Magyar Hírek, 1984 (37. évfolyam, 2-26. szám)
1984-08-04 / 16-17. szám
SPORTS NEWS Balázs Taróczy Photo: MTI Hungarian players in the Davis Cup. Having won against Egypt, at the St Margaret Island tennis-stadion, Budapest, the Hungarian players qualified for the following preliminary round for the Davis Cup. Next they have to play the Belgians to reach the finals of Zone B. The games against the Egyptians did not begin well, since Sándor Kiss, playing nervously, was beaten by Tarik el Sakka. However, after Balázs Taróczy won both of his singles, and the Hungarian pair also downed the Egyptians, Kiss improved his game to beat El Mehelmy after a great fight. Thus the Hungarians won 4 to 1. Water-polo for the Tungsram Cup. The Tungsram water-polo cup games were played at the Budapest Komjádi pool. The Series, in which the eight of best of the world’s teams pitted their skills against each other were followed with great interest. The favourites, the Soviet team, was equal to expectations, and finished first without losing a single point, beating Italy 12 to 10 in the final. The United States met the Netherlands in the last round. After an exciting battle - during which the Dutch lead by 5 goals to 2 at one stage — the Americans finally won by 9 goals to 6, and with that they clinched second place. The final result was: 1st the Soviet Union, 14 points, 2nd the United States, 12 points, 3rd West Germany, 8 points, 4th Hungary, 6, 5th Yugoslavia 5, 6th Cuba 5, 7th Italy 5, and 8th the Netherlands with 1 points. Success of Hungarian puddlers in Britain. At the international kayak and canoe competitions in Nottingham, England, the Hungarian paddlers excelled, and finished in the van in the points competition, in front of the British, French and Americans. The Sarudi-Hajdu pair won the canoe couples over 500, 1,000, and 10,000 meters. The single canoe over 10,000 meters was won by Csépai, while the Helyi-Petrovics duo won two kayak events. The graphic works of István Molnár His windows open onto the tracks of the Southern Railway Station. He lives in Buda, but not in the green hills. Trains keep running at night, and he knows as well as any railway man which slow, or fast train passes there at any particular time. I should expect to see the perplexing maze of rails on his drawings, perhaps his snakes represent long rows of wagons; and I should imagine that his world built of tendrils, butterflies, birds, shells, dragons may perhaps negate and counter-balance precisely the bleariness of the view. István Molnár has lived there with his family, his sociologist wife, and young daughter for a few months only, yet the rails became a symbol somehow, somewhere. So long as I look on this vision as rational, the pictorial world of István Molnár (born in 1947) appears irrational. But if I accept closeness to nature and the affirmation of life as reality, then this mechanical dreariness becomes irrational, and the system of symbols feeding on the world of tales and phantasies will be authentic reality. Let there be no mistake: I do not consider the graphics of István Molnár fashionably nostalgic. The ba'ance of his copper etchings, the settled quietnesB of the self-confident mode of presentation, becomes up-to-date, from exciting anxiety over the possibility of losing balance, from the desire and impossibility of the idyllic. Molnár consciously uses his system of symbols, suggesting loose associations of ideas. This is the way his symbols, far from oneanother in respect of time, or origin, become media of shaded expression. This is how affirmation, and presence, mysteriousness and humour, irony and self-irony reinforce and counterpoint one-another on a single page, and also on the others, with consistent obstinacy, but without self-repetition. The works of Molnár keep telling tales of a world which, in its complexity is attractive and repellent at the same time. IZABELLA NAGY Chronicle Nostalgia trips by rail also in Hungary. The nostalgia wave sweeping the world for puff-puff steam engines, brass-plated dining ears, railway coaches complete with plushcovered seats has also reached Hungary. The Pécs district directorate of the Hungarian State Railways took the first step: they started a “nostalgia train” from Pécs to Budapest, driven by a steam locomotive, and complete with the traditional frills to celebrate the centenary of this line. The initiative met with huge success, and now another nostalgia train began a shuttle service between Budapest and Esztergom. The train, composed of ancient coaches, is pulled by a veteran, Model 424 steam engine of the time of our fathers. It includes a dining car of museal age that has returned to service. The train leaves Budapest in the morning, and arrives back in the afternoon, allowing plenty of time to the passengers to visit the sights of Esztergom. Foreign residents in Hungary. A new order simplifies the process of obtaining a residence permit in Hungary. An affidavit has to be submitted to the visa application, in which a Hungarian citizen agrees to maintain the person concerned or else there has to be documentary evidence of sufficient funds and available housing. One copy of such document, signed by a public notary not earlier than six months previously, has to be attached to the application. The new process is simpler than the old one, since it does away with the earlier council certificate. The necessary affidavit of maintenance will be certified by public notaries attached to courts. These affidavits will provide greater security to both the foreign resident and his Hungarian host as regards accommodation and maintenance. György Fejér played the piano for a month in Budapest. György Fejér has successfully played the best kind of light music in New York for almost forty years, under the name of George Feyer. He was now made his own old wish — and that of his Hungarian fans — come true, appearing in Budapest, for a month. He played each day in the Hotel Atrium-Hyatt, and finished his visit home with a recital given in the ball-room of the hotel. Fejér’s career began at the Budapest Academy of Music, where he was a student of Kodály, Weiner, and other great teachers. When he finished his studies, he took to light music, which in his case meant demanding, high-standard light music. This was already manifest in Budapest, in the music-making of the Adler-Fejér duo, and also later, wherever this Hungarian musician was taken by fate. This was evident once again, during his guest appearances in Budapest, particularly at the concluding recital, where he started with the Warsaw Concerto, followed by the Rhapsody in Blue, then by the music of the Cats, to turn — unexpectedly — to Bach, Mozart, and Rachmaninov. The concert was a phenomenal success: countless encores were asked for — and granted — by old, and new Budapest fans. ’Sholet with Matzos-balls" Mrs. Péter Herbst: Hungarian Jewish Cooking “God’s manna, Sholet, the cooking of which was once upon a time taught to Moses the Good Lord himself on the mount of Sinai.” This is how Heine praised this popular dish, which has since become naturalized all over the world. What does sholet remind people off Many of us know it only as a reddish beans served in self-service restaurants. There are still some, who remember the Budapest restaurant of Uncle Niszel, where the steamy dish user] to be served up lovingly until about ten years ago. Only a few recall the days, when this earthly treasure trove, baked for 12 — 14 hours, used to be carried home on the Streets of Pest, from the baker’s. What did it contain ? Fi rst of all white or mottled beans, pearl barley, plenty of onions, eggs cooked in it, smoked and fresh pieces of goose and beef, stuffed gooseneck, and mainly the kind of pastry steemed in the dish, the Matzos balls. Sholet, stuffed fish, flódni, hindii, the creation and consumption of Saturday anti festive dishes are described in the recently published book by Mrs Péter Herbst. We had to wait long for this publication, since old Kosher cookery books are as rare as blue diamonds in the second-hand bookshop. The volume “Magyarországi zsidó ételek” (Hungarian Jewish cooking) now published by Minerva Publishers gives rich compensation for this delay. It acquaints the reader not only with the way these dishes are prepared that amalgamated numerous gastronomic skills of East and West, but also gives an interesting insight into the varied menus served, and the customs observed on occasions of festivities of the Jewish year, and family events. The then still large families appreciated the richness of the feasts particularly in comparison with lean week days. That is that some meat, fish, sweets was provided at the tables of even the poorest on such occasions. Jewish women served stuffed fish (mostly pike) on Friday night, in the light of the festive candles, and at noon on Saturday chopped eggs with onions, as an hors d’oeuvre, followed summer and winter alike by the inevitable sholet. In the autumn, on the Jewish New Year, the families ate sweet dishes, carrots in a sauce, chestnut sauce, honey cakes, hoping that the new year would be sweet. On the feast of Tabernacles the housewives gladdened the hearts of the family, eating in decorated tents, with stuffed cabbage, and cabbage strudels. Chestnut and walnut filled cakes were eaten at Hanuka. At the time of Purim, women engaged in a veritable competition. They baked walnut and poppyseed filled hindii, flódni, Hainan satchels filled with plum jam or poppy seeds, ginger bread, and other sweets; sent Shlahmones, gift-plates of these to each other. Although the Bible calls this popular version of bread the bread of need, the housewives found many ways of making tasty dumplings, and various cakes out of it. Even some excellent tarts made of matzos were served. The book of “Hungarian Jewish Cooking” is not just a good cookery book, but also an important store of religious customs. - ini— 63
