Hungarians on holiday, it’s a beautiful thing.
Just as typical ‘Brits Abroad’ can be spotted a mile away, what with our dodgy teeth, yearning for an English breakfast no matter what the country, ‘British Bulldog’ leg tattoos and general loutish behaviour (and that’s just the women); there are some stereotypical tell-tale signs that can instantly give away our Magyar counterparts too.
For a bit of light hearted fun why not check out the following five observations and see if you can recognise anyone you know (oh but please first bear in mind this is just a bit of tongue in cheek silliness that’s absolutely not meant to offend anyone; either Anglo or Magyar - we honestly love you both!).
Got it? Okay then lets start.
1 Hungarians know all about the pleasure/pain principle.
The typical Magyar male will almost certainly not have prepared for his annual holiday hike around the hills or 100km a day cycle ride, which will inevitably form part of his holiday ‘program’.
Instead, there appears to be some form of pleasure he derives from pushing himself to perform impossible physical feats far above his ability during the one week in the year when the temperature is unbearably dry, hot and dehydrating.
But fear not, the proud Hungarian male will not shirk at any challenge you put in front of him, and no matter what will most likely wear any holiday injury he incurs like a badge of honour.
2 Hungarians are what they eat.
They say you are what you eat, and this is very true for your average Hungarian. They only tend to ever eat what might best be described as typical Hungarian grub; therefore they cannot be anything but Hungarian. In most tourist areas outside of Budapest the only cuisine on offer is traditional Hungarian food which in a way is a really good thing, no chance of any cultural appropriation or dilution happening here!
The average Hungarian cannot roam far without stocking up on a hearty home-made meat stew (heavy on the paprika) anyway.
Most Hungarians like to home cook even when on holiday. And don’t worry if you have run out of peppers or tomatoes for the lecsó (Hungarian pepper and tomato stew); in some holiday resorts you will even find a vending machine with lecsó ingredients (and Túró Rudi for the kids of course).
3 Hungarians are family friendly.
Hungary is an extremely family friendly place, and that’s why when Hungarians go on holiday, their entire family are guaranteed to go with them too.
Family is family, and the ‘unit’ is usually very strong and all embracing, unless you are a dog of course. Having said that, for some reason small dogs can be classed as ‘pets’, whereas the big hairy growling objects which can be found outside in gardens that bark all day and night are, to some, apparently not!
Another thing I have noticed is that when on holiday the women seem to spend an inordinate amount of time exclusively looking after and focusing all their energies on their children, which I suppose allows for the men folk to over exert themselves physically on their holiday pursuits of cycling, hiking, or eating and drinking. Or maybe all four…
4 Hungarians know how to dress for the summer!
Bum bags are indispensable holiday attire for any red blooded Hungarian male, along with quarter length denim shorts. With this ensemble you can add a football T-shirt or go without (males only). During the summer months it is also ‘de rigueur’ for older men with big stomachs to roll up their vests over their bellies for all to see, and sport ill-fitting budgie smugglers. You have been warned!
There is also a proclivity to wearing socks with sandals. With this information to hand, there is no reason why a ‘Hungarian on Holiday’ should ever go undetected.
5 Hungarians embrace living simply.
Once a Hungarian has found a place they love to visit, they don’t tend to deviate much. They will continue to return year in year out to the same place, or at least not venture too far outside of their comfort zone where other forms of cuisine, culture, or life as we know it may exist.
There is nothing wrong with this of course, after all once you have found something you like, if it works for you – then why not stick with it.
The great thing about most Hungarians is that they like to live simply. You don’t have to provide a 4 star hotel or fancy silk bed linen and puffed up pillows to impress these guys. Just good wholesome food, cold beer, and a good hiking trail or fishing lake…and you are away.
But a word of warning. If you do happen to meet a Hungarian on holiday and they offer you a ‘kicsi házi pálinka' just make sure you don’t have any plans for the rest of the day!
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