Good things about Hungary
 

For a start - the climate is much better than in UK. Summers are full of sunshine, heat & blue skies. The best ever summer temperature recorded in UK is something like 35C - but that's going to happen for 8 weeks in Hungary.

And when it rains - it rains. So not month after month of drizzle.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

I must admit I find winters a bit grim but then I'm used to spending the last 13 winters on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Anything in particular to look forward to during a Hungarian winter? Apart from summer of course.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Talking with my mate last night on a curry night (very enjoyable with likewise folk), amongst many other subjects this one came up and we both agreed, Its great to live here, positives/negatives. If the moaner expats (which there are many) don,t like it ( without swearing lol ) "go back" to where you came from and moan in UK and live in "your" happiness, which will never be the case, with your comfortable/substatial income. :))))

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

We're only really talking big winter Jan & Feb in most years. So there's snow on the ground.

You've just had Xmas/ New Year. Now just get on with your job in this miserable time of year.

Or get 2/3 weeks in Thailand in the middle! :)

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Good things about Hungary,

The cost of living is fairly low and your money goes much further if you live on the local economy. In other words, do not buy or expect everything to be like it was back in the UK. Ask yourself why you came here? If you want everything to be just like it was back home in the UK, you will never be happy. altering an old addage to suit life in Hungary, "When in Hungary, Live as the Hungarians do"

Quality of most food is better than the UK especially garden items that can be sourced from your own garden or a farmers market. Cannot beat the cost either.

Housing is cheap in most of the country outside of Budapest and the lake region.

People are friendly and usually helpful.

The natural beauty of the country.

Not a huge tourist mecca nor overloaded with expats like France and Spain.

If you have an open mind and can remember your not back home in the UK, most people can make a go of it here.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

People, food/drink, climate, way of life, getting things done, most of all, the people!

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Having a countryside lifestyle I could never even dream of being able to afford in the UK. The food. Palinka........

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

ditto .... I'm yet to move to Hungary but have visited enough times to know what to expect.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Great fresh fruit & veg shop in our quite small village. Cheap & good selection. The Co-Op is actually also generally OK for fruit & veg but nothing like the freshness, cheapness or selection.

It's not hard to be a vegetarian in Hungary if you prepare your own food, less easy if you like eating out!

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

IMO they ought to develop a vaccine against that................................says this forums resident (extensive) beef farmer !!!!

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Where can people buy your beef?

I always find it hard to buy steaks. No problemo with the gulyas hus, it pays to order 2.5kg from Tesco whatever you're ordering then you get the whole chunk. Neck, thigh etc as they call it.

But steaks: I've had many a great steak in Hungary, yet fail to find a good place to buy the damned things.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Yes, steaks that are of any quality are just about unobtainable at any price. I don't have an issue with paying for them. I have an issue finding them at all. I like them sliced about 3-4cm thick, I found some once at Tesco that may have been 8mm thick. Oh well, I guess we cannot have everything we want.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

Our animals go to the local slaughter house where they are inspected and processed and then we get back the meat for farm gate sales. We have a list of customers who we email notification of sales. We are a small farm so sales are not continuous and the requests for the beef are usually over subscribed. (Our herd is pedigree Hungarian Grey cattle and our farm is certified organic).

The majority of the meat sold in Hungary is pork and poultry, as you will see in the shops by the differing size of the display counters. Most of the beef in chain shops will be cow beef, fallout from the dairy industry, nothing wrong with it, just don't expect quality. The majority of the large producer beef goes to export because the Hungarian market prefers pork and poultry due to price and buying habits (the producers also get a better price by exporting). The same - but more so - applies to lamb, a good proportion of which goes to Italy and the only lamb you will see (occasionally) in Hungarian shops will be those that don't grade for export or will be mutton.

If you avoid supermarkets and can find a family butcher you should be able to get the cuts you want. Or search out a small producer doing farm gate sales or in a farmers market should also enable you to request what you want. Marinading beef in red wine (NOT white wine) over night in the frigde will improve marginal beef.

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

No problem getting good steak in Budapest! Lamb however...

Re: Good things about Hungary
 

A friend also sometimes brings us meat from a small farm - szürke marha (which of course is very expensive ...), mangalica pork and ducks ...
But the pieces are usually so big that my wife only cooks them when we have guests - for the two of us it's just too much.
When we have guests where just one wants a steak we go to our favourite restaurant:
Green Elephant in Zalaapáti
They also do the "new craze": sous-vide ;)
PS:
I still remember from 20 years ago - you couldn't even get stuff like pork tenderloin in a supermarket - all this went probably straight to the tourist restaurants, the locals wouldn't have paid for it ...