Culture: Szépasszonyvölgy Picnic

Earlier in this blog I went on a lot about the arrival of Spring--the arrival of May was momentous, too, because it was finally (supposed to be) warm enough for a picnic at the Rector and Vice Rector's wine cellar. We were invited to come to the Valley of Beautiful Women (or reasonably pretty women, as one of my colleagues translates it) around 2PM for the start of cooking process that was almost as good to observe as the result was to eat.

Outdoor cooking culture, and wine making and tasting cultures were also on full view during this wonderful day sponsored by our host and chef, Rector Hauser. English speaking predominated with visitors Dennis Bogyo and Luana Goodwin from Georgia, Paul Swann and Lisa Manheim from Pennsylvania, and folks from International Programs, the administrative offices, and the Institute for Media Informatics.

But oral explanations in any language would not have substituted for watching the many steps of cooking (including a stirring technique that required very strong arms!). The fire was welcome, too, because the warm picnic weather didn't exactly materialize. We warmed up by palinka and wine, feasted on Hungarian bacon and pork chops (no American equivalent!) and bread, and got out of the wind in the (also cool) adjacent cellars. The Hauser guided tour of the wine cellars, through showroom, entertainment area, and barrel and bottle storage showed us just why Magister wine tastes so good. Dr. Hauser also showed us the spiritual side of wine-making by inviting us to be generous to all loved ones who were no longer alive--any extra sips should be tossed on the cellar walls to go back to the earth.

Share this day in May with us by watching the embedded slideshow at the end of this blog entry, or, for a larger view with captions, click here. And, for a culinary lesson in gulyás, watch Dr. Hauser in the "stirring video" below!

Guylás and Wine Picnic