an online writers' course and other things

The link is here.
I thought I'd give it a try.
More on that later on.
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Right now I am polishing a 10+ page scientific paper I have translated to English. Some of the most frequent words reveal my state of mind these days: farm regulation, inheritance law, turnover, material resources, measures. Had enough I guess. I, too :) - please tell me it's not 'me, too' here, right?

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About the photos:

They were made in Poland, where we had a nice performance with the choir.

(more photos may come on request)

Keep well,

SzF.

for our National Freedom Day

Hungarian patriots remember October 23, 1956 - and recall that some of those are still in power.

this compilation starts with the National Anthem and the radio message screaming for the 'free nations of the world' to help us out, to help get rid of the Russian invasion.

(no-one came and the Revolution was halted. in the forthcoming years the memory of this uplifting event was mucked by labelling 1956 a 'counter-revolution - something that is against the normal order)

then you are to hear Mindszenty's speach.

the female voice belongs to one of the fighters of '56. she says that the crime should not be forgotten. 'a crime is a crime a crime all right'.

some shocking original footage supplements the memorial.

we shall not forget you, heroes of 1956.

socializing event

in hungary you basically will never find those no-fence, lawn-frontyard, come-to-my-house setting that are so common in certain parts of the usa. we all have tend to have high, strong fences, where most of the fences are so formed that you just can't see through them.

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for an unexperienced foreigner this expressed need for safety may seem an unfriendly, a get-outta-my-place attitude.

i know that there is alienation, but not where i live :)
where i live and in many other communities, where the original hungarian hospitality is still alive, this is just the surface.

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i have already mentioned some of the activities (like plum jam, see the post below) we, the community that has formed in our street do together.

and now, i'm going to illustrate another event: a street party.

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there is a street just one street up from ours, where people do parties every year. this year it was the 8th gathering. they set up a large tent for stage performances , they bring tables with snack food on them, they make a large pot of goulash enough for at least 40-50 people. they gather in the evening and enjoy the performances. the night ends with dancing. it is usually rock and roll, or disco-whatever.

now this year, our community was invited to take part.

we rehearsed and came up with a performance that lasted about 20 minutes. we sang three folksongs - the one we chose were funny.

after that we improvised a short folk-tale, where there were three princesses (played by three of the little girls, one of them, the biggest was my daughter), an old king (played by one of the fathers) and a dragon (*coughs*). the story was highlighted by musical performances: traditional flutes and a doromb. (i don't know if that one has an english name at all...)

we needed three boys to make all ends meet, so we borrowed them from the audience. they enjoyed their role-playing. we received lots of applause and laughter.

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after our performance we stayed to watch others. there was a trio that played classical music on instruments, a play making fun of the story of Cindarella, and various singing activities.

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we arrived as one group and left as one, too.

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this is my husband and my daughter minutes before our performance has begun. you may want to click on the photo to see her hairdo better. this hairdo is quite common for folk dancers. dh is sporting a linen shirt with a straw hat. this combo is a traditional menswear in hungary.

this is us, our family, having some fun - my son is not dancing, for he was engaged in bicycling with his friends. no, i'm not having digestive problems :) - i think we were dancing the twist. my husband and my daughther were keen on dancing. i simply got tired :)
also pictured: the other two princesses, and the stage-tent in the background.

a Hungarian wedding

On May 16 we attended a wedding of a middle-aged baranta teacher. His pupils wore the red+white+black dress they use for trainings and shows. It was surely a sign of respect. Most of the people invited also showed up in one of their most traditional clothings. This is how we went from the meeting place to the church.

Inside the church.
Outside, the ceremony is over.

A herb garden that represents the area of Hungary.

Two scourges at a time. They both hit and crack!

Scourges were used not only to guide animals, but also as a source of exercise.

'I'm gonna show you baby that a woman can be tough'...

Two short sticks against one long stick. It is quite tricky to manage the long one, but you can slide it from one side to another, and surprise the attacker from a hit from an unexpected angle.

Two short sticks against one another. It is not unusual to fight in a lying position. Well, in an attack you just do what you must I guess ...

A curved Hungarian sword against a war-axe.

A pheasants could just as well use his scythe to fight with - the blade is dismounted from it's normal position so that a long object that resembles a sword is created.

A Chinadish is broken by the couple. The number of pieces are counted. If there are only a few pieces, say, 2-15 the guests chants something that means that the number of broken pieces represents the number of kids the couple is going to have together. If the china is broken into a 'hundred pieces' - the guests cry out that the couple is going to have quite a number of years together. Either way, it's a win-win situation...

An bowman on the horse, shooting fixed targets.

Paprika stew in in the making.

A cereal meat (spiced up with herbs and some veggies) is being prepared for the vegetarian guests.

Meat being prepared for serving. Note the traditional hat worn by one of the cooks.

The showman (?) delivers and presents the courses of the dinner with a small set of funny poems. The bride and the groom are now sitting at the main table (not seen in the photo).

A traditional meat-soup to start with:

My husband and our daughter having a helping from the second dish. It was a paprika stew made from sheep.

An apple pie, served at the end of the meal.

our house

Renovation and buidling of our house have been going on nicely and efficiently these weeks.

In the last two weeks of November, a new tiled oven was built and almost all the walls of the new section of the house were plastered from the inside. Due to the new oven and the chimney now we have heating there, which means no more 6 degrees centigrade in the bathroom anymore in the winter.

Here are some photos I share to illustrate how things are going on these times over here. Questions are welcomed.

Photo #1.

These are the foundations of the new oven. The hole in the wall that looks like a door is not a door. That is a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom so that the new stove can heat both rooms. The man squatting in the left corner built the oven for us. We had some hard time to decide upon who would be the builder, but upon having met this particular man, we decided for him. Not only was he a great technician, he was a great person, too.

Photo #2.

The oven is built level by level. The round hole in the right side will serve as a removeable hole for cleaning.

Photo #3.

Now three levels are ready. The lower rectangular holes are where the ash can be cleaned out, once the oven is in use, the upper ones are doors to the actual fireplaces. Our oven is a complicated one, this is how we wanted it and this is why we kept on searching for a suitable man to make it.

Photo #4.

My husband and a friend plastering the inner walls of our bathroom. Yep, it's a messy job. No, we don't have a spare bathroom, neither a separate toilet - this is and average house of an average family in Hungary.

Photo #5.

This photo was made from the bathroom. The oven is nearly ready, with only a few levels of tiles. The grey thing within the stove is a built-in iron box for baking. I told you it was complicated. The door in the upper right corner of the photo is the main entrance to our house.

Photo #6.

Same phase of building, opposite angle. Note the iron door to the iron box. Note how small the hole that leads to the bathroom now is, as compared to photo #1.

Photo #7.
The end product, our mighty stove. Admire.
I hope you liked this guided tour... :)

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in other news, I feel the strong urge to return to the blogosphere again. Just today I resigned from an important (imaginary) post in the online MMRPG that took me in a few months ago. More about that, perhaps, later. Or never. Whatever. It's great to be here again.

update with photos

We've returned from this event almost a month ago - but I've been absent from the blogosphere. Now I'm catching up: visiting your blogs, trying to recollect my thoughts, gathering my old self; where there is a new one, too.

It shall be a peaceful merge, I know.

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Last weekend we had our 20th High School Reunion Evening. This is an event when former classmates meet and inform each other about their fate since highschool years. This time the evening went well beyond a shallow informative meeting. Those who cared to visit the bittersweet rejoice, had a great time together.

We refreshed some of the old events, but we also peeked into each other's present-day soul.

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The photos below were made during the Kurultaj (see the post right below):

There were vendors allowed in the area. This is a picture of a cake made especially for the occassion.

There were horsemen of various kinds. These are short-legged smaller horses. Neither saddles, nor any other instruments are used.

Yurts under the mighty August sky.

photos about Kurultaj

For a while my computer played a game of not beng able to display any of my August photos. It seems that some of those are lost forever. But since ALL my Kurultaj photos are still on my camera, I re-loaded them to my PC.

Above is one of those.

It depicts my son, aged 12, playing with a paper aeroplane he made.

This photo sums up what effect the event had on us.

For it was natural, easy-going, made-by-us, and most of all, uplifting.

See his feet, some inches off the ground?

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to be continued...

Pictures from the 'puszta'

Some places, if not all, have their special atmosphere you either like or dislike.

I tell you my experience in this field.

Back in 1991, I was fascinated by the majesty of the Black Pine Forest. I found it almost mystical. It definitely had a draw on me. I spent 2 or 3 days there, and the charm was gone. A menacing presence took over. I felt I had to leave, just had to leave or I might get hurt by some unseen harm. To this very day, I can still recall the shiver (and ...was it fear?) I felt.

It's not that I dislike forests, not at all - it's just that that type of forest was not welcoming and friendly. At least, not for me.

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And now, about another site that is quite a sight: Hungary, the present-day, amputated area of Hungary is famous for its lowlands. The middle region of the Carpathian basin consists of flat areas, where the soil ranges from salty clay to loose sand, with various types of flowers and insects. This is called the 'puszta' (pooh-s-t-uh).

The one we visited last weekend is called Kunság (koo-n-sh-uh-gh; meaning home of the Kuns). The Kuns are a long forgotten nation that had an enourmous influence on the agriculture, folk art and genetics of the Carpathian basin.

This was the second time I spent some time and slept in the puszta.

Vast meadowlands are hardly, if ever, interrupted by farm houses here and there. This one below used to be a shed for sheep I guess.

The canal was suitable for a quick dip, but not much for a swimming, due to the high number of water-dwelling plants. The bed of the canal was a feet-welcoming clay.

The flowers of the puszta are not unlike to those found in and among rocks. The soil is salty and the availability of nutritive materials is low.



I find the 'puszta' friendly and welcoming. I can well imagine myself living in a farmhouse, taking care of sheep or cattle, collecting hay for the winter, managing poultry and collecting herbs. The movement of the eye is free, there's no obstacle of whatsoever to the wondering mind either. One feels safe and home.

A nomad weekend

This weekend our family will be away to help others to organize the conditions and build the location of a grand event that will be held on 8-10 August.

Said event is called Kurultaj, (kooh-roohl-thai; the final combination 'a+j' sounds like 'i', as in 'I', first person).

I will report about this preparation-weekend later on.

It is a very important historical event for our nation, where lots of Hungarians, or relatives of Hungarians will meet each other to maintain the relationship.

I am very sorry, but the link I referred to takes you to a Hungarian page. There's no English version available, but with the help of the photos, you get the idea anyway.

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In the meantime, you might also look back and throw a guess at the Guess the Movie Part One. So far, not many guesses have arrived. I thought the film I wrote about was easier to guess...

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Pork with sauerkraut

While other people have fun partying, I'm providing you with a recipe to one of the most popular dishes in Hungary. I'm doing it partly because I, although might look the opposite, like to party as well, so basically my mind is occupied by just listening to the sizzling OUT THERE.

Update: I have entered Jason's contest with a 249-word piece. According to rules, I can only post it here as soon as it is up over there.

So, to celebrate all that buzz that's going around I thought I'd give a hearty, though virtual meal to all those meat-lovers out there.

This is called toroskáposzta (toh-rosh-kah-pos-tah) where 'toros' refers to this meal being prepared during the slaughter of a house-reared pig, while 'káposzta' simply means 'cabbage'.

In proper households this meal is made with home made sauerkraut, while those who have no sense make it with sweet cabbage. But the results are nowhere similar. This has to be done with sauerkraut. Period.

Ingredients for 6 person:

1 kg of pork, possibly organic, diced

3 large onions, diced

3 Tbsp red pepper powder, also known as paprika

1 kg sauerkraut (depending on the acidity some let said mighty substance soak in water prior to use. Well, there are more decent cooks than those who allow such horrible actions to take place. A well-made sauerkraut is pleasant to taste, not overly sour, and thus it should not be allowed to bear the sufferings of being soaked and drained and such.)

a LARGE pot

4-5 Tbsp oil

100g plain bacon, diced

Beware: salt is NOT needed

Perhaps you have already noticed how simple this thing is : The weight of cabbage equals that of the meat, while onion is about one-third of this amount.

Here's how to prepare this goodness:

Step 1. sauté onion and bacon on oil
And this is how it should look when it's ready for the next step:

Step 2. Add the red paprika powder and be careful to keep stirring it - burnt paprika becomes bitter in a bad way. Do not spoil your lunch. This is the toughest part. If in doubts, the best you can do is not to do Step 2 longer than a few seconds, but this step is the shortest one anyway. It shouldn't take more than a minute.

Step 3. Add meat and keep stirring. When the meat has changed it's color, proceed to Step 4.
Step 4. Add sauerkraut. Stir in and make a thorough mix. Since cabbage will release some of it's own liquid, you may not need to add water. But you do have to watch and be careful so as not to burn it. Yes, you may add some water every now and then. Depending on the size of meat-cubes and the age of swine, the acidity of cabbage, cooking will take 1-1,5 hours.
Step 5. You know it's ready when the meat cubes are soft, and the red color of the paprika has worn off a bit.
Step 6. Serve with bread. People who serve it with anything else than bread are bordering blasphemy. Don't ever trust them. Toroskáposzta should come with bread.

Pictured here with my own, hand made bread. But it is just as fine with white bread one gets in shops.

Step 7 (Optional). Have another helping.

Step 8. Since sauerkraut if well made contains helpful bacteria, you can safely keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days. Which means you can still have this fine thing on a second day. Also, you can put it in a deep freezer. A very reasonable option!