Ice cream!

(June 21)

I.:

Ice Cream --- the word is fagylalt, but many people just called it fagyi (pronounced-sort of- fawdgie). It is a BIG deal here... there are stands on most major streets and many restaurants have windows open to the street to sell it to passers-by. The consistency is more like gelato than american ice cream and the flavors are certainly different... chocolate and vanilla, yes, but also walnut, tiramisu, poppy seed (I haven't tried that one yet, but I am curious) and many fruit flavors including Puncs (punch).

4 PM is snack time--people fill cafes and eat cake or they promenade down the wide boulevards eating their fagyi. A nice tradition.

Mayonnaise in Budapest, June 1999

Mayonnaise: Budapestians love their mayonnaise. Every Hungarian-run ethnic restaurant we've encountered substitutes mayonnaise for some important ingredient or other. We saw a cute little Greek place with Greek salads smothered in mayonnaise, presumably to replace the feta and vinaigrette. You can get mayonnaise on your hot dog or your fried bread. You might enjoy it on salmon or scrape it off your falafel.

And here's another variation on expectations: to accommodate those who dislike tomatoes, you can get your pizza normal, or white -- meaning without ketchup.