Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1988. július-december (42. évfolyam, 27-48. szám)

1988-10-06 / 37. szám

Thursday, Oct. 6. 1988. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ 11. What's On Our Tables? IN HUNGARY In 1986, the food industry accounted for 16.8 per cent of industrial production, and 13.5 per cent of the number of indus- trial employees. The sectoral distribution of the food industry changed in the past decade: in 1985, industrial enterprises accounted for 77 per cent of production, as compared to almost 19 per cent by the agricultural units. In 1975, agricultural units accounted for only 8.7 per cent of food industry production. The share of private food industry tripled from 0.2 per cent in 1975 to 0.6 per cent, however, this proportion is still very small. In 1986, there were 533 confectioners, 31 butchers and slaughtermen, 400 bakers, 508 millers and 815 sodawater makers on record. Within the food industry, the meat in­dustry represents the largest proportion, 23 per cent, followed by the poultry, dairy, preserving and milling industry. In 1987, more than 626,000 tons of raw meat on the bone, 40,000 tons of sausages, 249,000 tons of dressed poultry were produced. A considerable growth was recorded for baby food production: from 2600 tons in 1975 to 24,100 tons by 1987. The share of food, tobacco, coffee and beverages in the total consumption of the population stands at 41.7 per cent. Per capita meat consumption rose from 71.2 kilograms in 1975 to 80.3 by 1986, Within this, pork accounts for 42.2 kilograms, poultry for 22.3 kilograms. Per capita milk and dairy product consumption is 183.9 kilograms. In the past 15 years, flour con­sumption dropped from 117.9 kilograms to 105.4 kilograms. However, beer con­sumption rose from 72.3 litres to 99.4, wine consumption dropped from 34.2 to 23.2 litres, while consumption of spirits rose from 7.2 to 10.5 litres. MOVIE REVIEW We excerpt a section from the review of "The Last Temptation of Christ" as it appeared in New York Magazine by their movie critic, David Denby. We think it is important for readers of the English Page. Patrick Buchanan, the columnist and many others see a plot in Hollywood to taunt Christians. And who is behind this plot? Who, indeed? The Christ-killers, it seems, have struck again: The Jews are responsible. But I'm afraid it isn't so. Now, everyone repeat after me: The Last Temp­tation Of Christ is a close adaptation of a world-famous novel from 1955 by Nikos Kazantzakis, who was raised in the Greek Orthodox Church; the screenplay was written by Paul Schrader, who was brought up (in Michigan) in the Dutch Reformed Church; it was revised by Time writer Jay Cocks, a Wasp; the movie was directed by Scorsese, a Roman Catholic and former altar boy who attended a junior seminary prior to high school. Universal Pictures, which provided the (modest) $6.5-million budget in return for distribution rights, did not conceive or execute the movie. I recite these well-known facts only to make the point that the protesters' continued attack on the Jewish leadership of Universal Pictures makes no sense. Nor does it need to, for its appeal is not to logic or fact but to bigotry and hatred. The fundamentalists and right-wing colum­nists harping on the Jews (sometimes di­rectly, sometimes in easily penetrated code) are doing so because they need an excuse to bring their anti-Semitism out in the open. They also need to rally the troops, and anti-Semitism has a potent appeal. Editorial GREED FOR PROFIT Big business has been raping the land in the early days, protection had a low priority. If the water was polluted, the land not productive, the air quality dubious, you could always pack up and move. If you stayed, it was because having the job was more important than the quality of life. Today we don't have that choice. The planet has become crowded. There is no place to go. None the less the destruction of our environment has acerbated. A pe­rusal of daily headlines indicates how serious the problem is. $100 billion cleanup of N clear Weapon Plants. Illegal toxic Waste Dumping. Ground Bone Instead of Meat Pesticide Hazard on Grapes. Lead Arsenate in Grapefruits. Sea dumping of hazardous waste and lots more. The problem is that we have a government that doesn't believe in controlling the en­vironment. Protecting our air, sea and land cost money. Unless they have to, big business will not spend for that purpose. Protection has to be mandated by law. And we need a government that will en­force the law. Which is why it is important to vote out the present administration. Don't sit home. Vote! HUNGARY AND WINE According to George Lang (Author of "The Cuisine of Hungary") there are 4 in­gredients for happiness: "Wine, wheat, peace and a beautiful wife". Wine is men­tioned first. Hungary, he says, has probably the only national anthem that contains a stanza thanking God for its country's wines. The 1823 poem by Ferenc Kölcsey, that became the national anthem, contains these lines: On the grapevine of Tokay The dripped nectar..." One of the country's famous wines comes from the town of Eger and is known as Egri Bikavér, which means "Bull's Blood". It is a picturesque name. The story is that a Moslem potentate became enamored with the wine. Since Moslems cannot im­bibe alcohol he solved the problem by dub­bing the wine "Bull's Blood" and designating it as medicine. George Lang has another version: a Tur­kish soldier was caught drunk by the author­ities. Being a Moslem he was condemned to death by the local Pasha. The soldier asked to talk to the pasha: "Sir, he said, this was not an alcoholic beverage but the blocd of the bull which I drank. As my last request I implore you to taste it." The pasha could not refuse and he tasted it. Suffice to say the soldier was pardoned and they drank eternal brotherhood together. Tales like these tell us that wine is to be enjoyed and Hungarians do it best. Playing the Pentagon Game "The largest centrally managed economy in the world, outside the Soviet Union, is run by the U.S. Defense De­partment. Hating the discipline of free markets, the Pen­tagon bureaucracy insulates its contractors from compe­tition. They in turn lobby Congress to keep paying the bills, and the service continues to buy gold-plated weapons... No matter what the plane costs, or how badly it performs, the winning consortium can roll out a legion of contractors and subcontractors . " —New York Times editorial There is a growing interest in Sweden for Hungarian natural sites, gastronomy, music and folk art. This experi­ence led Ake Eskilsson, a businessman from Alvista, to make the travels of Scandinavian tourists even more fre­quent and organized. As the first step towards providing greater opportunities, he held talks with the leaders of the city of Edelény, in Borsod county, on the utilization of the Edelény Castle and refurbishing it as a five-star hotel. Ake Eskilsson noted that the Swedes, Finns, Norwegians and Danes are not familiar with the sights of north Hun­gary, which is why it is worth wile to popularize them, especially the sights of Aggtelek, Tokaj, Mezőkövesd and Sárospatak. To the Editor I I am enclosing twenty dollars for your newspaper's subscription. My father, James Hegyi was a subscriber to your paper. He believed in it, he used to say your articles were the true pictures of the news. He himself wrote two different articles in your paper. He passed away July 4th, 1976 at the age of 90. I am writing in English, because it is a little easier than Hungarian, but I speak good Hungarian, read and write also. Your new American section is wel­come. I should have written sooner, but I guess I put it off. Mary Hutkai Cleveland, Ohio

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