Cseh Valentin szerk.: „70 éve alakult a MAORT” – tanulmányok egy bányavállalat történetéből (2009)

Zsuzsa Kovács: The Oil Age and Its Impact on Everyday Village Life In Zala County's Settlements

The store network in the settlement It was the families living at the housing development that had to relv most on obtaining foodstuffs from a store, since thev did not possess farms from which thev could have satisfied their vegetable and meat needs. Later on, however, village families also had to buy increasingly more foodstuffs from the store, because as men entered into employment first, and women later on, they had less time to spend on their farms so as to create the criteria for full self-sufficiency. Similarly to the process seen all over the country, bread-baking was the first lengthy household chore that women left behind.

268 What is more, many women did not even have a chance for baking, because no traditional ovens were built in the newly constructed cube houses. During the boom decades, an ever wider layer of villagers left the ranks of the needy for good thanks to the good supply of in stores in Gellénháza, the kitchen gardens that were kept, and better living conditions, experiencing the feeling of fullness.

26

'' Concerning the supply of goods, however, Gellénháza not only provided for local needs, but also that of inhabitants in the vicinity, as people from the neighbouring villages also came to shop here because of the store, which was well stocked with a varién- of goods.

2 " Looking at the Central Statistics Bureau's figures for 1964, one can clearly see how Gellénháza emerged from among the surrounding villages in a few decades, and began to play the role of a centre. Compared to the rest of the settlements, the turnover of the grocery stores here was five or even more times that of stores in the surrounding settlements. People purchased up to ten times more other supplies here than in their respective villages. Needless to say a somewhat different light is shed on the figures if we take into account that certain clothing, household or gardening articles were only available in Gellénháza or the county see, therefore the district's residents could only buy them here. In the 1950s, goods supply around the country was rather uncertain, numerous products were in shortage, yet there were seven shops to provide groceries and other goods to residents in this obscure little village in Zala, as well as those living in its vicinity. With the exception of just a few articles, such as sheet glass - which was regularly missing from store shelves - one may talk about a fundamentally consistent purchasing opportunity. The situation was different with respect to products that sold in a campaign-like manner or in large quantities, as well as drink. Namely, running out of yeast caused a major problem before holidays, as this resulted in a lot of chagrin for housewifes. The insufficiency of beer supply, on the other hand, represented an inconvenience for workers, so the members of the EC called upon residents to consume more evenly in order to resolve this problem. In case beer ran out at the grocery store, workers went to drink at the tap-house, where drinks were not only more expensive, but even space proved inadequate. No other complaints concerning service or stocks were lodged against the saloon

271 . There were also no complaints about the supply of the coffee shop, although ice-cream tended to run out on a couple of occasions every summer, but it was able to stock sufficient quantities of other products. Again it was the lack of space that caused more problems. Confectionary and coffee were the most sought after products at the coffee shop, - VALUCH 2001,323. :

"" VALUCH 2001,322. - " ZML Gellénháza Village Council F.xecuuve Committee minutes of meeting, December 23, 1960. : ZML Gellénháza Village Council Executive Committee minutes of meeting, February 18, 1960.