If you don't want to read the whole article, just go to the end of the thread and tell us: What do you like about Hungary?


Homeland - do you love it?

This was the title of the recent exhibition of the yearly poster advertisement competition organised by ARC.

(Read article here)

As usual most of the posters were funny or ironic or sarcastic highlighting pertinent problems or making the Hungarian stereotype a laughing stock or just generally taking the mickey out of Hungary. We laughed while our hearts were crying; we raised our eyebrows disapprovingly and let the messages pass with resignation; we were in high spirits with our gallows humour perched at the top.


Alohawillkommen - Baráth Katalin


On the road - Papp János

(more photos here)

However, this year's title has incited certain participants to give up the usual mocking style (which I thoroughly enjoy ) and to come up with something more positive about Hungary. There was one poster which totally captured me. No images, no colours, just a list of small quotations. First I didn't even want to read it - too long, too dry for my taste. Then I found I just couldn't take my eyes off the dense lines, I just stood there nailed to the ground gobbling up the letters with an increasing appetite. I wasn't the only one to be captured by the spirit of this minimalist style poster - the "Colorhungary" of Tibor Géber won the public award. The excerpts on the poster were taken from a chat room in response the following question.

What I like about Hungary?


Colorhungary - Géber Tibor

Here is what it says:

What do I love about Hungary??
McLoad: The Alföld (the plains), [induri], decent people / induri: the rare birds, the animals, the people, the Alföld, the mountains / Ai_: 'cause the people are so nice / d1ased: that there are questions like this / Dindi: because its good, and why go abroad when I don't even know my homeland yet / sza: 'cause you live between four walls and your work. 'cause I like Dindi ) / zolo: that I am Hungarian / quo_vadis: it's not good to live here compering it with better countries but it's good to live here when comparing it with worst countries. / celso: that it's so original / loler: that the weather is nice / sanyesz_anyu: we can be proud of our history our culture / _original: what is good here?? a certain island festival, and the Volt too... and I like the Hungarian Kispál és a Borz and the Emil.rulez (both are bands), I love mom and dad, Vámos Miklós, Karafiáth Orsolya / orsi: Hungarian wine are good! the capital is nice! good climate! Hungarian women are beautiful! and that we have a Balaton / _original: myself / olgi.Z: I like Hungarian litterature / éndzsöl: friends and friendly people, I don't like negative attitude... / Zeal_: because it's beautiful / <Cyber>: music, food, drinks, sleeping, sunshine, trees, flowers, hills, valleys, plains , gorgeous women / Picur_: granny's garden, the mountains / <kov>: me, I like the high income tax incorporated into the price of the petrol, thanks to which we have all those good roads in our homeland / LuKit: what is good, is that women are good and the wines of Badacsony / kukac: I live in the country, I like the environment / _k1//3r_: chicks are pretty, and the landscape too, and Paks didn't explode either / kucksi: basically this place is good / DeMonNLaDY: what is good? well, I like the mountains, that we have lots of beautiful places, and I like that we have hypermarkets, the Hegyalja festival is also good, the opera festival too / Szucsi: I like that we are good at many sports except for football, I like that our climate is such that we have both snow and 40 degrees, I like our language and that its so hard and foreigners have difficulties learning it. I like that lately we are having a lot of world famous sport events in Hungary. I love it because sometimes when it's needed people can be solidary and stick together / tsirke: the guy who says "if you ask me" is good. if you ask me / Imrod: I think Hungary isn't about all this, it's a feeling that can only be understood by the inlanders /

So now to all of you: What do you like about Hungary?

@lice

I love driving on the embankment of the Danube on the Pest side of Budapest at night when all the monuments of Buda are illuminated.

Sophie

I like Hungary, because a lot of people like me, one even loves me

I like Hungary, because it is intereseting. Wherever you go, you can find something interesting or special there. Buildings, people, history, cuisine.

Hungarian cuisine is not just hot, full of pepper and paprika food. Every region of the country has something special for food. The plains, the eastern-parts have the good-old goulash. Everybody knows what it is.
But do you know what kind of food is called "lecsó". Cooking lecsó is like a religion with different faction. With eggs, without eggs, with salami, with potato, with cucumber, anything. "My lecsó is better than yours so I don't want to eat your kind of lecsó".
Because receipt of lecsó starts with this:
get tomato and paprika and some oil, next step check the fridge and the store for additional components, grab what you like. Avoid the most obivious mistakes like chocolate, and sweet things. You can't make a too big mistake. Simmer all together, and the lecso is ready. Fast, tasty, satisfiing.

So I like lecsó too.

I usually get a liking for things I get used to -- and I definitely got used to Hungary in the past decades I love the Alfold area, where half of my family stems from (yes, Petofi was right about the "tengersik videk"), the historic town of Eger, where I was born, and the hills and plateau of the Bukk in the neighbourhood, and of course Budapest, this capital of ours, where I've been living for most of the time...
Surely Budapest is the first place to see for the regular tourist (except one's interested in a particular area like wine ). Achitecture is really beautiful (even if parts are in apalling conditions -- what could it be!), city views are uniqe (at least for me ). Take a stroll on the Dunakorzo while the sun is setting behind the hills of Buda, and you'll see what I mean.
If you'd like to make it a little rough, there are plenty of pleasant hiking routes throughout the country. You can come upon marks, leavings and parts of Hungary's rich history (which I am of course fond of ) every here and there. Taste the wines, and consider yourself how they rank amongst the world's other regions. Don't miss Hungarian food. And, erm, TJ, you forgot to mention onion, HEART of lecso, in your receipt! Recantate, or you'll be considered a heretic!

G

I love trabants!

I like living in Budapest, it is a beautiful city. I like to sail on the lake Balaton.

The yearly Arc exhibition

I love Budapest, every corner of it means something to me, my family, my friends, my whole life.

Luca

What about Keleti station at midnight? Do you love that? Very much like what Kings Cross in London used to be like.


But i am quite partial to the Castle district. Many fine sights an, an abundance of leather jerkins can be purchased not to say many a merkin.
What is it with the Russian doll thing though?

What Russion doll thing? Am I missing something here?

I like to have a nice walk on the Vár, i like to see the Danube river....I like the Art Noveau buildings all over Pest, I like the Art's &Crafts museum, I like to sit in a tram and drive all over the Nagy körút, I like the lights on the bridges by night, I like the smell of the fertile hungarian land when I cross the border...the fields of sunflowers, those friendly, polite people who speak that beautiful language, baroque churches, small villages and craftsmen who still do the hand-made souvenirs made of leather and wood....I don't know if there's anything I don't like about Hunfgary and Budapest?

I have now spent over one year here in Budapest. Hmm... I like weather, food, Hubertus, public transportation, my job, my girlfriend...

I don't miss Finland too much. And I am anyways going to spend my 3 weeks summer holiday there

Keep at it!

You are all maiking me so miserable here in wintry South Africa and more determined to visit this wonderful country!

You have all mad me very sad and mostly jealous, I wish I could be there as well to see all the lovely sights again.My parents just landed at Ferihedj at 6:30 pm.Hopefully one day Iwill return!!!