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People from the UK found these things strange about Hungary
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Many countries, the North Sea, and an about 1,831 kilometres (shortest distance – by air travel) separate the United Kingdom and Hungary, so there is no surprise that their cultures, manners and habits differ.
I had two friends visit Hungary recently, one from England (O.) and the other from Scotland (K.), while both of them enjoyed their stay, there were things they found either strange or unusual. Before leaving, they both stated they were coming back, and one of them is even thinking about moving here!
So what was it that they found weird? Let’s take a look at their experience in Hungary.
Greetings
My Scottish friend was startled when we arrived in Hungary, and my mother greeted her with a hug and kisses on the cheek. After meeting everyone in the family – who had greeted her the same way – she told me that she was surprised and had not expected so much physical contact or such warm welcome, but she was very happy and was ready to be adopted by us.
When we met up with friends, it was the same, everyone hugged her and switched to English instantly, so she could understand everything we were talking about. She was very surprised to be involved so quickly and swiftly and also by everyone’s English skills.
Travel
While we mostly drove around in a car, when we took a stroll in the city and K. saw the messy groups of people waiting for the bus, she mentioned how weird that was. In the UK people tend to form a line and wait their turn, while in Hungary, there is no such thing. Here people will cut in front of others, and on busier buses fight for a chance to take a seat. When I told her this, she did not understand the point of cutting people off, when a line is much neater, and perhaps even quicker when getting on the bus.
Food
They were both fans of Hungarian cuisine, though K. found some dishes a bit too spicy for her liking. O.’s favourite was paprikás csirke; he says it is “the absolute best.” K. loved our pancakes, which some might call crepes, and tried all the possible toppings, from marmalade to walnuts to Nutella, and said she had to learn how to make them.