So Lyla and I went for a walk in our Zuglo, purportedly to get exercise. I, of course, had ulterior motives and eventually led us to a pub. Sitting outside in the relatively chilly evening, we chatted away, and the conversation eventually led to expat life, and the things we miss about America.
"We should totally co-author a blog on this!" I near shouted in the bar, as the regulars gaped at the fact that Americans were out drinking in Zuglo.
So, here is a list. Keep in mind, folks, that this is things we miss, not people. It is not exhaustive, and it includes some whimsical things that we don't actually miss that much. Still. Enjoy.
*American supermarkets. It's not that they don't have supermarkets here. It's the selection. You've all read about the no-lettuce months. Seriously.
*On that note, beloved and easily-accesible foods in America that we cannot freaking find in this country include: edamame, wonton wrappers, udon noodles, frozen potstickers (or potstickers of any kind), generally decent Asian food, inexpensive tasty and omnipresent Italian, canned soup, pre-made pizza dough, fish that isn't breaded or carp, whole-grain bread, ranch dressing, caesar dressing, sushi (yes, it exists, but everyone says it sucks), teriyaki, delis, sandwiches that don't have butter on them, diet coke (coke light is NOT the same), dunkin donuts iced coffee (Lyla chimes: iced coffee, really), nachos (omg el favorito), romaine lettuce, tater tots, bagels, Lyla misses cherry tomatoes but not sushi (yes, we did just bicker about the inclusion of that), dill pickles (but pickles abound), cheese variety (R.I.P., sajt haz).
*Television. In English. Specifically, the food network.
*Lyla's Netflix and DVR.
*a wall separating our beds (so soon!)
*my car
*juice that is actually juice
*decent service in restaurants (bar service is actually ok here)
*other people wearing sandals, without stockings
*not having to travel almost an hour to see blockbusters in English
*elevators, clothes dryers, and airconditioning... f*** the environment, man
*organization. My school is still not entirely sure on what date the next school year will start.
*appliances that are younger than I am
*stoves that operate based on temperature, not some mystical and nebulous "gas mark"
*magazines
*relatively affordable cocktails
On the flip of the coin, things that we really appreciate about Hungary that don't really exist in America.
* Intra- and inter-city public transit
*cheap wine and beer
*doner kebabs and humus bars
*47 varieties of sour cream!
*powdered soup that is surprisingly tasty
*wine drinks, socially acceptable wine drinks. For men, too!
*cheese rolls, pogacsa, and ruccolina
*19 or so different ways to say hello
*seasonal, local vegetables... heart the environment, man
*insanely specialized little mom-and-pop stores
*porta nenis (sweet middle-aged women who open the doors and take care of ill children at schools)
*Delicious Hungarian food: galuska and sheep cheese, paprikas csirke, toltott kaposzta, rantott csirke, rakott krumpli, "frying cheese," porkolt (omg porkolt), sausages, crusty bread (with no nutritional value), the use of prunes in cuisine, easily accessible and cheap duck, delicious tomatoes, 9 varieties of sprouts available year-round, mild white cheeses, hotdogs, langos, sour cream, did I say sour cream? and bacon?
*phonetic spelling
*hugging children
*creativity of swearing. Really, just a lot of creativity of swearing.
4 comments:
Hi Lauren, how are you doing?
I didn't even understand the beginning of your list, but with Asian food, try real restaurants instead of quick eateries. Many Chinese agree that the best Chinese restaurant in Budapest is the Taiwan at Nagyvárad tér, many others will also say Xin Lanzhou in Buda, Fő utca (but it seems to be closed and moving to another place at the moment, see www.lanzhou.hu), and the Hong Kong Restaurant on Béke street should also be mentioned, which is probably also the cheapest. There are also at least 3 Vietnamese restaurants, of which Vietnamese seem to prefer Édenkert, but the less shiny Hanoi in Zugló also serves great food, though their kitchen is not very clean. You can also find authentic Chinese and Vietnamese fast food at the stalls of Four Tigers Market in Józsefváros, where you can also buy ingredients if you want to cook yourself. There is a specialist store there selling stuff for the Vietnamese, and another one across the street for the Chinese, where you can probably also find wonton wrappers. If you don't know the way, I will be happy to guide you there, send an email to laopan80@gmail.com
Hope I helped, have fun!
Wine drinks are never socially acceptable for men anywhere on this green earth.
Laopan made me hungry for Asian food!
Love you and see you soon! xoxo Dad
See you soon1 Love, MOM xo0o0x
Lauren, to add to laopan's list, try Morotomo for Chinese food in the 5th district. It is cheap and delicious. There's also a Lanzhou in the 8th district that is very, very good and different from usual Chinese restaurants. The flavors are explosive.
Supermarkets SUCK, but the market halls are fantastic. Lots of people like Lehel, but I like the main market (the one at the end of Vaci). It has everything and better yet --- go downstairs to a store called Azsia. It has everything your expat and ethnic-food loving heart desires, except canned soup. Seriously amazing selection of Asian, Mexican, and Italian ingredients. There's also a fish counter downstairs toward the back that has real seafish, not disgusting Hungarian carp. For canned soup, go to one of the three shops of Culinaris (but expect to pay through the nose for it).
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