Oh how the mighty have fallen. Barely a year out of office, Former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány is not only a political dead man, but he does his own shopping! In a recent post on his personal blog, the man pretty much every Hungarian wants to forget was ever the country’s leader wrote about going shopping for milk, and wondering whether nationalists buy domestically-made tej, given that it usually costs more than imported stuff.
Gyurcsány said he was comparing prices at a Tesco hypermarket near Balaton and found that a liter of Slovak-produced long life milk cost Ft 120, while a well-known Hungarian brand cost twice as much. He observed that shoppers around him seemed to be choosing the imports.
While the question Gyurcsi asks is not uninteresting – I’ve wondered it myself – he then went on to oh-so-predictably (and lamely) claim that he chose the more expensive, Hungarian product, admitting that he knew he could more easily afford this than average Hungarians. What a cow.
I can’t imagine what really goes through his mind when he looks at the Slovak milk. Does he ever wonder why and how the Slovaks can sell it for half the price that Hungaians do? And what about their exports vs. ours? Are there any policy differences between the two countries that give Slovaks the edge in this case? Remember, he is not a casual shopper, but rather a recent head of state.
What was done under his regime to encourage Hungarian business, exports and production? The bigger questions are on his conscience, whether they are on his mind is another matter.
Perhaps going shopping is just the reality grounding he needs, but any useful lessons he might possibly draw from the experience come to late for the nation. He’s had his day.
I asked about this on realdeal some times ago:
Almost the only things that we buy in Germany right now are milk products like cheese and butter (and also some Greek style yoghhurt which is perfect for Tzatziki …) because they are cheaper and of higher quality than Hungarian products.
What’s the reason for this – I wonder just as Gyurcsany does -but I don’t know an answer …
Almost every other product is similarly priced – foodstuff (vegetables, honey, meat etc) we buy here and often take some to Germany for our friends – but dairy products are different
When I came down to Hungary in -93 I remember this guy in the bar owned by my wife to be. He could one day complain that the Republikaner had been outlawed in Germany and the next day go on why it was impossible to buy Hungarian-produced milk nowadays. Much milk was obviously imported from abroad, like Germany, already at that time
Good question what was wrong already then
One obvious thing could be that I remember all tetra-paks contained foreign produced milk, and the Hungarian milk was only sold in those plastic bags
Nowadays though you can get Hungarian produced milk in tetra-paks, so no longer that problem
Today we are inside the EU, so no longer no customs fees and tariffs on imported/exported milk, not that did some difference obviously
@ Farkas Laszlo
I just want to say hi – so nice to see you back.
Coincidentally I just mentioned your name on another thread, remembering the day you became a “Communist Bastard” (I think that was the expression)
I would like to ask you a Hungarian movie question and I think you posted a website where that would be appropriate. Please post it again.
About the milk – for someone like Gyucsany to buy foreign milk because it’s cheaper is one more nauseating act on his part.
If I were a welfare Mom , I would buy whatever milk was most economical even if it came from Ahmadinejad’s family farm. My kids’ best interest would come ahead of my political beliefs.
Hi Olga,
Thanks! I’m around, sometimes on the sister websites like pestiside.hu. Ask me any movie question you want!
By the way, I am very busy prerparing a film bio right now for us all, to be likely published on pestiside in a few days. It will be like the Adolph Zukor tribute:
http://www.pestiside.hu/20100107/when-hungarians-ruled-hollywood-a-birthday-tribute-to-the-great-adolph-zukor/
with biography and youtube films. This time we will be celebrating the fabulous Korda brothers: Alexander, Vincent and Zoltán. I’m getting very excited as I’m doing this and I will be delighted to see the end result on these pages! I hope you all will enjoy it!
Don’t worry about that other thing. Making such an accusation did not resonate with this community and for good reason: all one would have to do is read my past posts to see that it is groundless. The stench of that system is still in my nostrils, and the passage of 20 years is not enough time to make it go away.
Enjoy the shows coming up!
Well obviously this bottom feeder has allot of time on his hands if he’s reduces to cruising the isles at Tesco and posting the results on his blog.
When shopping for anything in Hungary, I try and make sure that the items have ‘Magyar Termek’ on it before I buy it. Or, if it is fresh produce at a market, I will ask if it is from Hungary.
I believe that every little bit helps. I try.
Hi Zsuzsa,
It’s a commendable attitude you have about buying Hungarian whenever possible. That’s a consumer preference.
Gyurcsány is no simple shopper though. The hard policy questions swirl around him, whether he wants to think about them or not. I’d like to take him down other sections of the grocery aisle and make more comaprisons. Then we could go to other stores and outlets and make more comparisons!
If he wants to do something useful, let him further investigate such inconsistencies, and pay a visit (i.e. fact finding mission) to both the Hungarian and Slovak dairies and try and find out what is going on and be a public voice for any constructive change that might be needed. I already hear the snickering from the peanut gallery! OK, it might be to tall an order for him perhaps, but he does need something to do with the rest of his life.
@ Laci,
“but he does need something to do with the rest of his life”
Farkas László at August 17, 2010 5:59 PM
Maybe he can start by sincerely asking for forgiveness by the Hungarian people. I wonder if he even realises that he needs to?
I only hope he gets his ‘what comes around goes around’ with a vengeance!
Hi Zsuzsa,
Before he will ask Hungarians for forgiveness, he must confront his own record, without denial and white washing. He must also learn more about the economic side of life, as the grocery shopping experience is teaching him. An investigation into the situation of the Hungarian dairy would likely show him the failure of his own govt to reduce bureaucratic and tax costs, as well as a failure to encourage exports.
It’s an expensive education he is getting!
@FL:
And who pays for this “expensive education” ? – surely not Gyurcsany himself …
Desr Wolfi,
Genau!
Newsweek has made a listing of the 100 best countries in the world:
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http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html
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Not so big difference between Hungary and its closest neighbors
Did not explain the milk-problem
Hi Viking,
The Newsweek list you provded is interesting. The differences in ranking btween Slovakia(31) and Hungary(33), seem small enough. Maybe just enough to cover a milk difference(ha ha!)? Since Gyurcsi brought up this subject, I think he should follow through, get to the bottom of it and report back to us. He probably has much to learn, and like I said above, he does need something constructive to do.
@Laci,
http://www.koppanyhus.hu
Have you heard about this store? Can you tell me anything about the quality of there products?
We wanted to visit it when we were in Hungary. Somehow it ended up getting overlooked. No matter, will go there next Spring.
Thanks for the link Zsuzsa, they have good stuff indeed and does it ever look yummy! I’m sure others here will enjoy looking at that link as well! Unfortunately they are not set up to sell directly online, so you will have to go to (or contact) one of their stores.
I wish Hungarian business would use the internet more effectively. Especially about taking credit card payments. Some of these people need to look into “paypal”! The height of absurdity was on one website where the illusion of shopping was maintained with “Add to shopping basket” and “check out”- only to find out that I was supposed to write out a check for the final amount and mail it to them!