10 things Americans find bizarre about Hungary
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Many things surprise Americans when they arrive in Europe. We present you a list of the most common moments that shocked or freaked out those living in the United States when they first came to Hungary.
Every country is unique and special in its own way, even inside the European Union. If you have ever travelled outside of your homeland, you know what we are talking about. But if you leave the continent and fly to another one thousands of kilometres away, you will indeed be surprised by everything you find there. Let it be people, architecture, food, or music.
It is safe to say that Europeans know quite a lot about the United States thanks to countless films and series. Americans, on the other hand, do not have that many options when it comes to sneaking a peek into the lives of those across the Ocean. Especially when the country in the talk is Hungary. So today, we bring you a list inspired by kueez.com, containing some exciting moments Americans lived when they visited this small Central European country.
An American’s view on living in Hungary vs living in the U.S.
It’s so small
The standard of living is not that different to that of the USA’s states. But one thing, for sure, is quite apparent at the first look: sizes. For Americans, everything in Hungary is just incredibly small. The cars, the houses, the big cities, the distances inside the cities. Even the food and drink portions you get at a restaurant look tiny as opposed to everything you see in the United States.
Partying
Having a party in Hungary is very different from those huge house parties you see in American films. Hungarians do not do that, which is primarily due to the fact that our houses here, as mentioned earlier, are significantly smaller. The youngsters in Hungary instead go out to a bar, a pub, or a ruin bar. The latter would feel cosy to Americans, as Szimpla in Budapest, for instance, is quite spacious. Younger generations prefer to meet up somewhere outside, at a playground, let’s say. Though not necessarily for drinking. This leads to our next point.
Drinking
Even though young Hungarians do not drink – except for some occasional obligatory pálinka at family events – they could do so at a younger age. The drinking age of 18 years old is not a unique feature of Hungary; it is the legal age in most European countries. Contrary to the 21 years of the USA.
No artificial flavouring!
Well, this is not entirely true. Europe and Hungary, too, use a ton of different flavourings in all sorts of products, but we definitely use less than Americans. And they tend to be natural flavourings. American citizens are shocked when they buy a can of Fanta, for example, and do not get that awaited taste. That is because Coca-Cola uses a different recipe in Europe that includes the actual juice of fruits.
You missed Saturday although shops are open Hungarians dont really like to go shopping on a Saturday afternoons.
Next I would say a pig killing experience with a family would also turn heads not only for Americans but the rest of western Europe it is indeed a tradition but fewer and fewer families do this nowadays. But they use all parts of the pig and make sausages, bacon, blood pudding from the animal and traditionaly the sausages of which there would be a couple of types would last the family through the winter months.
It sounds like the author of the article has gotten no clue regarding how it works in the “Land of the big PX”.
“sizes” exactly. We’re not a fat .
I do not understand why some people must criticize the author of an article just because they do not like the content of the article. Go ahead, Palma, we love your writing style.
As an American who lived in Budapest, it was a lovely experience. However, in some places the portions were quite big as they are in the states. Also Hungarian street food is almost all fried items. Y’all beat us with yummy fried food not just food that are grease balls. The coffee/cafe culture is pretty awesome and the appreciation for food. Also the homemade food was heavenly, I learned how to cook better when living in HU. Socially it was very nice too, I like how ‘most’ folks (or at least in Budapest) do not fat shame you at the baths (unlike some places in Europe) very laid back until people cut lines; which is the same for me. Lastly I really liked how direct most Hungarians are, to some folks they can be cold (for good reason I think given their history) but once you ask about them Hungarians can be very warm. Lovely overall as long as you do not talk about the politics 😉