Saturday, March 28, 2015

Journey into Mystery: Pálinka Sunrise and Hungarian Grumpiness



Journey into Mystery: Pálinka Sunrise and Hungarian Grumpiness
By Adam Kling
            If there are truly typical features to be discovered in our culture, then without exaggeration, the best approach to gather detailed ethnographic data on Hungarians is to travel with them for longer distances. A nation’s behaviour during a longer journey or every day commuting can reveal many interesting facts about their cultural background and especially their attitude. Interestingly, it is crucial to our ethnographic research to distinguish Hungarian city-dwellers from those Hungarian people who were born and raised on the countryside.
            First of all, it is of great significance to state that city-dwellers of our country are in general the “grumpier” ones and tend to be more hostile. In my opinion, life in the city can turn even friendly villagers into impatient, grumpy and rude people. Looking at the daily commuter it is no wonder that everyone becomes ignorant or impolite towards the others. The crowd especially in the morning hours on the tram, metro or bus can easily make people uncomfortable and extremely nervous, and if we add Monday and the usual Hungarian pessimism to the mix, then we get a clear view on the grey weekdays a city-dweller has to suffer through.
However, the working class villagers are only a little different in this respect. According to my observations, the biggest distinction we can make is between the senior members of our society. Elderly city-dwellers are exceptionally rude while travelling; whether this happens on the tram or on one of the metro lines it does not really matter. The grumpiness is especially strong with them and they react in a remarkably strange manner towards politeness. They are offended if a seat is offered to them, but also if they cannot sit down for any reason. You are not really able to figure out what is best for them and of course this leads to becoming rude and impolite just like them.
Therefore, it is rather easier to be a Hungarian in the countryside or even in the suburbs. It seems as if life was more relaxed, mostly because while you are travelling you encounter less of the impoliteness and pessimism. I believe train journeys are best for ethnographers who want to take notes on both city-dwellers and people from other parts of the country. It is an interesting gathering of various Hungarian communities. If everything goes as planned, meaning that there are no delays, then a journey like this can serve as a brilliant opportunity for research.
Undoubtedly, the most amusing and compelling people one can encounter while travelling by train in this country are the workers of the Hungarian train company known as MÁV. Every time I go home I witness the wit and creativity of this part of the working class. While sitting in the last wagon I always witness how the workers of the company spend their free time before they finally leave the train after a long shift. Card games where all of them offer a small amount of money to play with are a must. Their most common topics always revolve around problems with the “unfair” MÁV, family affairs, and most importantly alcohol, preferably (making and especially consuming) pálinka. Those conversations are rich in all kinds of data, whether you want to know more information about changes in travelling by train or the making of fine wine or the Hungarian trademark pálinka.
            Finally, one might ask: what kind of conclusion can be drawn from this ethnographic tale? The answer is: you can only understand what it means to be a Hungarian if you travel to the countryside, most preferably by train, and see for yourself.

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