After studying and working within the fields of art and design during my stays in Budapest, I developed a love affair with this aspect of the city's culture and tried to immerse myself in it as much as possible. This task was made quite easy for me as the city is in constant bloom with new and interesting treats for the eye and it is something I don't think I'll ever be able to stop tuning into, regardless of where I am in the world.
Not to long ago a friend sent me a link to an article about design in Budapest that was featured in the New York Times under their "Journeys" section, which I have also placed a link to under my interest column. I think this article really captures the present emergence of creativity and style that is coming out of the city right now, however I feel as though it is a vague introduction at best.
Therefore I have decided that I'm going to do a small series of posts centred around Budapest's design since it is one of my favourite aspects of the city, but also to give those who have yet to visit a more quenching description. So please, if you're at all like me and easily tempted by the more visual pleasure of the world, read the New York Times article and hear me out over the next week.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Central Market: Getting Your Daily Dose of Gossip, Politics, Rugged Men From the Countryside...oh and Fresh Produce.
Central Market Hall, just off of Vaci utca is one of the best places to spend your time if you're looking for a truly all Hungarian experience. My love affair with the Budapest market began as soon as I arrived at the end of last summer. Nevermind all the amazing food to be found, what I couldn't resist was all the hustle and bustle of so many different characters and the rough country butchers, bakers and vegetable vendors yelling at you from behind their stands in words I at first couldn't understand.
As anyone might expect, the market is packed full with all of Budapest's favourite things: salami, paprika, bread and dessert of course. But in between the excess of these favoured goods, you'll also find an eye catching array of some of the nicest fresh produce you've seen. The displays of lettuce in full bloom look like floral bouquets, the obscure selection of mushrooms is almost fantastical in appearance, and the red cabbage is the absolute fanciest of purples.
Tastes aside, the physical structure of the market itself is also something quite spectacular. My former 'History of Hungarian Architecture' professor shared with me and my classmates that it was built during the establishment of Pest and similar to many of the other structures on that side of the Danube, was constructed according to a German neo-classical design. The population of Pest was growing so quickly that the small neighbourhood market's couldn't sustain the city, thus the establishment of market hall that still feeds hundreds of city dwellers daily.
As Budapest quickly fills up with big corporate grocers such as Auchan, Kaisers, and Tesco, it's refreshing to take a step back into historic Budapest and receive your sales according to a much more sensible model that is based on how much the vendors like you as opposed to the flyer's weekly special that everyone else gets. Also, last time I cruised my cart around Tesco, I don't recall hearing the latest political scoop from the cliques of seniors complaining in the aisles or smelling the fresh strudel baking in a dozen varieties. Perhaps you'll pay a slightly higher price for your produce at central market, which has been greatly influenced by the rise of tourist traffic, but being amongst the colourful crowd is worth the extra penny.
As anyone might expect, the market is packed full with all of Budapest's favourite things: salami, paprika, bread and dessert of course. But in between the excess of these favoured goods, you'll also find an eye catching array of some of the nicest fresh produce you've seen. The displays of lettuce in full bloom look like floral bouquets, the obscure selection of mushrooms is almost fantastical in appearance, and the red cabbage is the absolute fanciest of purples.
Tastes aside, the physical structure of the market itself is also something quite spectacular. My former 'History of Hungarian Architecture' professor shared with me and my classmates that it was built during the establishment of Pest and similar to many of the other structures on that side of the Danube, was constructed according to a German neo-classical design. The population of Pest was growing so quickly that the small neighbourhood market's couldn't sustain the city, thus the establishment of market hall that still feeds hundreds of city dwellers daily.
As Budapest quickly fills up with big corporate grocers such as Auchan, Kaisers, and Tesco, it's refreshing to take a step back into historic Budapest and receive your sales according to a much more sensible model that is based on how much the vendors like you as opposed to the flyer's weekly special that everyone else gets. Also, last time I cruised my cart around Tesco, I don't recall hearing the latest political scoop from the cliques of seniors complaining in the aisles or smelling the fresh strudel baking in a dozen varieties. Perhaps you'll pay a slightly higher price for your produce at central market, which has been greatly influenced by the rise of tourist traffic, but being amongst the colourful crowd is worth the extra penny.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I'm Just No Good At Goodbye
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This past spring when I packed my bags once again to leave for Budapest everybody wished me well, assuring me that I should enjoy my time abroad because nothing exciting ever happens at home and it will always be the same whenever I come back. However I can now say through my own lived experience that this statement is completely false. Home keeps changing when you leave and sometimes the reality that you come back to is almost completely unrecognizable.
As far as I know, French is the only language that has a term for this feeling called “depaysement”, which in simple terms means that home just isn’t quite home anymore. Scholars will try to tell you this feeling is brought about due to personal change and growth, but now I know that is really only part of the equation and that infact the actual place changes too. As exciting as the liminal state is, it’s also proving to be quite the bitch.
It has now been a month since my last post and somewhere between now and then my life has taken some crazy turns. My internship came to an end, and although I planned to spend the rest of the summer living in my favourite city and visiting friends in other far off places, responsibility knocked and sent me home to Canada. I in no way regret my decision to return home as it was the necessary choice I had to make, however everyday that I am home I can’t stop my mind from daydreaming back to the hot days and warm nights of Budapest, wondering what I may have been doing at this very moment if I were still there.
There were so many more delicious details and savoury experiences of Budapest that I still wanted to write about this summer, and this torn relationship with my baby of a blog has just been too much to bear. Therefore in response to my growing desire to continue writing and to finish what I started, I’ve decided to say all the things about Budapest that I didn’t have the chance to.
Perhaps these posts will be more insightful as I’ve had a chance to reflect on my experiences, or maybe they will simply turn into public therapy in order to cure me of the bad case of post-Budapest syndrome I’ve come down with. Either way, I think they’ll be entertaining.
As far as I know, French is the only language that has a term for this feeling called “depaysement”, which in simple terms means that home just isn’t quite home anymore. Scholars will try to tell you this feeling is brought about due to personal change and growth, but now I know that is really only part of the equation and that infact the actual place changes too. As exciting as the liminal state is, it’s also proving to be quite the bitch.
It has now been a month since my last post and somewhere between now and then my life has taken some crazy turns. My internship came to an end, and although I planned to spend the rest of the summer living in my favourite city and visiting friends in other far off places, responsibility knocked and sent me home to Canada. I in no way regret my decision to return home as it was the necessary choice I had to make, however everyday that I am home I can’t stop my mind from daydreaming back to the hot days and warm nights of Budapest, wondering what I may have been doing at this very moment if I were still there.
There were so many more delicious details and savoury experiences of Budapest that I still wanted to write about this summer, and this torn relationship with my baby of a blog has just been too much to bear. Therefore in response to my growing desire to continue writing and to finish what I started, I’ve decided to say all the things about Budapest that I didn’t have the chance to.
Perhaps these posts will be more insightful as I’ve had a chance to reflect on my experiences, or maybe they will simply turn into public therapy in order to cure me of the bad case of post-Budapest syndrome I’ve come down with. Either way, I think they’ll be entertaining.
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