as "hello".
Some people even reply "how are you?" to your question of "how are you?".
While in other countries how are you means exactly that - how are you. So they will tell you how they are.

Bulgarian is Slavic language, I believe, while Hungarian has to do with finnish language (that is an interesting fact knowing that they are in completely different regions).

:1orglaugh:thumbsup

You pretty much got it .. Hungarians girls do love anal

I know. I could never work for those factory farms either.

Hungary has a kickass PM. The Donald should invite Viktor Orban to the White House after he becomes our POTUS.

Not some brainwashed own country and people traitor. :thumbsup

LOL. We have the pig roast every January. This was about two weeks ago, from my Facebook feed:

https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...48&oe=573E6D99

Other cultures amaze me. The more we think we are different, the more we are the same.

Did you kill it in the yard? Or did you just buy it already dead?

In this case they bought it dead, although it seems they have grown them and raised them and killed them.

I've been in almost all big cities in Europe but I must say that my favorite one is Budapest the people there are so alive and the architecture amaze me every time , I spend some weekends there ( I live pretty close only 460 km from my house , 6 hours by car )

that one bugged me a lot when i was in the US

I was there just a week ago and tried to combine business with a bit of pleasure..

Enjoy the nightlife!! People are very friendly and are definitely open for conversations.
Sometimes the language barrier can be an issue. But try Club Tesla or Otkert!! My personal favorites!!

It had been like that 2000 years ago or so since these tribes lived in more or less the same area.

But eversince the tribes separated and migrated the languages changed completely so a Hungarian would understand Finnish as much as a Slav would understand Farsi.

In fact they say that in the 19th century Hungarian was closer to Turkish and Persian than to European languages, and theň they got rid of most of the international words to avoid Germanism.

So there you have it - a language that's unparalleled worldwide. At least this is what I learned while visiting Budapest, perhaps locals can add more to it.

Otherwise the pessimism, scepticism and victim mentality is pretty much a trademark of the whole former Eastern block.

I find my own country, Slovakia, fitting many points! Although I would say we are generally less rude :D BaracPalenka forever!

if kickass means 'a fucking retarded football-loving dwarf' than he is kickass for real.

Not tits, but a true collection of nice girl next doors. Photographers, this might be useful for you too:
the 'hungarian girls are the most beautiful' page:
A magyar lányok a legszebbek

and who can forget our beloved Michelle Wild? :thumbsup

He shuts down any media critical of him. Also the VAT in Hungary is 28%. Sounds like a clown to me.