Magyar News, 1991. szeptember-1992. augusztus (2. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1991-11-01 / 3. szám
SENATOR LIEBERMAN ON HUNGARY This past summer Senator Lieberman visited Hungary again. On his way back to the United States this is what he wrote: I was in Budapest for a week-long conference of American, Eastern European, and Soviet parliamentarians to discuss the dramatic changes that have occurred there in the preceding few years, and, in fact, in the preceding few weeks. It was a very special week for us, for many reasons, including the fact that we loved the city of Budapest and the Hungarians we met there. It is a beautiful, lively, cosmopolitan city. We stayed at the Forum Hotel, and looked out the window of our room, across the great Duna River, to the hills of Buda, and the royal Palace and National Museum there. We strolled alongside the Duna, enjoyed the music of the central square, visited the Plaza of Heroes, and had a memorable dinner and discussion at the magnificent Parliament Building with Prime Minister Antall. The mood in Hungary today is mixed - grateful to be free of the Communists and yet worried about the dislocations caused by the economic transition from a statecontrolled to a market economy. Although Hungary had a head start on the rest of Eastern Europe in its move to a more open economic system, it is still not a painless change. To make matters worse, the chaos in the Soviet Union has dramatically reduced Sovietpurchases of Hungarian goods that the country has long depended on. And, of course, the thousands of people who work in state-controlled businesses are worried about what their future will be. But, I left confident that Hungary will make it - because of the intelligence and skill of its people, the basic lack of ethnic tensions, and the entrepreneurial desire for a better life. I also feel confident about Hungary’s future because of two jokes I heard from Hungarians there. One man told me that the changes that have occurred remind him of the story of two blind men sitting in a movie theater in Budapest. One asks the other, “Can you see anything?” The other says, “No, can you see anything?” The first answered, “No, so why don’t we change seats?” The other story I heard was of two men sitting by the Duna. One asks the other, “What do you do for a living?” “Well, actually, I do nothing.” “You do nothing for a living? That’s wonderful!” “Well, it used to be wonderful. But, lately, I’ve had a lot of competition.” If the Hungarian people can laugh at a time like this, they will surely survive, as they always have, and, in this case, they will ultimately flourish into a better, freer life. I return to America with a greater understanding of the situation in Hungary and deeply committed to advocating American Spending time in the korcsma, the Hungarian Pub, one might come to an interesting conclusion. All one has to do is to ask his drinking buddies what their answer would be to a question like: “When did the Hungarians start drinking wine?” I am sure that die glasses would stop in their tracks on the way to be emptied. The eyes would open widely, and the mouths would begin to say something without making sound. But since the Hungarians were never known for being wordless, especially when they are drinking, after the first moment of startledness, one would receive a variation of answers. In a short time they would all agree saying it really doesn’t matter when drinking wine started, the main point is that it is still going strong. Yet there are some reasonable answers to the question. The original wild grapevine was found in Hungary as it was in many other countries, growing sour, bitter grapes. It was called Vitis Tokayensis. May I say it had nothing to do with the grapes we now enjoy. The cultivated grape-vines came from the Orient. Historical ly the beer-drinking Sumerians cultivated the vines and passed them on to the Turkish people. The nomadic Hungarians travelling towards the west around the foot of the Caucasian mountains mingled with Turks. These Turks, among their other agricultural activities, were involved in wine making. The Hungarian word for wine is of Turkish origin too. Bor means grayish-white, referring to the fermentation process when the must turns into an alcoholic beverage. All of this happened in the fifth century. At that time it also became customary to pledge an oath with wine. This wine had a few drops of blood from the person who was making the pledge. It was drunk by not only those who pledged, but everybody present With this, oath and friendship betrade and aid to Hungary. This will fulfill our moral obligation to the Hungarian people, who suffered so long under Communism. Their courage and your perseverance have now given all Hungarians freedom today and the hope of abrighter tomorrow. came sacred and irrevocable. During the immigration, the Hungarian tribes were joined by a B ulgarian tribe, the Kaliz people. The Kaliz were already experienced in viniculture. They stayed with the Hungarians and became part of them. Some names are still in existence, like kalic, kaláz, or kálóz. When the Hungarians arrived into the Carpathian Basin they found flourishing vineyards and wine culture. Probably, these vineyards were established first by the Celts then carried on by the Romans. It is known that the Huns crossed the Danube with inflated wine-bags in their attack against the Romans. According to rumors, Attila himself was a heavy consumer of wine. Historians also tribute heavy drinking to the deterioration and crush of the Avars who lived in the Carpathian Basin for 200 years prior to the Hungarian Conquest. People came and went but the vineyards stayed probably waiting for the Hungarians to add excellency to the wine. C.MB. ABBEY TENT & PARTY RENTALS 158 Commerce Dr., Fairfield, CT Tel: 368-6111 Clemenceau said in a political connection, “To be a Rumanian is not a nationality but a trade, and if one might suggest that, for instance, to be aFrenchman is a style, or to be an Italian a radiance, an American a velocity, a German an organization, then one might perhaps say that to be a Hungarian is a state of soul.” Joseph 1. Lieberman THE HUNGARIANS MEET THE WINE
