Best usages and practices in Hungary

Priscilla wrote:

....
For instance, have you recently discovered new rules or habits regarding transportation, the environment or health in Hungary? Are there innovative and useful practices or services that make daily life simpler

I think I might expand or re-interpret that theme to call it "survival tactics".

Priscilla wrote:

Are there innovative and useful practices or services that make daily life simpler

I only recently discovered Digi had an online payment system that means bills can be paid for anywhere in the world. Before I was paying via direct debit or in person, which meant I had to have money in my HU bank account. The sooner all HU utility companies etc have pay online schemes the better.

I have a German friend who lived in Japan for over a year as a ballet dancer,she said they actually hire people to shove people into the trams because no one wants to be rude, they would rather pay a worker to shove people into the trams.
My DIL is from Japan and I can sort of imagine the tram shoving story to be true as my DIL is too shy to be rude.
In Hungary, not sure what practical tips are good to share.
I know Hungarians in general are not loud in public and they would rather pretend you are not there then have to talk with a stranger.
Not because they are rude or afraid, it is just the way it has been done for ages, people mind their own business in general.
At least in public, not talking about the local house gossips but everyday people on the street.
Also I have been told not sure it is still a social custom as all our friends are of the older generation now but, in Hungary women never say hello to a man first, even a man they casually know.
Not sure if the younger people follow this rule but older women will never say hi to a younger man first or really to any man that is not a close friend or relative.
It could be why I have heard that Hungarian women are stuck up and rude, not true, they are just following social customs that they grew up with.
It is seen as more rude to be forward then to act like they didn't see you if you are a man.
Again, this old style manners is probably long forgotten.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Again, this old style manners is probably long forgotten.

And some of those traditions are best forgotten!

Maybe but some customs do keep people in check and keep them for stepping over the line so to speak, some people really are forward and too rude.
I know my ex DIL was Hungarian. She came to the US and was often shocked, really upset by strange men saying dumb things when she was out shopping alone.
Strange men would say things such as "Like your shoes" "looking good today" things a lady never expects to hear in Hungary from some strange men on the street. She was no wallflower either but still she was shocked by the forward behavior.
My current DIL is from Japan and she will not go any further then the mail box by herself, sort of creepy that she is so shy but then again it is also refreshing that she is so innocent.
Even silly old me is sometimes taken aback in the US compared to what I am now used to in Hungary after living here for so long.
In my mid 40's at the time when I was dealing cards in Vegas. I know inside a casino anything goes, not really, one takes their manners with them and feeling free inside a gambling house is a excuse to let your dark side out.
Ok, dealing to a full table of cowboys during the NFR rodeo, wild times in Vegas, town full of thousands and thousands of rough cowboys right off the ranches, going to the big city of Vegas.(AKA Sin City)
Anyways, a young cowboy maybe 21 years old was talking a tiny bit fresh to me when I was working.
He was silly and harmless but still it was creepy. He asked me to do a Hula dance for him on top of the blackjack table since my name tag stated I was from Hawaii.
I made a silly face, said something smart as*** and kindly joked with him that he should respect my "old age", I had a son older then he was.
He was cute and funny in his reply, he said with his cowboy twang," That's OK darlin', we ain't related". I had to laugh hard at that one. I can't even imagine how upset my HU DIL would of been if that had happened to her while dealing cards.

fluffy2560 wrote:

And some of those traditions are best forgotten!

Cross reference "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

I attempted to read ,"The Lottery" will get back to it as it must and seems to have value as a moral tale.
( In my evening cups ATM and my brain isn't very sharp ATM)
I do seriously believe we all just always but on our best manners and try our hardest to be civil at all times, otherwise society is lost and we all go under.
I read enough of The Lottery to guess it is a moral tale.
I am from the generation who was raised to think about "others" before ones self, even during the 1960's we all knew we also had to think about our actions vs how it would hurt of effect others.
I have no problem with trying to think about others before myself , within reason of course.
I seriously do believe if everyone actually thought about what they said, what they did in relation to others, the entire world would be a much better place.
The whole" me first" and "what's in it for me" attitude has brought so much harm and horror to the entire world
We are not all perfect but we should try everyone to be the best person we can be and to always be kind. .

Sorry I have not found any best practice around me in Hungary.  In fact this society goes out of its way to make things as difficult as possible.
Paying bills is based on antiquated systems and goodness help you if you should not have the right public transport ticket at the right time.

I would say The Lottery is more a cautionary story. As in what can happen if people continue to do something only because it is a tradition, rather than think about what they are actually doing and why.

SPOILER ALERT: And even if that tradition has morphed into something horrific - which is only exposed at the end of the story.

anns wrote:

Sorry I have not found any best practice around me in Hungary.  In fact this society goes out of its way to make things as difficult as possible.
Paying bills is based on antiquated systems and goodness help you if you should not have the right public transport ticket at the right time.

With you on that view. 

As one of my Canadian (of HU origin) work colleagues said to me, "Here, sometimes you've got to shoot from the hip".   It was good advice but I think he under-estimated the amount of winging it going on.

(bit of an idiom-fest there...)

fluffy2560 wrote:

"Here, sometimes you've got to shoot from the hip".

A very inaccurate idiom, in more than one respect.

Actually try to do that, without a lot of practice, and you will almost alway miss. Unless you use a shotgun (but beware of the recoil). American. So I know such things. 

anns wrote:

Paying bills is based on antiquated systems

Just want to mildly mention, the English/American cheque/check system is even more antiquated.

Meanwhile, things like making payment at the post office was the norm even in Switzerland when I lived there. But, despite that, no I do not find that system a "best practice" either. Having to carry, in cash, thousands in Swiss francs to the post office to make payments was just silly.

My son's leases a home in Vegas from a women in Calif. who owns over a dozen nice homes and condos in Vegas as her investment.
He gets so angry every time he has to pay his monthly rent. She set up some terrible account in a no name back half way across town ,
A good 30 min. drive out of his way every month.
I know,he had me pay his rent when I visited him, saved him tons of time and energy.
I know Hungary has it's issues but everyplace has something that doesn't please everyone.
In the past 25 or so years though, Hungary has come a very long way while western countries are really not all that much more advanced.
We still write out checks in the US to pay bills or get money orders, buy stamps and post in the mail.
Not much different then the system here in Hungary.
For the low cost of actually living in Hungary, overall I do not mind walking to the post office to pay checks( bills).
Of course we could do most of it online but we for our own reasons do not want banks messing with our funds and having more info on us then we care to share.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

"Here, sometimes you've got to shoot from the hip".

A very inaccurate idiom, in more than one respect.

Actually try to do that, without a lot of practice, and you will almost alway miss. Unless you use a shotgun (but beware of the recoil). American. So I know such things. 

I was thinking of a general meaning of shooting from the hip in that context was quick fire rapid draw in order to at least point in the direction of the target.  Or more properly maybe, "ad-libbing it" or improvising to see if it works.

Scattergun approach might work as well but collateral damage too and still a chance of missing.

More British could be "run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it".

fluffy2560 wrote:

I was thinking of

I know. I was being facetious.