Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1988. január-június (42. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)

1988-04-28 / 17. szám

Thursday, April 28. 1988.

11.

AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO

On a Cultural Mission

Since Hungarian is a minor language, it seems quite incredible that two thousand foreign students would sign up to learn it every year all over the world.

As it was pointed out at a recent conference of language assistants, these adventurous students learn Hungarian in institutes of higher education.

Half of them are taught by language assistants sent abroad from Hungary on a cultural mission.

Q: How does one become a Hungarian language assistant? (I asked Dr. József Csapó, former university lecturer at the University of Debrecen, now language assistant at the University of London.)

A: Each prospective language assistant must meet certain qualifications before he can be considered for a foreign posting. A perfect command of the language of the receiving country, a degree in Hungarian as well as experience in teaching Hungarian to foreigners are preconditions for applying.

Q: Fewer and fewer people seem ready to undertake language assistant assignments abroad. What could be the reason for this?

A: Going abroad for some years not only involves a change of life-style but it is not particularly rewarding, financially, since language assistants in Britain and the USA receive grants which provide for no more than the bare necessities. Still, I applied, mainly because I’m doing my Ph.D. thesis and in Britain I have all the source material I need at hand.

In London most of the people I teach are university students, though there are exceptions. I find it quite characteristic of the English to immerse themselves in a branch of scholarship just for the sake of the intellectual challenge. This applies mostly to those attending the evening courses, as most of my day-time students learn Hungarian because of other ties like family ties and friendships. On certain occasions professional interest might also serve as incentive for learning Hungarian, as in the case of an English music teacher, who regularly attends refresher courses in Hungary. All my English students master Hungarian pretty well. Helping them along in their studies is the opportunity to visit Hungary in the course of their studies. This year, for example, seven or eight students have been granted scholarships to study at the summer course of the University of Debrecen.

Q: Do you have any problems in the course of teaching?

A: My greatest problem is that there is no adequate, usable Hungarian grammar book written especially for foreign learners and what we have is rather outdated as far as the texts are concerned. We expect some improvement in this field, however, with the publication of the doctoral thesis of a London colleague of mine who is working on a grammar of Hungarian and a complementary textbook for English learners.

Zsuzsa Mátraházi

(Condensed from Magyar Nemzet)

Swedish Design, Budapest-Bound

For IKEA, the Swedish home-furnishings chain, with 76 stores in 18 countries, there can never be enough customers. In 1990, the company will open a store in Budapest, its first in an Eastern European country.

"Within a 30-minute drive from the store, we will have four million potential customers," said Jan Auline, director of Eastern Europe operations for IKEA.

The store will be a joint venture between the Swedish company and Butorker, a state- owned furniture retailer and wholesaler.

"Although Hungary has had a joint-venture law for eight years, and has 80 different

Current health warnings about salt, sugar, fat and additives have taken a lot of of the fun out of eating. But with a little imagination and a measure of experimentation you can decrease or eliminate those potentially harmful elements without drastically changing the taste of the finished product.

Here a few suggestions to help you start

revamping some of your favorite recipes.

*

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Low-fat yogurt is an excellent substitute for mayonnaise and cream in salad-dressing recipes. You can also dollop it on a baked potato in place of sour cream.

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When making homemade salad dressing reduce the oil by half and increase the

joint ventures, including hotels, our store will be the first retail operation," Mr. Auline said.

When the store opens, Hungarians will be able to buy IKEA's low-priced knockdown furniture, some of which they produce themselves. IKEA will buy more Hungarian-made goods and will also bring production expertise to the country.

After IKEA opens the 140,000-square- foot store in Budapest, the company hopes to open stores in Poland, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Chechoslovakia.

water and vinegar to make up for the lost volume. Add an extra measure of seasonings such as paprika, onion, parsley and garlic.

*

For a delicious dip, stir 2 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup of cottage cheese. Add i cup buttermilk and 2 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional) and mix well (if you want it smooth, use the blender). Serve with a platter of raw vegetables. This also

makes an excellent baked-potato topping.

*

Omelettes made with egg whites only are practically cholesterol free. Whip the whites until stiff but not dry. Heat your omelette pan and spray it with a nonstick coating. Cook whites until set on top and nicely browned on the bottom. Top with a mixed vegetable or other filling, foto, and serve immediately.

Letter to the Editor, American Hungarian Word,

Dear Zoltán,

Several months have passed since the Palestinian protests began on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Are there no Letters-to-the Editor expressing American Jewish reaction to these episodes? Surely we must be reacting in a variety of ways, some differing with the unified position of major U.S. Jewish organizations. Are we being intimidated by their continuing propaganda that dissent will be "aiding the enemy?"

Are none of us outraged over the statement made by the Israeli Ambassador on a McNeil-Lehrer news broadcast, that the riots began after "an Israeli truck ran into a few Arabs"? Would we remain equally silent if an Arab vehicle ran into a - few Jews -?

The Israeli government justifies its cruel response to the riots by telling us that terrorists must be suppressed. But are these Palestinian rioters as violent as the Jewish terrorists who blew up the King David Hotel when it was full of British soldiers? And didn't the Jewish terrorists, including Begin, in the 40's claim that violence was the only way to regain their homeland? In what way was that claim different from the desire of the Palestinians for a homeland?

How much longer will the American Jewish community continue to avoid confrontation with the Israeli Government for the sake of unity, when the very roots of Jewish humanism are being destroyed by these repeated inhuman acts of the Israeli police and armed forces.

Bertram Stiller

We agree with Mr. Stiller's letter and have a few questions of our own about recent events on the West Rank. We are particularly disturbed by the death of the 15 year old girl who was killed by an Israeli settler.

The man in question has been rejected by the Air Force as irrational. The man was a loose cannon. Only 2 days before ha had killed a Palestinian.

How did he lead a group of teen-agers? Why was he in an area where the army said they would not give permission to go?

The fatality was no accident. It was inevitable.

By the time you read this, American Jews will have expressed their feeling at a rally on April 24^n in front of the Bnai Jeherum Synagogue. The major Jewish organizations will have to think twice about unilateral support of Israel.

We think it is a beginning.

The Publishing House of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences plans to publish an up-to-date encyclopedia consisting of sixteen volumes. The first two volumes are expected to appear in 1990-1991. The publication of the series, increasing with two volumes each year, will be finished by 1998.

TiPs I Great substitutes