21 September, 2006
Police attrocities following the anti-Gyurcsany demonstrations
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Numerous reports have surfaced in Hungarian media about the brutalities of the Hungarian law enforcement units. Apparently, people have been beaten up for no good reason, had teeth knocked out, shot with tear gas granade from close distance, etc. Whether the victims of these brutalities will at one point have a chance to have their cases addressed in court, or their pain will simply be regarded as collateral damage of living here, is an open question.
One thing is clear though. People are unhappy and they are willing to show this regardless of the consequences. |
25 April, 2006
Hungarian Elections 2006 - Results and consequences of the first turn of the Hungarian Elections in 2006
The first round of the elections was held on Sunday, and ended with the slight victory of MSZP (43.21%) over FIDESZ (42.03%). The two smaller parties of the current Parliament also received the minimum required amount of votes (5%), meaning that one way or another, SZDSZ (6.5%) and MDF (5.04%) will be in the Parliament in the next four years too.After the two day break before and during the elections, the campaign raged on shortly after the results had been announced on Sunday evening. MSZP and FIDESZ turned towards the small parties, both of them being sure that their side will be able to form the Hungarian government after the second round of the elections on 23 April 2006. While Ferenc Gyurcsány in his speech already stated their victory, and congratulated Hungary on voting for a four-party Parliament, Viktor Orbán also declared that the Conservatives will change the government - even against the odds.
It is clear that together with SZDSZ, the Socialists have more seats in the Parliament than FIDESZ and MDF together. On the other hand, FIDESZ apparently overlooked this fact, and made several promises to win the support of MDF. These promises included Ibolya David becoming prime minister of the Conservative side instead of Viktor Orbán.
To the horror of the right wing, or at least, the voters of FIDESZ, on Monday morning Ibolya David announced that MDF does not intend to let its voters down by giving in to FIDESZ. She said that MDF is preparing to become a rational, dependable conservative party by 2010, and will not work together with FIDESZ again. The leader of MDF explained the decision of her party by saying that FIDESZ attacked and humiliated MDF continuously in the last four years.
It would be too early to foretell the results of the second turn of the 2006 elections in Hungary, but a few consequences are already clear. First, that most Hungarians are glad that MDF made it into the Parliament. If Ibolya Dávid holds on to her current decision, by 2010 MDF may become a more powerful party again, a good choice for those Conservatives who have had enough of the scheming and aggressiveness of FIDESZ. Whether she manages to resurrect MDF or not, at the moment the reputation of the party is higher than ever since 1994.
It is also clear that the Liberals will not have a problem to form a coalition again with MSZP, as they have already done so two times since 1990. FIDESZ will have an extremely hard job to win the 75 seats it needs (out of the 110 seats still open) to form the government in the second turn. Another common view is that the reason behind FIDESZ getting smaller support is Istvan Mikola, the most notorious speaker of KDNP, the current coalition partner of FIDESZ.
3 April, 2006
The Danube flooding again
In Budapest, the Danube has already covered the lower embankments. The roads running along the river are completely under water and you can only see the top of traffic lights and road signs sticking out of the water.At other places, such as Nagymaros and Kismaros, the damns leak, resulting in dozens of houses being flooded.
The water is expected to rise even more over the course of this coming week, exceeding the record level of 2002.
2 April, 2006
Gerbeaud ice cream - Scoops getting smaller and smaller
While on the subject of Gerbeaud and its prices, I must say a few words about Gerbeaud's ice cream. Without question, Gerbaud has the best ice cream in town. A wonderfully light and yet rich walnut flavor, a fresh sorbet-like strawberry, etc. It is simply great.Of course, I am referring to last year's ice cream because this year Gerbeaud has not begun selling ice cream yet. So last year, the ice cream was more than twice the price what it was everywhere else in Budapest -- HUF 210 per scoop, instead of HUF 100. They compensated this by giving you a scoop twice the size of a normal, which they also used as a marketing point to sell their ice cream.
In addition, they also make their cone on site so you get it warm off this waffle machine. It is not like an ordinary ice cream cone, it tastes like a pastry in its own right.
So when I got my first scoop, I was immediately hooked. It was great. Then, as the summer progressed, the scoops started getting smaller and smaller. First I thought I was being unlucky but by the 6th time I realized that this was no bad streak of luck. The scoops were simply smaller.
I am sure this had nothing to do with Gerbeaud but rather with the people selling the ice cream. Yes, they were employed by Gerbeaud but they were accountable by the amount of ice cream they sold. At these prices, all paid in cash, the amount they manage to save would go into their pocket. Not as ice cream but cash.
I really thought I should talk to the management about this because they were destroying the reputation of Gerbeaud. But then I thought it was none of my business and Gerbeaud management should pay attention to such scams by default.
Gerbeaud - The ultimate cafe in Budapest?
Yesterday went to Gerbeaud on Vorosmarty square with some friends visiting from the UK. They have read in their guidebook that this was the best cafe in Budapest so we just had to go there and have a little bit of this, a little bit of that.The cakes were very good, the coffee was good. The terrace portion outside the cafe was packed with other guidebook owners enjoying the taste of "real Budapest" and we had to sit inside. Gerbeaud is a beautiful place with an authentic pre-WWI atmosphere. Essentially, everything was great, except for the prices.
We paid well over twice as much as we would have in any other place. A 12% service charge was also included in the bill but when the credit card receipt came, there was an additional "Tip" line in English with a series of dots showing where to include the tip. I thought it cheeky to write the word "service charge" in Hungarian (szervizdij) and the word "tip" in English, thus hiding the fact that service charge was already included from non-Hungarian speakers.
26 March, 2006
Good impression of Budapest
We just had 8 guests staying with us for a few days in a downtown apartment. At the end of their stay, they simple did not want to leave. Apparently, they enjoyed Budapest so much that they were really saddened by the fact that their holiday was over.When they left, we received an email a few days after saying how much they enjoyed staying with us.
It is always a good feeling when people enjoy themselves here because, after all, that is their goal of coming here. When we get negative comments (see below), it is hard to respond.
16 March, 2006
Budapest is one of the most beautifully situated cities in Europe
"Budapest is one of the most beautifully situated cities in Europe. Nobody can ever forget the wonderful sight of the two sister towns divided by the wide and swiftly flowing Danube, with the steamers and barges on her waters. Buda, the old stronghold, is on one side with the fantastic "Gellért" hill, which is a formidable-looking mass of rocks and caves; farther on is the lovely royal palace with its beautifully kept gardens clinging to the hillside; then the oldest part, called the stronghold, which has been rebuilt exactly in the style Matthias Corvinus built it, and which was demolished during the Turkish invasion. Here is the old church of Matthias too, but it is so much renovated that it lacks the appearance of age. Behind the smaller hills larger ones are to be seen covered with shady woods; these are the villa regions and summer excursion places for the people. " (Seeing Europe With Famous Authors)14 March, 2006
Bad impression of Budapest
Just received a bad comment about Budapest and Hungary. I am not going to quote it because of its language but the individual was saying that there are too many homeless and prostitutes here.Hmm, what is too many? Do we have more of these two elements of society than other countries? Or are they more obvious, more on display? Certainly not more than in downtown San Francisco, off Market Street.
I am more of the opinion that the commenter was just having a bad time here -- there are plenty of opportunities to do that, just as in any large city. Not understanding the language can, of course, be a major source of frustration. Getting ripped off somewhere would be another, rightful, one.
12 March, 2006
Seems like yesterday: Gorbachev in Budapest
I was just going through older news about Hungary when I came across one in The Sunday Times from June 15, 1985. It is hard to image what people felt in Budapest if one was not here at the time."A FEW days before the arrival of Mikhail Gorbachev in Budapest last week (his first trip here as a Kremlin leader) the Soviet Union thrashed Hungary 6-0 in a World Cup tie. The omens were therefore rather good: there's nothing quite like a ritual sacrifice on the sports field before the pagan ceremony of a state visit.
"The Hungarians were nervous. Would Gorbachev back Budapest's economic reforms? He has, of course, launched the Soviet Union on its own reforms; but nothing as radical as in Hungary where private enterprise and entrepreneurial independence are encouraged."
10 March, 2006
The streets of Budapest - What's up with the dog sh**?
We got used to it but from time to time, when I barely manage to avoid a pile of dog sh** just as I step out onto the street, I wonder about the reasons behind this nightmare. Do dog owners not see the insanity of taking the dog outside their front door and let it leave a pile behind? The other day I had not one but 4 piles by my car which was parked down the road!A couple of years ago restrictions have been introduced and it seemed that there was hope to get a cleaner city. But then it all came back again, with increased vigor.
The other day I walked with a friend and her kid along Dohany utca, going from Sip utca to the Synagogue. This is one of the cleanest parts of the street because of the Synagogue which is always kept very clean. But I offerred the kid 20 forints for each pile he spots and before we reached the Synagogue I was losing way over a hundred forints. All this within a 100 m! If we went around the block, I would have had to give him a couple of thousands.
This is not about dogs. This is about dog owners. Dog owners who leave their dogs excrement behind. Budapest is not unique in having dogs in the city, yet it is the filthiest place on earth in terms of the amount of dog sh** lying around at any given time.
9 March, 2006
Voluntary sterilization in Hungary: Population control in a country with decreasing population?
According to report byNepszabadsag, legislation is about to pass a resolution according to which from June 2006 any adult woman in Hungary may request artificial sterilization.8 March, 2006
Pierce Brosnan losing it in Budapest
Just watched the movie The Matador with Pierce Brosnan playing a burnt-out hitman who travels around the world "facilitating fatalities." The turning point is in Budapest where he fails to eliminate the target because of an anxiety attack. As a result, he becomes a liability and it is decided that he will have to be eliminated.I was trying to identify the scene in Budapest but could not recognize any of the surrounding architecture. Not even the large fortress-like facade from where he is trying to assassinate his target. So for now I am assuming that the whole thing was not shot in Budapest but somewhere else.
4 March, 2006
Budapest in the early 20th century - A city of constant partying
Whenever I read something about Budapest in foreign media from before or around WWI, I always get the image that the city was doing nothing but partying.For example:
"At the hour when the lights in Berlin are being dimmed Budapest takes a new lease of life -- night life, if you wish me to be explicit. For early to bed and early to rise in considered folly in the Hungarian capital -- even in war time.
"Of course there are people who retire before 1 A.M. But really there is no reason why they should do so. The Hungarian capital has no annoying regulations in this respect. You can stay up as late -- or as early -- as you wishl; for hilarious suppers may be extended into bilious breakfasts without breaking the rules -- except your doctor's." (From Partying in Budapest.)
So what happened here afterwards? Where is all this glamor? A lot have changed over the past few years and Budapest is a much better place to party today than 15 years ago, but still...
1 March, 2006
Putin coming to Budapest
Yesterday Putin, the Russian presindent arrived in Budapest. Although I have not read the news during the day yesterday, I knew something was happening because there were police everywhere I went in the city. Especially the Gresham hotel where the entrance was covered with security guards and police. So it was safe to assume that someone important was in town.Upon hearing the news at night, I realized it was Putin. There has not been a Russian president in Hungary for the past 15 years. Basically, since the time the Russians moved out of Hungary. Especially during the Fidesz governemnt, the Hungarian-Russian relations were cut back severely, which might be good politically for Fidesz but sucked in terms of the economy. The present socialist government has been strengthening ties with Russia but that is just what you would expect of them, wouldn't you?
In any case, Putin is here and today he is looking at the Sárospataki library treasures returned a few days ago to Hungary. The exhibit is at the National Museum, today is the first day I think. The Russians kept the books for half a century but before they returned them, they asked for USD 400,000 worth of "storage fee." In addition, MOL, the Hungarian Oil Trust, promised an additional one million through its foundation for the digitization of books in Russian collections. What kind of restitution is this? This is an acquisition, buying back what has been stolen.
27 February, 2006
Lost in space - Roaming around in Mammut's elevators
Went to see over the weekend to Mammut. Together with Westend this is the largest shopping and entertainment center in Budapest. This is precisely why it is called Mammut (Mammoth).I have been lost before in the elevators in Mammut so I usually go around the building on the outside, approach the side I want, enter the building and take the escalators. But this time we were in a hurry so we had to take the elevator from the garage, called Level -2. It took about 10 minutes to go up to Level 3, where the movies are. As usual, when I left my ever frustrated fellow elevator-riders, I ended up one storey below the cinema so I still had to take the elevator. The elevators are also arranged strategically in a way to slow you down. So you shop. I did not want to shop, I wanted to to Level 3 where the cinema was.
After the movie, we went through the same ordeal, but in a slightly intensified way. We, and others with us, were taken up and down a few times, all in slo-mo, until we finally reached the bottom floor. Once again, I vowed to park outside and use the escalators.
24 February, 2006
Return of Hungarian books looted by Russians during World War II.
Népszabadság online reports that yesterday the 136 volumes of the Sárospatak Library which had been taken by Russian forces during World War II arrived in Budapest Airport. In 1938 the books had been deposited in the vaults of two Budapest banks but were subsequently lost during the siege of Budapest. In the early 1990's information leaked out that the priceless collection was in the Nizhny Novgorod Library.According to the new Russian restitution law, the books were finally returned to Hungary after the payment of USD 400,000 of "storage fee." Apparently, the Russians performed a paid service, looting the books and hiding them for half a century.
22 February, 2006
Bad times in Budapest
Bad times in Budapest"The capital, Budapest, is a conglomeration of really old buildings left to rot. The buildings here are massed together in a rabbit warren of claustrophobic city blocks accentuated by a building or two that was once nice but is now covered in grime, filth, and graffiti. Do not even get me started on the food. All in all this city, its bridges, and its people are the most miserable in Europe."
Spanish restaurant in Budapest
Yesterday we went for lunch to a Spanish tapas restaurant on Kálvin-tér called "Pata Negra." There was another large party of ladies there having a good time. We ordered but the waiter objected saying that it would definitely not be enough for the two of us. Well, said I, if not then we will order some more.The tiger prawns were good, three large fried pieces with a bit of lemon. Unfortunately, they were a bit plain, the best part of the taste was in the shell which had to be peeled off. Then there was a clam tapas with garlic and white wine. This was the best dish and we were happy to have it. Then we also had a tortilla Espana, quite boring, and some shrimp sandwich which was good but a bit heavy on mayonnaise.
Meanwhile the ladies left and the staff began reorganizing their tables with an incredible amount of noise. And for quite a long time. You know the feeling when the restaurant closes and they start mopping the floor around you and move the chairs -- this is exactly how it felt. While doing this, they were commenting how little the ladies ordered.
Our bill with the tip came to HUF 5,000 which would not have felt expensive if we got what came there for -- nice atmosphere and good Spanish food.
20 February, 2006
Hungarian proverbs
I recently bought an old collection of Hungarian proverbs at a second hand bookshop and was reading through it. An interesting thing is the abundance of proverbs about Gypsies -- two and half pages in total. Some of them are quite witty but almost all of them are simple mean. I will not list them here so nobody gets upset.The other interesting thing is that the vast majority of the proverbs is unknown to me, even though I am a native Hungarian speaker. Some of them are even meaningless. For example, "to send someone to Abauj" simply means to reject a man's marriage offer. Why sending him to Abauj?
Another proverb says that "cheese is not cottage cheese," explained as "hard things are not easy." Without the gloss, I would not have been able to tell what this saying referred to.
Budapest stock exchange - Rising market
Last Friday the Budapest Stock Exchange experienced a record rise of a 1.5% in a single day. This was a big deal and all the financial news were trying to explain what happened. But they all agreed that this will go down on Monday. Well, it did not. It went up higher.Weather warming up - T shirts and shorts?
Finally! Today we had a 16 degrees Celcius during the day. There is still some residue snow in smaller streets where there is no sun but the city was bathing in sunlight.Coming home I saw a girl wearing a T shirt. That seemed a bit bold, considering that the majority of the population, including myself, was still wearing down jackets, but it did make you feel that the winter was finally over.
17 February, 2006
An American missile in Budapest
This afternoon a 1,000 pound World War II American missile was found underneath the Lágymányosi Bridge. The police immediately shut down the bridge and the surrounding area and called in experts to disarm the missile. They extracted two unexploded fuses and then hauled the bomb away in a truck.Funny thing that the missile was American, I do not remember Americans bombing Budapest in World War II.
16 February, 2006
The prospect of building a bridge across the Danuber to connect the two parts of Budapest
"Buda, or as the Hungarians call it, Ofen, on the opposite side of the river, is connected with Pesth by a bridge of forty-seven large boats, united by chains and floored with planks. The bridge is said to be three hundred yards in length; it is so constructed that two or three boats with their flooring may be separated from the rest, in order to let the vessels pass which go up and down the Danube. In the winter, when large bodies of ice are in motion from the higher parts of the river, it becomes necessary to take away the bridge altogether; thus during a part of that session, the communication is almost wholly interrupted between the two towns, untol the river is entirely frozen over and the ice affords a secure passage."Now, as Buda is just as social and as merry a place as Pesth, and has its own balls and assemblies of every kind, the ladies of both towns were easily prevailed upon to give their 'sweet voices' in favour of a project which some enlightened Hungarians have had in view some time, for erecting a stone bridge across the Danube in place of the bridge of boats, so that there should be no suspension of the gay intercourse between the two divisions of the capital at any season of the year. In order to accomplish this object, it was necessary to provide that the expense of the bridge should be defrayed by a toll, from which no person could claim exemption. Never was such an innovation as this heard of, since the Danuber began its course!" (Michael J. Quin, A Steam Voyage down the Danube: With Sketches of Hungary, Wallachia, Servia, Turkey, etc., 1836.
This is an account of Budapest when it was still Buda and Pest (or Pesth). Naturally, Ofen is not the Hungarian but the German name for Buda so it was only the Austrocized part of the population referred to Buda by this name.
The Pest side in 1836
"Pesth looks extremely well from the Danube. It is for the most part built in a modern style of architecture; several of the publica edifices, and even of the private mansions, are splendid. The national casino, or club-house, forms a distinguished feature of the city, which has been wonderfully improved during the last ten or fifteen years." (Michael J. Quin, A Steam Voyage down the Danube: With Sketches of Hungary, Wallachia, Servia, Turkey, etc., 1836.The age of the Buda Castle - New or old?
A few words about the Royal Castle in Budapest (Buda), from the guidebook called Illustrated Description of Hungary and its Capital (1912)."The Turkish domination reduced these castles to ashes and it was only in the reign of Maria Theresa that a new building was erected (1748-77) in Baroque style. A century later the Castle was enlarged, but it was only after its complete reconstruction (1894-1905) by Nicolas Ybl, that it attained to its present imposing magnitude and beauty. While retaining the original Baroque style, it was completed by a mighty dome-crowned centre building (62 m. high), and a northern wing, and also by an immense four-storey high West building (with its imposing foundation walls, seven storeys high); it possesses today a facade 304 meters long and contains 860 beautiful rooms."
What this says is that the whole castle was demolished by the Turks and the current one is a relatively new one. Only the foundations are old.
13 February, 2006
The tricolor of Hungary
From Bennett, W. C. (William Cox), "The Tricolor. A Cry for European Freedom. 1855."Gagged and fettered by cowl and crown,
Hungary crouches, Cossacked down:
Pesth, how long will it be before
Your walls shall fling out the Tricolor?
Kossuth watches and waits afar;
In the leash are Honved and fierce hussar
Guyon, the Austrian squares, once more
Will thunder through, with the Tricolor."
12 February, 2006
Travel from Vienna to Budapest -- 250 years ago
From Keyssler's Travels, published in 1757."From Buda to Vienna it is about three days journey in summer. Old Buda lies three quarters of a mile from the former: but it affords nothing remarkable but the ruins of an old aqueduct, built either by the ancient Romans or Hungarians. Not long since a wide subterraneous passage was discovered leading from hence to the citadel of Buda, with which the Turks seem to have been well acquinted."
A Hungarian proverb
Many geese will overcome a hog.Budapest Bridge - 1st International Paralympics Film Festival in Budapest
The Budapest Millenáris Park will be the home of the first International Paralympics Film Festival at the end of March 2006 (30 March - 1 April). The event will be a review of films about paralympic sports. The organizers hope to call more attention to the handicapped. According to Budapest.hu, during the Festival a conference on Media and Paralympics will be held with invited international presenters.There have been plenty of talks about the integration of handicapped people in Hungary in recent years. Although many people are not particularly interested in movements related to the topic, the vast majority of the population of Hungary generally agrees with the aim. This means that such a unique event as a Paralympics Film Festival will not go unnoticed and it is likely to get huge publicity and considerable attendance. Now it is up to the organizers to make something attractive and successful out of the Festival so it can help in the better recognition of the needs and abilities of the handicapped.
Healthy eggs at Skála market
One of the vendors at the Skála market on the Buda side brought in a large stock of eggs and put up a sign on them saying "Healthy eggs!" The people are now lining up to get themselves some of these healthy eggs. There is also a sign saying, "Look for the seal," and indeed there is a seal on every single eggs, proving that they are healthy.Now Skála piac is a produce market where lots of people from the country come in and sell their products themselves. There are many old ladies selling eggs from their own chickens and, to be honest, these eggs are definitely more healthy than the ones with the seals. But these old ladies are not into marketing...
Bomb alarm in Budapest supermarkets
My mother tried to do some shopping yesterday morning for the weekend but the Skála market near to her was closed because of a bomb alarm. Someone called in and said that there was a bomb in the market somewhere. So she ended up with no groceries for the weekend.We later learned that other supermarkets were also closed for the same reason. Someone apparently called all these places to announce the presence of the bomb in each one of them. Since the terrorist attacks on London, such threats are taken very seriously.
Needless to say, the police and the bomb squads found nothing. Everything will be back to normal when they reopen Monday morning.
Princess and the ass of Balaam
Another curious article is from 1810 about a Hungarian princess:"A princess of Hungary once asked a monk, who was a scholar and a wit, to explain to her the story of Balaam and the ass: adding, "good father, I can hardly believe that an ass could be so talkative." "Madam," replied the father," your scruples may cease, when you are informed it was a female."
Longevity of vegetarian Hungarians
Found a curious announcement in an old newspaper from 1800 about a Hungarian shepherd:"A Shepherd died lately at Campas, in Hungary, in the 126th year of his age. His manner of living was extremely simple; he never ate any meat, but subsisted entirely on milk, butter and cheese, and had never been ill in his life."
Now I have no idea where Campas in Hungary is but it definitely has another name today. If you ever find out, please let me know.
11 February, 2006
Old photos of Budapest
This is a photo from the Pest side onto the Royal Castle in Buda.
Royal Castle (from the Danube side)
Below is a photo of Budapest and the Danube from the 1910s. It was taken from the Gellert Hill, overlooking the Parliament on the other side of the river. You can also clearly see the Margaret Bridge and the Margarent Island in the distance.
Budapest panorama
10 February, 2006
Blizzard in the night
Last night I had to drive to the airport to pick up someone. The plane was supposed to be coming at 10:40 PM so it should have been an easy drive with no traffic. But when I got Budapest Ferihegy airport, they told me that the flight was going to be 2 hours late. So I had 2 hours to kill there and eventually ended up driving back home.But by the time I went out to get back into my car, there was a thick continuous snow fall. It looked so surreal, as if I was standing in some Japanese anime movie. However, despite the beauty of the snow, I now had to deal with it while driving. By the time I drove a few blocks the snow was falling so heavily that I could hardly see the car in front of me. The few cars on the road all slowed down to about 25 km/h and even at this speed my car was sliding right and left.
Instead of the usual 30 minute drive, it took me over an hour to get to the airport. Then about the same amount of time back to downtown.
9 February, 2006
White morning in the city
The snow has stopped by morning and I woke up to the sound of someone cleaning the snow away from our street. Quite annoying, really, but at the same time there was something nostalgic about it, reminescent of the good old winter days when we had snow in Budapest every year for the three months of the winter. In the past years, however, the weather has gone very erratic and there is no rhyme or reason to when it snows.
The back of the Synagogue this morning.
8 February, 2006
Budapest under snow cover
It is still snowing, turning Budapest into a white city. The roads slip like crazy but the streets look beautiful tonight.
The Dohany utca Synagogue tonight.
Hungarians disregarding the rules - The free citizens of Budapest
We decided to change the windows in one of our apartments on Rákóczi Street. This is one of the busiest streets in Budapest and even though the apartment is on the third (fourth American) floor, there is still a considerable amount of noise.So today one of the workers stood downstairs to keep people away from underneath the windows, in case something falls out. Still, people kept walking right by him, ignoring his pleads. The workers told us that they used to put up a small fence around the area but when they were not looking, somebody nicked the fence. Later on, they put up barbwire but the pedestrians lifted the wire and walked through the area just the same.
They also told us a case that happened in Germany. Workers were getting rid of old furniture from an apartment upstairs and they had one of them watching so that people would not walk underneath the falling furniture. Still, an old lady went right through and this is when a large old armchair fell out, killing her instantly.
So far, nothing like that happened to us but the workers are still at work.
Lunchtime - Part of your shift!
Yesterday I walked in into a second-hand bookshop in Budapest. There were no other customers, just three shop assistants and the manager. While I was shopping, the manager argued about the wages with two young female assistants. He apparently was trying to save money, as he was questioning the girls whether they really worked 8 hours a day. He reduced the 8 hours by a number of small breaks, including the 30 minute lunch break. In favor of his argument, he cited some current Hungarian law with which the two assistants did not dare to disagreeManagers of smaller shops sometimes use whatever means they can to reduce the payment to shop assistants. What the young girls were not aware of is that according to current Hungarian laws employees, including shop assistants, are entitled to a 30 minute lunchbreak during their 8 hour shift. This break, however, is part of the shift, and must be paid for. Maybe they have not heard of this or just chose not to contradict their boss. On the other hand, I can understand the manager too. Like I said, there were 3 shop assistants plus the manager, and at the time, I was the only customer in the shop.
Car use in the Countryside and Budapest
A couple of days ago, Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian ex-PM gave a speech where he mentioned the commute problems of people living outside the city. He was right in saying that often the only means to go to work for these people is by car. Many Hungarian villages are remote and lack job opportunities, so the population is forced to commute to nearby cities on a daily basis. The solution which Obrán proposed, on the other hand, is a bit far-fetched and stinks of being part of the campaign of the FIDESZ. I would even say that country people would be outraged to hear what he said: lower the prices of the highway stickers. Like there was a highway near those villages where people need to travel by car...I believe the speech he gave, along with the conclusion that apparently is not really helpful, got many people thinking. In response, one of the publicists of Index.hu proposed an idea that seems to make a lot of sense. He wrote that car owners in villages should help each other out, carpool with their neighbors. But the other part of his idea was something broader, that is, to encourage people who live in villages to buy their own cars by lowering taxes. At the same time, the government should discourage car usage in Budapest by introducing a new tax or increasing ones that alerady exist.
What is to be learned from this story? Ordinary people who have a first hand experience in everyday problems can often come up with better ideas than politicians eager to please their voters.
7 February, 2006
Heavy snow in Budapest
Despite the weather prognisis for today, it got even colder this morning and started snowing heavily. It is still snowing and the streets are relatively empty because of the cold. I went to a small luncheon place called Zamatka in Síp utca and the place was almost empty. Usually it is packed with people but today the citizens of Budapest prefer to stay in the office or at home. Cold!
The Dohany utca Synagogue
Anti-Demszky campaign posters
Just for those who do not know what the previous post refers to. In the past couple of weeks silly posters apepared all over the city, criticizing the mayor of Budapest, Gábor Demszky. Each poster carried Demszky's photo with a joke underneath. These jokes are the kind where a buttler called Jean answers a silly question asked by Demszky. A typical one would be, "Jean, why are the people so tired?" "They are tired of you, Sir."Demszky removes his portraits from public transport
Budapest.hu reports that Gábor Demszky, the mayor of Budapest, despite his former statements, announced to take steps concerning the removal of election posters with his portrait. These steps include an investigation into who ordered the removal the posters, as well as sueing the publisher of Budapest Riport, the owner of the posters for publicizing that Demszky himself decided to remove the pictures from the bus stops and metro stations.Common sense tells us that it is not very nice to decorate Budapest with posters that make a fool of the mayor. I bet the publisher of Budapest Riport would not like to see his own face all over the city along with some silly jokes. This kind of campaign will never work, but the inventors of such posters just cannot think with the minds of average people anymore. Most of the citizens of Budapest are bothered by pictures and their negative implications. There are things that people accept and things that they do not. Assaulting someone, even a political figure, with such an aggressive advertisement belongs to the latter category.
On the other hand, Demszky found a way to strike back. In fact, he might have had the posters removed for real, but thanks to the investigation, he won a few weeks or even months to sue Budapest Riport. And even if he is not responsible for the vanishing posters, an event most welcome by the citizens, he still managed to strike back in this pitiful, sad campaign. Not doing so could have increased his popularity, but he apparently could not resist the temptation.
Krishna-believers in Budapest
This morning, coming to work, I saw a Kirshna-believer on the train. I would not have known that he was a follower of Krishna if he would not have been bald with only a mop of hair in the back of his head. And, if he would not have been chanting quietly. It was quite unusual: a young man dressed like anyone else, holding some sort of a rosary and praying with his eyes closed. This made me think for a moment.The Krishna-believers may be the most widely accepted and liked people in Budapest. I do not remember seeing any of them singing in the tunnels or giving a senseless speech with faulty logic to convince the public to join them. Perhaps because of this, Krishna-believers always manage to get donations from people. When a bald guy stops you and tells that he is collecting money to give warm food to the poor, you simply cannot help but pay attention at him, and donate. And many people, who normally would not care, give their money away too, and leave with a sense of satisfaction!
It is either a conspiracy to collect money, to overthrow the government and establish theocracy, or there is something really spiritual in the followers of Krishna that makes people think positively. Strange and different as they are, Krishna-believers make the streets of Budapest a more cheerful place.
6 February, 2006
Subway vs. Mary Christensen - The Best Sandwich in Budapest
More and more franchises are coming to Hungary, and to Budapest in particular. Opinions about globalization on such a small scale may vary, but some of these companies are undoubtedly welcome in Budapest. One of the most populars is Subway Restaurant. The reasons in short are that they offer something different from McDonald's and Burger King, at an affordable price, and there does not seem to be a restaurant offering this kind of food - namely, sandwiches.But there is. For some years now, there has been a small buffet in Budapest named Mary Christensen Swedish Sandwiches, not far from Kálvin square. Although it is not as widely known in Budapest as Subway, it has its advantages, too. In fact, I cannot help but recommend them in favor of Subway. The following are only personal observations based on a few meals eaten in both places. Mary Christensen offers real, fresh ingredients: fresh bread and vegetables versus to Subway's deep frozen components. Their sandwiches vary on a much wider scale than those of Subway's, where you may choose from quite a few meals but you will end up with more or less the same vegetables and only 4-5 types of meat. In Mary Christensen, the different sandwiches have a strong, very distinct taste, which, unlike those of Subway's, they do not loose when you order something without onions. And last, but not least, the prices are about the same at both places.
So to those who do not like hamburgers, which, by the way, feel a lot more artificial than any kind of sandwich, and want to taste something unique and delicious in Budapest, even if it is not Hungarian per se (hence they are called Swedish Sandwiches), I really recommend Mary Christensen, on Ráday street, near Kálvin square.
"Judapest"
Albert S. Lindermann, The Jew Accused, 1992."The Jewish population of Budapest toward the end of the century (i.e. 19th century) surged to around 200,000, close to a quartter of the population of the city (732,000 total) and the largest population of Jews in any capital city of Europe. Lueger once referred to it as "Judapest," and the term stuck." In Paris, a city with a considerably larger total population than Budapest (circa 2.7 million in 1900), Jews numbered between 30,000 and 40,000, about one percent of the total."
5 February, 2006
More new buses for Budapest
According to Népszabadság Online, Budapest will receive more Volvo buses in a few months. The new buses will have older, environtmentally less sound engines instead of the modern Euro-4 engine, but the cheaper prices will make up for this disadvantage. Some of the new buses will be placed on the line to the Ferihegy Airport.Citizens of Budapest know how much better a new bus can be. The roads are full of potholes, and there is no suspension that can make your trip more comfortable, but it still feels good to travel by a nice, clean, modern-looking vehicle. Under the given circumstances, it is a joyride compared to the old buses Budapest has had for decades. And I am certain that what is considered an "environmentally not sound engine" Europe will not make the air of Budapest much more polluted. The bottomline is, those who use public transport, can hardly wait.
Extension of the 4th metro line in Budapest not discussed
Index.hu wrote a few days ago that the general assembly of Budapest will only discuss the original plans for M4, the fourth metro line of Budapest. Earlier in the 11th district FIDESZ started to collect signatures in favor of extending the line to Budaörs instead of Etele square. They managed to collect less than half of the required ten thousand supporting signatures which would have forced the assembly of the district to vote on the question. Since the idea failed, the vote in the general assembly of Budapest on 2 February will only concern the current plans for the line, between Bosnyák square and Etele square.Hungarians always manage to make a political question out of entirely non-related issues, and the loudests of these arguments are in Budapest. Take a look at the National Theater. A political argument put it to the outskirts of Budapest instead of Erzsébet square, a location right near Deák square, in the heart of the city. The extension of the metro line has a distinctive feeling that someone in the 11th district just want to strengthen their position instead of achieving something useful. Why not extend the line right down to Lake Balaton? Unfortunately, some of these initiatives succeed in the end, resulting in the needless spending of money and resources. But that is how politics work in Budapest.
Üvegtigris fever
Budapest, and possibly Hungary seems to be burning in a fever for the second part of the movie Üvegtigris, even though the movie itself would not indicate such an enormous campaign. It is about the adventures of a couple of friends. They are a bit retarded, but they stick together, and they have one more thing in common: despite the fact that their lives are pitiful and unlucky, they enjoy spending time together as much as they can. The reason for the stir is the fact that the first part of Üvegtigris (the title translates into English as Glass Tiger, and is a name of burger stand run by the lead character) became extremely successful overnight. Quotes of the characters became catch phrases, and in a matter of years the movie built an enormous fan base through DVD rentals.So, PR people decided to make Üvegtigris 2 a successful business venture. Unfortunately for them, the popularity of Üvegtigris came from its relative unknown-ness. People did not expect much when rented the movie of Péter Rudolf, and they got something funny, original, and surprising. The second part, does nothing but repeats the story of the first. Now, the movie is expected to generate income, otherwise the initial “fever” and the disappointment after seeing the film could ruin the reputation of the first part.
4 February, 2006
Budapest the cheapest capital among new EU member
MTI writes that Budapest is the cheapest capital to live in in the European Union. The list is drawn up by the Economist Intelligence Unit to inform corporate delegates about the costs of cities. The index of each city is calculated for a package of goods and services, and compared to the prices in New York. The list this year is led by Oslo, while Budapest is the 74th. The last place is occupied by Teheran.Statistics are very convenient. They always manage to come up with data that makes people feel more comfortable but somehow miss real life.
Communist agents today - Guilty as charged?
After 40 years of Communism, ex-agents are found in Hungary each day. Most recently István Szabó, the famous director was found to had been a Communist agent in his younger age. Some individuals who form the public opinion want the masses to believe that it is a crime, even from such an accomplished artist, to have the past of an agent. But is it really? Even prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsán decided to protect Szabó, and I believe it was the right decision.Many people try to force the establishment of a law against ex-agents. They fail to notice - or know just too well - that the real servants of the past regime can not be apprehended by such a law, and it would only prosecute people who were forced to become an agent. Because most of them did not choose to serve the State at that time - the Communists had their methods to achieve cooperation. The problem is that many of those who helped them by free will managed to maintain some of their power after the Democratic Transition, and their past is simply ignored. No law would harm such prominent or powerful individuals.
Exhibition of election posters from 1990 in Budapest
Index.hu reports that an exhibition opened from the posters of the first election campaign in Hungary, in 1990. Posters are displayed from all parties that took part in the Democratic Transition and ran on the first elections. The exhibition is open between 2 and 17 February, on weekdays from 9 am to 7 pm.This is something unexpected. Whoever is interested in the Democratic Transition and the downfall of Communism, as well as the establishment of the new system in Hungary, should go and see this exhibition. It provides interesting and entertaining addition to our current knowledge and memories of those years. The posters should also have a completely different attitude than those used ever since: they emphasize cooperation against the past decades, instead of quarreling over the past years.
The Puszta -- Where Hungarians herd cattle and rope horses
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05."PUSZTA: arid grasslands that once covered a large part of the Alföld, E Hungary. They were used for extensive cattle raising. With the irrigation and drainage projects of the late 19th cent., the Puszta disappeared except in the small Hortobagy region (c.100 sq mi/260 sq km), near Debrecen. Old customs of the Puszta are preserved there, mainly for the tourist trade."
This is all very nice, but in reality, "puszta" in Hungarian simply means grasslands or empty space. It does not have to be populated with cattle and cowboys, it can just be any old empty space without crops or trees. In fact, the desert in the Bible where Jesus hungers for 40 days and 40 nights is also translated into Hungarian as "puszta." So it is just a desolate place of any kind.
The word loses an additional layer of Hungarian authenticity if we consider its etymology: it comes from some Slavonic language where it was originally used as an adjective, meaning "empty."
Oscar award winner was a spy
Budapest Sun"HUNGARY'S only Academy Award winning film director, István Szabó (pictured) admitted to public television broadcaster MTV last week that he had been an agent in order to save his own life, primarily by giving information to the internal security authorities after the 1956 revolution."
Serai Turkish Restaurant
Serai is undoubtedly the best Turkish restaurant in Budapest. In fact, it is one of the best fast food restaurants in Budapest. Fast food as in speedy and efficient, not as in bad budget food.They are open until 4 AM, and if you arrive there at 2 AM, there will still be a lot of people. The truth is that there is not a lot of places you can go to eat at 2 AM in Budapest and Serai is one of those few.
But the best part of Serai is the food. Beside the boring gyros you can get an array of soups, kebabs, and desserts. You can get diced lamb kebab which other Turkish restaurants do not seem to carry. My own favorite is, however, lamb ribs. A big portion for a surprising $7.00, one of the best meals in Budapest.
The downside of the good food is the crowd. I guess this is the price of being popular, now I do not go there at standard Hungarian lunch and dinner times, to avoid the feeding frenzy. The best solution would be to expand, I am sure this has also crossed the mind of the management.
3 February, 2006
A Gypsy census in nineteenth century Hungary
From Angus Fraser, The Gypsies, 1994."We know a good deal about the general pattern of Gypsy life in Hungarian territories towards the close of the nineteenth century from a detailed census of Gypsies held in January 1893, supplementing the data which had emerged as a by-product of the national census of 1880. It was reckoned that, of the 274,940 Gypsies who were identified, almost 90 per cent were sedentary, 20,406 being half-settled and only 8,938 fully nomadic. Some 105,000 of the total were in Transylvania, where they represented almost 5 per cent of the entire population and, in the regions where Vlachs predominated, sometimes exceeded 10 per cent. A very high proportion of the nomads spoke Romani, whereas less than half the other did so; of the latter, a quarter had Rumanian as their mother tongue. Both the Romani and the Rumanian speakers were principally in Transylvania."
The baths of Budapest
Seeing Europe With Famous Authors"Besides her splendid natural situation, Budapest has another great treasure, and this is the great quantity of hot sulfur springs which exists on both sides of the Danube. The Romans made use of these at the time of their colonization, and we can find the ruins of the Roman baths in Aquincum half an hour from Budapest. During the Turkish rule many Turkish baths were erected in Buda. The Rudas bath exists to this day, and with its modernized system is one of the most popular. Császár bath, St. Lukács bath, both in Buda, have an old-established reputation for the splendid cures of rheumatism. A new bath is being built in Pest where the hot sulfur water oozes up in the middle of the park--the same is to be found in St. Margaret's Isle. Besides the sulfur baths there are the much-known bitter waters in Buda called "Hunyady" and "Franz Joseph," as well as salt baths."
Tourists coming to Hungary from the East
Budapest.hu writes that Hungary is once again a popular target among the tourists coming from the Eastern Block. After the Democratic Transitions and the lifting of the Iron Curtain tourism from the region suffered a setback, but interest is rising again towards Hungary. The preferred destinations are Budapest and the spas of Hungary.I believe this is a two-way street. Many people in Hungary would like to travel to the countries of the Eastern Block. The mountain ranges of Transylvania, the great cities and landscapes of Russia, or the Black Sea in Bulgaria are all tempting destinations - the only reason why very few people choose to travel to these places is that they have doubts. Hungarians are unsure about the security, the economic conditions, the standard of life and the political stability of the countries of the Eastern Block.
People simply do not want to go to Romania where Hungarians are oppressed and hated. They do not want to go to Bulgaria where, it is widely believed, the Communist resorts have only decayed since, and who knows what they are like now. And Hungarians do not want to go to Russia in particular, which, when it comes to travel, is a country of organized crime. These opinions are a bit harsh, but unfortunately they play a major role in the decision making of people. Most Hungarians pick the sandy beach in Croatia instead of the vast mountain ranges of Transylvania. They choose an island on the Mediterranean instead of the historical sites of St. Petersburg or Moscow. And they rather go to Balaton where they surely see decayed Communist structures than to Bulgaria where the same exciting experience would be much more dangerous.
Hungarians would think more about traveling to East if the Eastern Countries wanted them to. It looks like that despite my opinion, the foreign advertising of Hungary worked. Maybe the same simple trick would do it for the rest of the former Communist region.
Eliminating unemployment in Hungary by relabeling the unemployed
As part of the self-confidence campaign, the government in recent years managed to abolish the uneployment in Hungary. How did they do it? It is simple: they re-labeled the "unemployed" to "job-hunters." So from now on, Hungary does not have unemployed people - those who do not work, are supposedly between jobs, and desperately looking for a new work opportunity. This also means that the state does not aim to help jobless people anymore. Without a job, the Hungarian citizen is not lost at all: the possibilities are endless, and he is searching 24/7, so he will eventually come across something. The said citizen, although he is given an aid, which might also have a different label now, does not require the support of the state. He is looking all by himself, and his registering as unemployed... excuse me, "job-hunter" merely means that there is a government office that makes him search harder.PR specialists who figure out such ideas as re-labeling things do not appear to see further than the windscreen of their Mercedeses. According to their point of view, homeless people does not exist either. Those poor and pitiful creatures lying around in Budapest tunnels are simply people who were looking for a job so hard that they ended up on the streets. And when they walk up to you and ask for money for a drink, you could be sure that they would like to lament on the many job offers they got recently over some alcohol. Most likely.
Self-confidence is a good thing, but it will not abolish reality, and should not be excessively used. There actually are people without jobs. It does not matter what label the government uses on them, and how much better "job-hunter" looks in the statistics. Common sense is that who does not have a job is unemployed - that is what the word means, like it or not. And only a small part of unemployed people are looking for a job, or "job-hunting." I love the word though, it sounds so much more cheerful than "unemployed." "People with many opportunities" would be even better. But the rest still exists, wether the government wants to know about them or not. Some of those people might even have training, but they can all provide some sort of manpower. Being radical is good, but it should go much further than sticking labels on people. It should also embrace reality somehow.
By the way, if you do not report back to the Unemployment Office on time, you will be deleted from the list of "job-hunters." This means that for the state, you do not even exist anymore. Funny, that after loosing your job you could still go lower.
Cervantes Institute expanding
Budapest.hu writes that the Cervantes Institutie, the ogranization responsible for spreading Spanish language and culture in Hungary, is expanding. The Institute has recently purchased new rooms to accomodate the increasing number of its Spanish students. They are planning to launch an on-line Spanish course as well, for those who do not have the time for regular language courses.The wines of Hungary and the misery of wine makers
From The Wine-drinker's Manual, 1830."The mines of Hungary have yielded their wealth with an unsparing hand; but in her vineyards, her harvests, and flocks, are placed great and almost unbounded resources. The vine is therefore cultivated to a very considerable extent. Schwartner has estimated the annual vintage of Hungary, at more than one half the whole vintage of Austria and its provinces, estimated by Blumenbach, at 32, 873,971 eimers. The consumption of wine in Hungary is very great, but the export is also large; and as early as the year 1804, the Emperor of Austria, to encourage the consumption of Austrian and Hungarian wines, had forbidden any foreign wines to appear at his table.
"The vineyards of Hungary are, however, chiefly in the hands of the peasantry, who pay but little attention to the manufacture of the wine. Dr. Bright describes most of them as possessing a small piece of land, but their peaceful labours are continually interrupted by the calls of their chieftains, and the claims of governments: - 'What little time remains, they bestow upon their vineyard, as upon a lottery; a blank is drawn, and the adventurer becomes a burdensome beggar, dependent on his lord;' or he not unfrequently seeks some monied man, usually a Jew, to whom, for a trifling advance, he pledges, by a verbal process, the wine of the coming year; but, of which he can yet form no calculation: he thus becomes involved more and more deeply, and, at length, is irretrievably ruined."
No poor musicians in Budapest
A character called Louis says in Grace S. Richmond's Red Pepper's Patients:"Many museecians in Hungary. Franz come from Budapest. No poor museecians dere. Budapest great ceety--better Vienna, Berlin, Leipsic--oh, yes!"
Movie rental in Corvin
You have to admit that the best video rental place in town is in the Corvin Cinema. Great selection and very knowledgable staff. They also have a branch on the second floor of the Puskin Cinema but without a great selection and definitely without knowledgable staff.Full cinemas in Budapest?
On Wednesday night we went to Corvin Cinema to watch The Constant Gardener. Although the movie came out a few weeks ago and it was already later in the evening, plus it was the middle of the week, tickets were sold out. We tried to switch to Munich but they only had seats in the second row. At the end we ended up renting a movie for that night.Why are all seats sold out in Corvin in the middle of the week? It is because on Wednesday tickets only cost 650 Ft there. This results in a crowd of students who refuse to pay the 1,200 Ft ticket prices at cinemas such Westend or Mammut.
Roosevelt's speech in the Hungarian Parliament
Theodore Rooselvet, African and European Addresses (1910)."In Budapest, under the dome of the beautiful House of Parliament, Count Apponyi, one of the great political leaders of modern Hungary, on behalf of the Hungarian delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union presented to Mr. Roosevelt an illuminated address in which was recorded the latter's achievements in behalf of human rights, human liberty, and international justice. Mr. Roosevelt in his reply showed an intimate familiarity with the Hungarian history such as, Count Apponyi afterwards said, he had never met in any other public man outside of Hungary."
Four great men of Hungary
"Hungary boasts four great men: Liszt, Munkacsy, Kossuth, and Jókai, who was the intimate friend of the other three." (Neltje Branchan, "Maurus Jokai - A Sketch," 1898).Hungarian Baths and resorts
From HUNGARIAN BATHS AND RESORTS BY H. TORNAI DE KÖVËR"In Hungary there are great quantities of unearthed riches, and not only in the form of gold. These riches are the mineral waters that abound in the country and have been the natural medicine of the people for many years. Water in itself was always worshiped by the Hungarians in the earliest ages, and they have found out through experience for which ailment the different waters may be used. There are numbers of small watering-places in the most primitive state, which are visited by the peasants from far and wide, more especially those that are good for rheumatism.
"Like all people that work much in the open, the Hungarian in old age feels the aching of his limbs. The Carpathians are full of such baths, some of them quite primitive; others are used more as summer resorts, where the well-to-do town people build their villas; others, again, like Tátra Füred, Tátra Lomnicz, Csorba, and many others, have every accommodation and are visited by people from all over Europe. In former times Germans and Poles were the chief visitors, but now people come from all parts to look at the wonderful ice-caves (where one can skate in the hottest summer), the waterfalls, and the great pine forests, and make walking, driving, and riding tours right up to the snow-capped mountains, preferring the comparative quiet of this Alpine district to that of Switzerland. Almost every place has some special mineral water, and among the greatest wonders of Hungary are the hot mud-baths of Pöstyén."
From Pesth to Budapest
From The New American Cyclopaedia from 1858:"Pesth (Pest in Hungarian), the commercial and literary capital of Hungary, and capital of the central county of the same name, situated on the left bank of the Danube, opposite Buda, 135 m. E.S.E. by railway from Vienna; pop. about 95,000. Together with Buda it is also known under the name of Buda-Pesth (Hungarian Budapest), both cities together constituting the administrative, and, according to the laws of 1848, also the legislative capital of the country. They are connected by a suspension bridge, one of the greatest works of the kind, commenced in 1840 under the direction of the English engineer Tierney Clark, and opened Jan 5, 1849, being first crossed by the retreating Hungarian revolutionary army under Görgey, and immediately after by the Austrian army under Windischgrütz, both accompanied by heavy trains of artillery and ammunition."
A lot of changes happened to Pesth over the past 150 years. First of all, it is called Budapest now, both in Hungarian and in English. The population is not 95,000 anymore but 2 million.
Then there are seven bridges across the Danube, not just one. The original "Suspension bridge" is now called "Chain bridge," or Lánchíd in Hungarian.
Today there are a lot more Austrians crossing the bridges than in 1849. After all, Hungary and Austria are all part of the EU, almost like being back in the same country.
2 February, 2006
Momotaro Chinese restaurant
The other day a Chinese friend invited us to a Chinese restaurant called Momotaro. It is behind Szabadság tér, a bit closer to the Danube.We have heard many good things about the place and were quite happy to go there. And our friends were right, the food was good generic Chinese food. The owner is Taiwanese but fortunately the dishes do not always reflect this. You can get delicious Northern Chinese dumplings and noodles and some spicy Mapo doufu too.
Prices were OK too, it is not a fancy place. It was not cheap but was reasonable.
In any case, Momotaro is one of the favorite Chinese restaurants in Budapest. There were 3 Japanese guests, a few Chinese and a couple of Hungarians, showing that this is not one of those fast food Chinese restaurants where a Chinese person would never eat.