William Penn Life, 2013 (48. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2013-03-01 / 3. szám
Tibor's Take By the way, she fulfilled my request by preparing the Mák Koch (Poppy Seed Soufflé) recipe found on page 208 of A Taste of Hungarian Heaven, the most recent WPA cookbook printed in 2006. That cold, snowy vasárnap afternoon turned out to be a relaxing respite for my entire család. As we sat around our warm, glowing fireplace, the five of us went though the cookbooks looking for anything unusual or different. Each of us had a different interest in the quest of particulars. As I perused the volumes, my attention was tweaked by some rather odd tidbits of information. The Bakery Restaurant Cookbook was authored by the late Chef Louis Szathmary. The title page was autographed by the great chef himself. He personalized it to my anya with an amusing set of drawings. I then turned to the next page and saw in the neatest of penmanship an inscription from my apa: "Happy Sweetest Day 1982." I asked my father about the book and the story behind it. He told me that the late Elizabeth Leffler Szabó, in conjunction with the Youngstown International Institute, held a cooking fair at the Idora Park Ballroom in Youngstown. (Mrs. Szabó was a visionary when it came to establishing Magyar events and celebrations.) For several years this event featured Chef Louis as the marquee exhibitor. He would schedule several sessions demonstrating his version of cooking Hungarian style. "Everyone who is a 'foodie' thinks Emeril is the father of demonstrative cooking that utilizes humor and wit as part of the program," my dad said. "Chef Szathmary was doing this decades before Emeril!" Being a good friend of Mrs. Szabó, my apa had backstage access to the show. There, he not only had the opportunity to converse with the cooking master one on one but also had the pleasure of sampling his wonderful creations. In retrospect, my apa is sad that he never took any photographs of the legendary chef or the event. ************************************************************ My brother Endre learned an interesting fact found from the Hungarian Cookbook by Yolanda Nagy Fintor. Loosely interpreted, the Hungarian word "húsvét" translates into English as "now the meat." I know the Magyar word for meat is "Ms," but I never made the grammatical connection to this root word. Abstinence from any meat during the Lenten season was a requirement of the early Catholic church. Hence, when Lent ended on Easter Sunday, the faithful could enjoy meat again. So, should I say as a greeting to my American-Hungarian friends this Easter " Happy Meat Eating"? ************************************************************ In recent Takes, I have written about the WPA sponsored trip to Hungary in 2012. My mother and father had the extreme pleasure and honor of being one of the tour members. My apa told me about how beautiful the cathedral in Esztergom was. The history that took place there over the centuries is awe inspiring. Cardinal Mindszenty is entombed in the basement of this hallmark church. My dad was disappointed that the religious store there had nothing for sale in honor of the Cardinal or any of the other Hungarian saints. My anya said they had plenty of medals for Saint Christopher, John the Baptist and Saint Peter, but there was little, if anything, that was made in Hungary or honoring the Magyar saints. Not long after his release from a confinement at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Mindszenty came to America. He came to Youngstown and celebrated Mass at St. Stephen of Hungary Church in 1972. My dad boasted that he had the honor of serving as an altar boy for that Mass and spent several minutes speaking to the Cardinal. (The pastor of St. Stephen Church, Monsignor Dezső Török, selected only his best servers for this important concelebrated mass.) I really did not believe my apa. Dad sensed my "Doubting Thomas" attitude. To prove his story, he produced for my viewing a photo of him kneeling before the Primate to Hungary in full conversation. Wonders never cease! Boldog Húsvéti Ünnepeket! Tibor II Tibor Check Jr. is a member of Branch 28 Youngstown, Ohio, and a student at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He serves os a host of the "Souvenirs of Hungary’’ weekly radio show broadcast on WKTL-90.7 FM in Struthers, Ohio. Let's hear your take Let me know how you enjoy my thoughts and views on growing up Hungarian Style. If you have any questions or comments about me or my column, please email me at: silverkingl937@yahoo.com, or drop me a letter in care of the William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. William Penn Life 0 March 2013 0 7
