How to Annoy a Hungarian by
Erika M Szabo
Although I'm a long time American, I was born and raised in Hungary. Most Americans never heard of Hungary, or if they did, they think it's somewhere next to China.
Because my fiction stories either play out in Hungary or include historical bits, people often ask me about the country and its customs.
A reader who enjoyed my Ancestors' Secrets novel series asked me recently, "How do you piss off a Hungarian?" So, I thought, I'll answer her question in a blog post.
Never ask a Hungarian:
"Oh, Hungary is one of them tiny Asian countries, right?"
Nope, Hungary is located in Central Europe.
Used to be a large country before Trianon
"I made Hungarian goulash for you." and serve me this dish:
A Hungarian would say, "I'm not going to eat that slop!"
The Hungarian gulyas is a hearty, rich soup made of beef or pork with vegetables, spices, and of course, plenty of paprika and served with a dollop of sour cream.
The capital of Hungary is Budapest
Don't tell a cheesy joke such as, "Are you a hungry Hungarian?"
Nope, Hungarians are not starving. As a matter of fact, tourists say they had the best meals in Hungary when they visited numerous European countries.
Though the same colors, this is the Hungarian flag
And this is the Italian flag
Hungarians never smile and they always look unhappy
This is a world-wide myth about Hungarians. Hungarians do smile, when they have something to smile about, and they laugh when something tickles their funny bone. But we don't cackle just to fill the silence or smile when it's not called for. Smiles and laughs have purpose
I would love to go to Hungary for a vacation, but there are no beaches there.
If you say that, you don't know Hungary at all because you don't know that Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe with beautiful beaches. It's close to 600 square kilometers.
Moreover, thanks to an abundance of natural, medicinal hot springs, Hungary can boast around 450 public spas and bathhouses.
I heard this too, "I can't even find a Synagogue there."
Budapest has the second largest synagogue in the world. Seating 3,000, the Dohany Street Synagogue is the largest in Europe and part of the Budapest Unesco World Heritage Site.
Some interesting things about Hungarians:
Hollywood would not be Hollywood without Hungarians
Paramount Pictures founder Adolf Zukor, Vilmos Fried - more commonly known as William Fox - and Casablanca director Michael Curtiz (formerly Mano Kaminer) all Hungarians.
Budapest has continental Europe’s oldest metro
Beginning operations in 1896, it is also the second oldest electrically operated underground railway in the world, predated only by the London Underground.
It is considered rude to clink your beer glasses with a Hungarian
Legend has it that when the 1848 Hungarian revolution against the Habsburgs was defeated, 13 Hungarian generals were executed while the Austrians clinked their beer glasses after each execution. As a result, Hungarians vowed not to clink their beer glasses for 150 years - and while the time has passed, the custom remains.
The significance of the number 96
The crowning of Arpad as first king of the Magyars (Hungarian people) marked the beginning of the Hungarian state in 896. Budapest’s metro was built on the country’s millennial anniversary in 1896. By law, buildings in Budapest must not exceed 96 feet, and the Hungarian national anthem should be sung in 96 seconds - if done at the proper tempo.
Erika M Szabo
http://www.authorerikamszabo.com
My novels that are based on Hungarian history or play out in Hungary
My novels that are based on Hungarian history or play out in Hungary
Ilona resigns to live the simple life of a small-town doctor, but her life goes into a tailspin on her birthday. She finds out she was born into a secretive, ancient clan still hidden among us. She starts to develop unusual powers which she finds exciting as well as frightening. She can slow time and heal with her touch, but how and why?
She struggles to find answers, but those who try to reveal the clan secrets are severely punished.
A menacing man is following her and wants to kill her. Who is he?
More life struggles continue to plague her. After being thrust into a world of clan mysteries, obscure traditions, and beliefs, her life is drastically changing.
She must seek out and stop Mora’s evil plan. Punished by the ancestors long ago, Mora has waited centuries for the chance to reunite with her beloved Joland and to gain power over the Hunor clan. Revenge has kept her alive for over 1600 years.
Ilona must search for the mysterious Destiny Box that holds a message from her Ancestors while she attempts to sort out her feelings for the men in her life.
Jayden and his archeology group find the burial site of a Medicine Woman from the 5th century. Strangely, Jayden also finds a crude leather book in his grandmother's secret room that was written in 426 by a Shaman.
His sister, Sofia, decodes the ancient runes, and they learn that a powerful curse cast sixteen hundred years ago destroyed the lives of their ancestors for centuries. If it remains unbroken, the curse will ruin the lives of future generations as well.
Dark memories of their childhood start to surface, and they’re stunned to realize the similarities between the tragedy of the family described in the Shaman’s book and theirs, sixteen hundred years later. They’re stunned by the conclusion that Jayden is in danger due to a family curse.
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