Everything you know if you’re from Hungary

As Hungarians studying in London there are obviously a few things such as the nightlife, cuisine and culture that aren’t the same. Here’s a list of just a few of them.

The tram 4-6

Móricz Zsigmond körtér, terminus of the tram 4-6

Everyone who’s ever been to Budapest has travelled on the tram 4-6 at least once in their lives. Not only it is a very good way of traveling around the city but an unforgettable experience too. As soon as it gets dark, people tend to get quite loose. I’ve seen somebody travel on the tram whilst doing a handstand and on another occasion, a guy on more than just alcohol, dancing to some music only he could hear.

No small talk

Compared to the British, Hungarians present much more of their emotions. Usually we express what we feel quite openly and that’s not considered rude. However, in Britain no one ever quite says what they mean. This makes it difficult to organise things such as events as people do not say what they really think.

When I first arrived in the UK I struggled to grasp the concept of small talk. When one asks a Hungarian “How are you?” The reply will very unlikely to be simply “Good”. Instead they will express how they feel and what they got up to recently. Many other Hungarians express their problem with the traditional British reply as it leads to no valuable information that can be used to start an interesting and lengthy conversation.

Lángos, Kolbász …and obviously paprika!

The Hungarian cuisine also appears to be miles ahead of the British one. I personally miss a lot of domestic favourites such as lángos, kolbász (Hungarian salami/sausage)  and the famous goulash. Many British people frown upon the fact that I eat fried fat with bread or pasta with walnuts and sugar. While these dishes may appear very obscure, they are certainly better than a lot of British dishes.

The thing I miss most about Hungary in terms of food is paprika. Having family members from Szeged, an area known for paprika production, I normally use it everyday. You can get cheese rich in paprika and most people cover their mashed potatoes and egg omelettes in it.

And the pálinka!

Finally, one of the most important thing I miss about Hungary is pálinka, a strong Hungarian spirit. You could try all the rum and vodka in the world, it will never come close to a shot of home-made pálinka!

Cheap night outs

Most pubs sell drinks for something like 500 forints, roughly £1.50. The thing that I probably miss the most are the nights where I could get a beer or cider for £3 and still being angry at myself for buying a drink for “so much” money…

Deák tér with all the best places within walking distance

Another great thing about going out in Budapest; Deák Ferenc tér. It’s the Number 1 meeting point of pretty much everybody for a reason; all the best clubs and bars are within 15 minutes of walk, and it has access to all sorts of public transport. But sometimes the best night outs are on the square itself; I’m sure that almost everybody had that night which ended up being sitting in big circle on the grass with your friends and talking about random stuff, and nobody wanted to go anywhere else, because sipping some cheap La Fiesta wine and chatting felt just about the best thing you could do.

Walking home on the Körút at dawn

The Körút at the Blaha Lujza tér, with the stop of the tram 4-6 on the right

Well… Thinking about the Körút makes me feel sort of very nostalgic. When you leave the club around 6 a.m., and you walk along the Körút with your mates, having those quite philosophical conversations; that’s when most of my true friendships were made. Also, I really miss having a good turkish or greek “gyroszos” (a restaurant where they serve gyros) at almost every corner: those places are the best if you want to avoid a hangover the next day.

The football

Ah yes…not even the Premier League can fill the vacuum in my heart left by going to the “tense” matches of the Mennyei Bajnokság- the nickname for the top flight of Hungarian football- with an average crowd of about 1500 people, and pitches of such quality that no Western European player would dare set foot upon them.

Whilst Britain may have massive rival matches between Man United and Man City, it never compares to the Örökrangadó-s, the matches between Hungary’s oldest clubs, MTK and Ferencváros. This is a really special experience, partly because it attracts such a big crowd, sometimes reaching even 12000 spectators. As far as football goes, that’s a lot.