Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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The following essays have been written by some Hungarian students who
tested the portal and who wrote their contribution in English.
If you want to know something about this topic, please go to the Cooking
recipe section too, where you can find the recipes of some typical
Hungarian dishes.
Hungarian cuisine is famous and we are proud of our national dishes, such
as tuffed cabbage, paprika chicken with sour cream and dumplings, fish
soup, Újházi Chicken soup, Hortobágyi stuffed pancakes.
But we usually don't eat in a healthy way. Hungarians eat too much meat,
bread, noodles and use too much fat and spices. But we don't eat enough
fresh vegetables and fruit. That's why many people get fat when they
become adults.
Hungarian food is often spicy, due to the common use of hot paprika.
Sweet (mild) paprika is also common. Additionally, the combination of
paprika lard and yellow onions is typical of Hungarian cuisine, and the use
of the thick sour cream called tejföl
Lunch is the major meal of the day, usually with several courses. Cold or
hot appetizers may be served sometimes (for example fish, egg or liver),
then soup. Soup is followed by a main dish. The main dish is a dish
including meat and salad, which precedes the dessert. Fruit may follow.
Typical Hungarian dishes: goulash soup
stuffed cabbage
Sausage
Black pudding
Szabó Timea
Hungarians eat a lot of meat, mostly pork or beef. Many meat dishes are
dipped in bread and then baked or fried. Hungarians also prepare many
different kinds of sausages. The Hungarian national dish is meat stew.
People outside Hungary call it "goulash”. The dish they call goulash, is
actually a soup made with meat and paprika. Paprika is also a key
ingredient in another national dish for example a fish soup.
Hungary is known for its wines, especially the sweet wines of the Tokay
region.
Vincze Kinga
FORRÁS:http://www.nutrinforma.eu/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=103%3Asome-essays-on-
eating-in-hungary&catid=31%3Aenglish&Itemid=98&lang=en
Furthermore, Hungarian food is often spicy because they often use hot paprika or garlic.
Sweet (mild) paprika is also common. Additionally, the combination of paprika, lard
(Schmalz) and yellow onions is typical of Hungarian cuisine, and the use of the thick sour
cream. Hungary is also famous for meat stews, steaks, roasted pork, beef, poultry, lamb or
game and the Hungarian sausages are a major part of Hungarian cuisine. Hungarian food and
mostly traditional meat dishes will cooked over the open fire like goulash stew and the spicy
fisherman's soup in the traditional cooker which is the cattle. The mixing of different varieties
of meat is a traditional feature of the Hungarian cuisine. Goulash, stuffed peppers, stuffed
cabbages can combine with beef and pork. In very exclusive dishes fruits like plums and
apricots are cooked with meat. Also often to find in Hungarian kitchen are peaches, cherry,
raspberry and melons. In summer melons you can find at each corner where people sell them.
Also famous in the Hungarian kitchen are different forms of vegetable stews called as well as
cold fruit soups, like cold sour cherry soup.
Various kinds of noodles and dumplings, potatoes and rice are mostly just served as a side
dish. You see it’s often eaten meat there. Actually it isn’t so good and varied.
FORRÁS: http://lang-8.com/179040/journals/1783580/Eating-habits-in-Hungary
For example, Japanese food is good for your health and low in calories. It's well
known by people all around the world. It is loved celebrity Ms. Madonnna. Japanese
food stores are continuing to increase in the world.So now in various countries
people can get Japanese food.
Again ,American eating habits are completely different from the Japanese habits.
Japanese mainly eat rise,but Americans mainly eat bread.
Speaking of American eating habits, lets talk about fast food. There are a lot more
fast food places there than in Japan.
And, Americans don't eat vegetables very much. There are not many vegetables
served when I eat out in Japan, but in America there are even fewer. They seem to
try to make up for the lack of vegetables by taking vitamins.
There are a lot of people who do not cook in America.So frozen food is substantial in
America. There are various kinds of frozen food : such as soup, pizza, pasta,and so
on.
And, Americans love sweets. There seem to be people who will pour sweet syrup on
their already sweet ice cream, and eat it.
Because of this, in America the number of obese people has increased. Afterwards,
I've noticed more people have been comparing their own bodies to others, and will
choose low-fat butter and milk when eating dairy products.
Next is China. In modern China, there are many nuclear families, the standard is to
eat with our families.
They can use the Chinese stand willingly in the general family the number of articles
is abundant, and so cheap. I am not very sure about this one. They can use the
Chinese stand willingly in the general family the number of articles is abundant, and
so cheap. I am not very sure about this one. The gyoza, the ramen and the okayu
are very popular dishes . Because China is a big country, the food varies in every
region.
FORRÁS:http://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blog/show?
id=2524315%3ABlogPost%3A323519&commentId=2524315%3AComment
%3A324015&xg_source=activity
When your eating a dish with cooked rice in Thailand, only use your
work to shove your rice onto your spoon. With some dishes, such as sticky rice, it is allowed
to use your hands. But asking for chopsticks is plain rude.
Do not eat taco’s with knife and fork in Mexico. Afraid your beans and salsa will be all over
the place? Get over it, because Mexicans think eating taco’s with knife and fork is stupid and
snobbish – like using your best silverwork eating French fries.
Do not ask for parmesan cheese on your pizza in Italy. Italians think that is “not done”, and
parmesan is not the standard cheese everywhere: in roman dishes for example, they rather us
pecorino.
When your offered a drink in Korea by and elderly person, you reach to your glas or cup with
both hands going upwards. When it is poured, you look away to discretely take your first sip.
Do not start eating before the oldest person at the table.
When you pause during eating in Japan, place your chopsticks
at your right, parallel with the table border. The worst thing you can do is placing your
chopsticks upright in your rice: this gesture has a symbolic meaning and is held for funerals.
Never eat with your left hand in the middle eat, India and some part of Africa. Reason: the left
hand is used for other body functions and is seen as impure. Also do not use your left hand to
hand out important documents. Who wants their poop all over their paper right ?
In Southern China and Hong Kong, they believe that it is bad luck to turn your fish around.
Instead, take the bones of and then eat the bottom half.
In Chili they are stricter about eating habits than in other South American countries. Don’t eat
anything with your hands, not even small appetizers.
When you are invited to a traditional dinner in Georgia, remember that it is rude to drink your
wine calmly. During such a “supra” you can only drink after a toast, and then you have to
drink your entire glass in one go.
Don’t mix your vodka when your in Russia: the Russians drink their favorite drink pure,
unless they mix it with beer from Yorsh. Denying a glass of vodka is seen as rude, because the
offer is meant as a sign for friendship and trust.
—————————————————————–
As you can see, eating habits vary a lot around the world. It is culturally defined how one sees
certain eating habits. In one country eating with your hands is polite, and in the other it is
plain rude.
In some countries they even want you to drink things that are bad for your mind and body
such as vodka, or drinking an entire glass in 1 go after a toast. They see it as a sign of
friendship and trust, and that is simply ridiculous. If you require another to accept a drink
when they are not thirsty, or a drink that will cause them to be drunk, for them to give a sign
to you that they are your friend and can be trusted? Ridiculous.
So if you like to eat in a specific way, for example with a spoon, a knife and fork, or your
hands… then do so. And do not judge others for not eating the way you are eating. It really is
irrelevant.
And if we want a better world, we will have to start investigating the cultural rules that create
separation between us, even when it are such “small” things. Time to use our brains.
If you notice a reaction coming up towards a certain eating habit, find out why. And realize
someone from another country may be equally as judgmental towards you. Do we want such a
world? I don’t. Let’s learn to treat each others as Equal living beings, not determined by
cultural rules.
FORRÁS: http://earthreview.eu/2012/03/the-strangest-eating-habits-from-around-the-
world/
These Hungarian food and beverage specialities have the collective name Hungarikum:
Goose Liver Pâté: goose liver is one of the best known gourmet products of Hungary. Look
for small black and golden cans, the Pick brand is a good choice
Visit the Great Market Hall on a guided tour and taste Hungarian culinary specialties like
lángos (yeast-based dough deep fried in oil topped with sour cream and cheese).
Hungarian Salami
The best brand is Pick. Look for long salami bars, covered with white mould and with red-
white-green paper rings (the Hungarian flag) around them.
At the Great Market Hall (and in every Budapest Market) Pick Salamis are nicely hanged at
butchers' counters. There are Pick Brand Shops in Budapest: at 9., Kossuth Lajos tér and in
Városház utca at No. 14. Both shops are in the V. district.
Hungarian paprika
You can buy this red spice in various packaging and in neat gift boxes. Make sure you check
whether the a paprika you want to buy is sweet (édesnemes) or hot (erős).
Hungarian wines
The most famous are Tokaji Aszú, a sweet dessert wine and Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood of
Eger), a dry red wine. There are other great but lesser known Hungarian Wines that you
should try. Wines from the Villány and Szekszárd region are good alternatives to Egri
Bikavér.
A Wine Tasting in the Historic Faust Wine Cellar in Buda Castle is a great opportunity to
sample wines from Hungary's best wineries.
During the wine tasting the sommelier of the cellar will tell you interesting facts and stories
about Hungarian wines and wine regions
If you don't want to buy pig in a poke visit one of the numerous wine shops in Budapest. The
staff will help you to choose the wine that suits your taste the best.
If you buy wine in a grocery store choose bottles from the mid or upper level shelves, good
quality wines are usually placed there. Most of the time the price also indicates the quality of
wine.
If a bottle costs around 1000 Ft, you can't go wrong. Of course you can cough up several
thousands forints for vintage vines.
Hungarian pálinka
Brandy made from delicious Hungarian fruits: the best brands are Kecskeméti barackpálinka,
(apricot brandy), Szatmári szilvapálinka (plum brandy), Zwack Vilmoskörte (William's pear
brandy). Always look for bottles that have a label with "pálinka" written on it, otherwise you'll
end up something awful that's made from pure alcohol with artificial colourings and
flavourings.
The best place to savor Hungarian pálinka is go for a Pálinka & Chocolate/Hungarian
Sausage Tasting in BARbár Cafe.
BARbár Cafe & Chocolate organizes the tasting where you can taste various fruit spirits with
brandy filled chocolate bonbons or a selection of Hungarian sausages.
Zwack Unicum herb liqueur- one of the best known Hungarian spirit brands, made from
more than 40 carefully selected herbs and spices. Have a swig before or after your dinner
and it makes your stomach-ache go away. if you don't like the bitter taste of the original
Unicum go for the Unicum Next, it has more sweetish taste. A 0,5 l bottle of Unicum or
Unicum Next costs around 2000 HUF/8 €.
Honey
Sweet, Hungarian honey comes in every shades of the golden. The most popular is acacia
honey, but I prefer ordinary blossom honey. It has richer taste and a dark-golden colour. I
always buy honey in the market.
Fruit jams
Hungarian fruit jams are also of great quality. Due to the country's favourable climate
Hungary produces luscious fruits. We make fine fruit jams of them to preserve their taste and
flavor.
Apricot and plum jams are the most popular.
Look for bottles where the label says that fruit
content is around 40-50 % or above. Peasant
vendors in the markets sell excellent quality
homemade jams. There's a shop called
Lekvárium (fruit jam is lekvár in Hungarian) in
Dohány utca 39., VII. district. They sell all sorts
of homemade jams and preserves. Their elder
flower syrup has divine aroma.
Pickles
Hungarians are real experts in making savoury pickles. Gherkins, onions, sweet and chilli
peppers, tomatoes, cauliflowers and so on, jammed in spicy, pickled juice.
They're perfect appetizers, but we eat them with meat dishes as a kind of salad. The best
places to buy Hungarian pickles are the markets. Vendors sell them by the kilo. You can also
get them in bottles in any grocery.
Christmas Bonbon
(szaloncukor): it's something you won't find anywhere else in the world or if you do, than it's
for sure that Hungarians brought with them. It is a chocolate-covered candy, wrapped in
colourful foils and we hang them on the Christmas tree as decoration. Of course we eat them
one buy one, and by the end of the holiday only empty papers hang on the tree.
You can buy szaloncukor only around Christmas time. Every grocery sells it. These special
Christmas sweets come in nice boxes or in simple plastic bags. You can choose from a wide
range of flavours from rum raisin to butter-scotch and fruit jelly ones.
Marzipan: These chocolate covered delights are one of my favourites. The famous Szamos
Confectionery, a family run business makes them. They live and run their business in
Szentendre, where there's a museum about these marzipan bonbons and their production.
Luckily they have shops in Budapest too: in West End City Center, Árkád Shopping Mall,
Mammut Shopping Mall.
Visit our Hungarian Dishes page for introduction to mouth watering national meals.
FORRÁS: http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.com/special-hungarian-foods.html
Fish and Chips: Usually cod or haddock, although skate and plaice are often
available. The fish is battered and deep-fried, and served with chips (french fries)
and "mushy peas". You usually season it with salt and vinegar or lemon. The trick is
to get fresh fish and not frozen, and your best chance is at the seaside resorts, an
example of which is Whitby. Don't be scared to get a takeaway and eat it straight
from the paper (it used to be newspaper) the traditional way - with your fingers!
Steak and Kidney Pie: Chunks of beef and kidney in a rich, thick gravy
baked in a pastry crust. If it's baked in a suet crust (less usual these days) it's called
a steak and kidney pudding.
Cheese: France may hold the blue riband for soft cheeses, but
the UK's choice of hard cheeses is unmatched anywhere (though Spain is
underrated). Served after dessert in Britain, the best quality cheeses are not
inexpensive (although you can buy plenty of cheap versions in the supermarkets) but
well worth seeking out. Blue and White Stilton, Cheddar, Red Leicester, Wensleydale,
Sage Derby, Cornish Yarg, Double Gloucester, the list goes on and on. Accompany
them with a fine port or tokay.
Strawberries and Cream: The most expensive strawberries and cream in the world
are served at Wimbledon but you can enjoy them anywhere in the UK in the early
(and these days throughout) summer. Raspberries are also popular later in the
season, and I prefer their tarter flavour myself although they are less frequently
offered.
Steamed Treacle Pudding, Spotted Dick: These
puddings are not for wimps. These two puddings are really winter dishes, proper,
solid (believe it) puddings that provide you with the calories to survive the privations
of the English winter. Spotted Dick is a steamed, log-shaped suet pudding studded
with currants and ideally served with treacle poured over it. Steamed Treacle Pudding
is basically a steamed sponge pudding made with treacle that also has treacle poured
over it when served. Calorie counting? Fuggedaboudit.
FORRÁS: http://www.travelsignposts.com/England2/traditional-English-
food-specialities.php
Canadian Specialities
Learn about the speciality foods most often associated with Canada...
Maple syrup
Canada is famous for maple syrup and maple syrup products. Canada makes about 80 percent
of the world's maple syrup and the majority comes from the region of Quebec. Ontario, New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island also produce maple syrup, but not in the
same quantities as Quebec.
In March and April, maple syrup is harvested and maple syrup producers often open their
doors to the public to let them see how maple syrup production takes place. This season is
called "sugaring off" in Quebec. In Nova Scotia maple festivals take place and in New
Brunswick, sugar camps. Harvesting in the maple syrup producing regions coincides with the
emergence of sugar shacks or pancake houses which open up to the public offering wagon
rides, tours, snow taffy and demonstrations. Snow taffy is a kind of toffee, which is made by
boiling maple syrup then pouring it onto the cold snow to solidify.
Poutine
Poutine, although originating in Quebec, is now found across Canada and is considered a
typically Canadian dish. It is basically potato chips topped with curd cheese and gravy.
Poutine varies across the regions, with some of the Maritime provinces adding meat to the
dish, while other provinces use different types of cheeses.
Barbecue
Canadians love to barbecue. Most barbecues are gas and covered so they are easy to light up
all year round. It is normal for Canadian families to barbecue in the middle of the winter when
it is below zero with snow on the ground.
FORRÁS: http://canada.angloinfo.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/canadian-specialities/
Australian Food Specialities yes dim sims are made in
Australia
Introducing Australia's favourite food
Many people have wondered if Australia has different food tastes to the rest of the world.
I will include here some of Australia's favourite foods that are commercially available.
I must put a disclaimer in here that I do not regard myself in any shape or form as a good cook.
Also some of our socalled unique food is an adaption from recipes which our forebearers
imported when they came to inhabit our great country.
Anyway this is a lighthearted presentation of what I grew up with thinking that the products were
only available in Australia.
So without any further ado I present in no particular order my favourite and not so favourite Ozzie
food.
Australia claims the good old Aussie Meat Pie as it's own because we feel we developed the
concept as a hand sized unit which can be consumed on the run and is great as a warm-up food
at a footy match.
I can remember as kid going to the footy (The Tigers) with my big brother and we would get a hot
pie at half time and scoff them down like they were to be our last meals.
One of the most popular brands of meat pie is "Four'nTweny" which in OZ is synonymous with the
greatest code of football "Australian Rules Football" controlled by the "Australian Football
League".
Anyone who disagrees with that statement take it up with the guy doing the typing.
Vegemite
Possibly our most popular and most maligned food product is Vegemite.
Eaten by kids since early last century prompting the saying of being a "Happy Little Vegemite"
I have written a complete Hub on this simply titled "Vegemite" you might like to read more details
at the Hub.
One of my most favourite sweets is the beautiful Pavlova, debate has raged for years of the origin
of the Pavlova, be it Australia or New Zealand (lizzie will say it's NZ I'm claiming it as Australian.
(thumbing nose at lizzie) LOL.
However there is no arguement about where the name came from, it was the great ballerina Anna
Pavlova.
As I said before I'm no cook, so I'm not going to be to accruate with the recipe of beaten up egg
whites ,vanilla essence and a bunch of other stuff.
Sultanas
Sultanas are my favourite snack food , they are naturally low in fat and I believe they are suitable
for Vegetarians and Vegans.
Although not entirely unique to Australia I believe we adopted the Sultana when we turned it into
a meal on it's own.
The Sultana is made from a green seedless grape slightly bigger than the raisin grape.
Aeroplane Jelly
I'm sure this has more than likely got another name but I grew up always just calling it "Jelly".
There was "Yellow Jelly, Red Jelly "Green Jelly".
My favourite flavour was the "Red Jelly" covered all over with fresh cream, yummy.
The brand most widely known in Australia is "Aeroplane Jelly" according to wikipedia there are 10
million unit of jelly sold annually, and Strawberry is still the most popular flavour.
Even though it has been an Iconic Australian brand it was sold to McCormick Food Company late
last century.
Dim Sim
Although sounding very chinese the old dim sim was actually first developed around 1945 right
here in Melbourne by a Chinese chef called William Wing Young for a restaurant titled "Wing
Lee".
Dim Sims were also referred to as Mystery Bags as you could never be quite sure what you were
getting. However that has changed for the better since the bigger companies have taken up the
manufacture of these delightful nibbles.
We often have the "Dimmy" as we lovingly call them deep fried with "Fish and Chips". My wife
and I have also enjoyed them "steamed" and served with Soy Sauce.
Two Aussie Icons Our flag and Our Lamingtons
Lamingtons
Lamingtons have for a long time been on my have to have list of cakes!
Originally they were just plain sponge but as years went by varieties appeared with strawberry or
blackberry jam or cream in the centre. Not unlike what I think Americans call "Twinkies"
SAO Biscuits
SAO Biscuits have a very long history in Australia and are manufactured by Arnott's Biscuits as
long ago as 1906. It is reported that 'SAO biscuits' was the first biscuit to be a registered Brand
Name in Australia.
It is rumored to be the initials of "Salvation Army Officer" because I was told by people who knew
other people that they were made very cheaply for the poor at the request of the Salvation Army.
Fact of fiction I dunno but a good story nevertheless.
SAO are a dry cracker type biscuit and a great to have as a light weight lunch with tomato and
cheese.
They also go very nicely with butter and the good old Vegemite
Released in 1964 they were an immediate success. They consist of 2 biscuits with cream in
between (caramel sort of flavour) and covered in delicious chocolate.
I think the biscuit was named after the winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1958.
Arnotts who manufacture the Tim Tam claim that there are nearly 400 million Tim Tams sold every
year in some form or other.
Chiko Roll
I nearly let this one slip by me. How could I have forgotten this one and absolute must to have at
the footy with the old meat pie.
Today CHIKO Rolls are produced in Bathurst, NSW by Simplot Australia, and are made on a
unique machine that creates the pastry and the filling of fresh vegetables and meat at exactly the
same time. The product starts as a continuous CHIKO Roll which, after cooking, is sliced down to
size. The famous pastry ends are added before the CHIKO Rolls are par-fried for a second time.
Every CHIKO is still despatched with the famous CHIKO serving bag that has only changed
slightly over the years, but has always maintained its original appearance.
FORRÁS: http://agvulpes.hubpages.com/hub/Australian-Food-Specialities
Table manners are how to behave when you eat a meal. They include how to handle cutlery and how to eat
in a civilized manner. The world’s largest travel and digital publisher, Lonely Planet has assembled
etiquette tips. It warns of blunders you should avoid at table.
“It celebrates the fun of travel. Sometimes they are funny and sometimes they are informative,” said US
editor Robert Reid, whose team pulled together tidbits from various cross-cultural books.
Eating
Japan
Tradition: Unlike making big noises, slurping mildly is not rude but is a compliment to the chef. Japanese
also say it tastes better if you slurp.
What else to watch: It’s important to say traditional phrases of thanks before and after a meal.
Eat sushi whole. Dip the fish part rather than the rice into soy sauce.
Russia
Lonely Planet: Your wrists should be placed on the edge of the table while eating, fork in left hand, knife in
the right.
Tradition: Keep your hands in sight. It is not good manners to rest them on your lap. Keep your elbows off
the table.
What else to watch: Leave some food on your plate to show that the host has given you enough to eat. Or
the host will ask if you’d like to have a second helping. It’s polite to mop up excess sauce or gravy with
bread.
Portugal
Lonely Planet: don’t ask for salt and pepper if it is not on the table. “Asking for any kind of seasoning or
condiment” will offend the cook.
What else to watch: Place your napkin on your lap, and don’t eat with your fingers. Don’t switch cutlery
between hands.
France
Lonely Planet: never discuss money or religion over dinner. Going Dutch is considered “the height of
unsophistication”.
Tradition: In France, a meal is like a ceremony. People relish it and make it’s a special occasion.
What else to watch: In contrast to the etiquette in Russia, it’s considered good manners to finish everything
on your plate.
People often cut bread directly on a table cloth rather than on a plate. Tear your bread into bite-sized pieces
before eating. Taking a bite from the whole piece is very impolite.
Mexico
Lonely Planet: Whenever you catch the eye of someone who’s eating, even a stranger, it’s good manners to
say “provecho”, which means enjoy.
Tradition: In Mexico, dining is more than a meal. It’s a social occasion - lunches are rarely quick and
suppers can last for hours.
What else to watch: Where you sit matters in the country. Before you get seated, look for place cards, or
wait until the host seats you.
And you must say “enjoy your meal” before you leave the table.
Drinking
America
If you empty a bottle into someone’s glass, it obliges that person to buy the next bottle. It’s polite to put the
last drops into your own glass.
Australia
In a pub it’s customary to buy a round of drinks for everyone in your group. When it’s your turn say “It’s
my round”. They’ll make it up to you when it’s their round. Don’t leave before you’ve bought a round.
Japan
Don’t fill your own glass of alcohol, instead, you should pour for others and wait for them to reciprocate.
Russia
Adhere to the vodka rituals. Vodka is for toasting, not sipping. Men, but not women, are expected to down
shots in one gulp. Never mix vodka with another beverage or dilute it. And don’t place an empty bottle on
the table - it must be placed on the floor.
Sweden
It’s considered impolite to clink glasses unless you say “cheers”.
FORRÁS: http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/thread-786788-1-1.html
Etiquette and Eating Habits
No society can survive or flourish unless its members accept rules governing food sharing and
consumption. Mealtime manners, which govern the way food is eaten in the company of
others, provide for giving and receiving small, vital, and constantly reiterated signs that these
rules are in working order. Without them food would be hogged by the physically powerful,
violence would frequently erupt during meals, civility in general would decline, and
eventually society would break down altogether. Furthermore, the specific fashion in which a
culture manages eating helps to express, identify, and dramatize that society's ideals and
aesthetic style.
Civilized and considerate people the world over demand that meals shall be eaten with
respect, not only for the food and the effort and good fortune it represents but also for the
people in whose company it is eaten. Human beings normally eat in the company of others.
The word "company" is derived from Latin, meaning "bread with," and therefore "those who
share food." The act of sharing a meal becomes a symbol of every kind of relationship and of
the acceptance of cultural values that may seem to have little to do with consuming nutrients.
Since eating normally happens more than once a day, human beings turn meals into
opportunities to learn and to practice "culture." Politeness at meals provides daily exercise in
making socially desirable norms "second nature."
Taboo
Eating rules exist mainly to ensure that meals shall be shared peacefully, the reason being that
such an outcome is far from inevitable. People have killed, chopped, and submitted to fire
what they are eating together; they are often armed with knives and certainly with teeth,
primary human weapons. They are hungry, each looking out for his or her own interests, and
they are sitting at close quarters. They might also be consuming alcohol, which lowers
inhibitions. Mealtime rules provide not only the safety but also the predictability that allows
eaters to relax.
Different societies have different ways of keeping violence out of the sacred eating space. In
European and American cultures knives are on the table. Their blades are given rounded ends
unless they are exceptionally competent "steak" knives. Rules insist on no pointing with
knives, forks, or spoons. Diners should not impale their food on their knives to carry it to their
mouths, or hold their knives in their fists (that is, too competently and therefore aggressively).
They should direct their knives toward their plates with their forefingers, and they should lay
down their knives with blades facing inward, not toward neighbors. Attempting to reduce the
actual use of the knife, diners, when in doubt and if possible, use a fork or a spoon instead.
North Americans traditionally cut their food then put aside their knives, blades facing in, and
eat with their forks. Carving up a whole joint or a bird in front of the assembled company
would be, in many societies, an unthinkably barbarous act. The Chinese and Japanese, for
example, have banned knives from the table altogether. They cut up everything in advance, far
away and out of sight. The eating implements provided are blunt wooden sticks.
Mealtime manners usually work by keeping any thought of violence from occurring. Many
myths, however, reveal the roots of the conventions by including a murder that is especially
appalling because of its mealtime setting. The drama resides in the horror of that which good
behavior while eating so successfully prevents. (An example is Homer's Odyssey 11: 409–
420.) And because mealtime manners are a mild form of taboo, hearing about infractions,
such as people flinging food about, wiping their mouths on the tablecloth, or grabbing food
with their hands (especially where knives, forks, and spoons or chopsticks are the rule),
causes shock or laughter.
During meals all mammals are extrasensitive to the possibility of enemies stealing their food
or otherwise taking advantage of their concentration on eating. They are alert to tiny signs and
abnormalities in the environment that otherwise they might let pass. For human beings, who
normally eat in a previously prepared and protected area, this heightened attention is applied
to the behavior of their eating companions. Strange table manners or an affront to a visitor's
culturally formed expectations are often the subject of dramatic travelers' tales. Westerners,
for example, might note with surprise and then find unforgettable the Arab custom of pouring
tea into a glass until it overflows into the saucer beneath it. This is a sign in Arab cultures of
magnanimity, but foreigners can misinterpret it as sloppy and incompetent behavior. On the
continent of Europe, propriety enjoins diners to sit with both hands in full view of the
company; most correctly, unused hands should rest on the table's edge, being visible only
from the wrists. The Anglo-Saxon custom of permitting guests to sit with one hand hidden
seems, to Continentals, at best a sad sign of naivete. Since mealtime etiquette is drummed into
people so early and so thoroughly, its obedient practitioners rarely find it a matter for
comment; they take it for granted. It is outsiders usually who report on the idiosyncrasies of a
society's manners at meals.
Other themes expressed by systems of mealtime manners worldwide include who dines with
whom and when, and the solidarity of the dining group; consideration for the needs, fears, and
sensitivities of the other people present; and cleanliness, which may have as much to do with
purity and all its connotations as with health. These themes may be articulated in mealtime
rituals that are common to many cultures, or behavior may be highly idiosyncratic yet witness
to widely held meanings. Mealtime rules simultaneously express preferences that are culture
specific.
For example, in modern Europe and America meals are eaten around a table, which expresses
the oneness of the group. Solidarity established, the separateness and self-sufficiency of each
individual is stressed. The cutlery is laid out like a fence surrounding every "place." Everyone
sits on his or her own upright chair. Portions are divided out before people begin eating and
are served on separate dishes. Any crossing of the boundaries represented by the enclosed
"place" is either a transgression (a "transgression," derived from Latin, means a "stepping
over") or demonstrates great intimacy between people allowed to break this rule and transfer
"tastes" from one plate to another. In this same culture it used to be thought polite and
benevolent, therefore "good manners," repeatedly to pass food to one's companions. People
are exhorted not to lean into someone else's space; not to reach across the table, let alone
across a neighbor's plate; not to share the cutlery. Such insistence on the boundaries between
the diners is different from the etiquette of people who eat from a common spread, taking
from it with their hands, often sitting on the ground to do so.
Equality, Hierarchy, and Reciprocity
When equality is the overriding theme of a meal, meat is likely to be prechopped or minced
and perhaps formed into cakes of equal sizes, or all the ingredients might be mixed in one
dish so everybody eats the same thing (Watson, 1988). But hierarchy frequently cuts across
commensal equality. It matters, for example, who gets served first. Where a whole bird,
representing the oneness of the group, is carved up before the diners, the proceeding ensures
that differences are expressed. No portion is exactly like any other, and differing values might
be assigned to each piece. Carving, in the Western tradition, was once called "doing the
honors."
The allocation of sitting spaces at a banquet is exceedingly important in many cultures and
subject to specific rules. Often women, who usually have prepared the food, are not allowed
to join the men in eating it. Written records of feasts in the European past frequently describe
the seating of the guests while not bothering to say what it was they actually ate.
Hospitality, or accepting nonfamily members into one's house, has always been thought a
difficult or dangerous proceeding, and for this reason is often the subject of rules and
constraints. Hosts have to make guests "feel at home," yet guests must refrain from
demanding different food, ordering the host's children about, or otherwise overstepping their
essentially passive role. Hosts are at home, giving, while guests are away, receiving, and these
roles are underlined in different ways, for instance, in some of the rules for seating.
Meals eaten with friends and acquaintances are widely thought of as helping to bind a
society's members together, especially in cultures where familial solidarity is strong enough to
create the potential isolation of people into family groups (Ortner, 1978). Such meals
normally demand a repetition of the exercise at a later date, when the present guest will
become the host. The imbalance created between hosts and guests demands to be righted and
produces the highly desirable social virtue of peaceful reciprocity (Lévi-Strauss, 1969; Pitt-
Rivers, 1977).
In all cultures children have to be taught mealtime manners, which deliberately complicate the
actions of taking and eating. They learn gradually not to grab, splash, or shout at meals. They
practice giving and receiving in the manner acceptable to the culture, and they find they must
ask for rather than demand what they want. Children may also become familiar with social
hierarchies or elaborate kinship patterns in their rule-bound expressions at meals, that is, how
and when to keep quiet, how to hear and apply admonitions, how to wait and to share (Raum,
1940; Read, 1959; Richards, 1932, 1939). Mealtimes, with clear needs, swift rewards, and
adult examples on view, are perfect occasions for children to learn to talk. It is understood that
little children, if they are allowed to join the commensal group, have not yet learned to
"behave." They may be permitted to run around, beg for tidbits from adults, and otherwise
break the rules. Their eventual admission to adult status at meals is a kind of initiation and a
proof that they now are capable of self-control.
Noise
Different attitudes toward food are expressed by two types of mealtime manners as they relate
to sound. For some groups the polite response to a meal is gratitude to the cook or the host for
providing it and pleasure, which should be clearly dramatized. People are expected to express
their delight verbally or to provide physical signs of it, like slurping their noodles and sighing
with satisfaction. Contentedly burping after the meal may show a kindly abandon to the
generosity of the host, who might be hurt if guests remain cool, detached, and apparently
either unsatisfied or unimpressed by what has been offered them.
In other cultures people feel they should not be unduly interested in the food; they should at
least appear to revel mainly in the company of the other people present. They refrain from
exclaiming about the food, although a polite murmur of appreciation might be permitted.
They must not look too enthusiastic for fear of seeming greedy. People are expected instead to
concentrate on the conversation.
In some cultures talking during meals may be strictly undesirable. In others only certain
people present are allowed to talk, or it may be deemed essential that everybody contribute to
the conversation. The etiquette of eating from a common spread versus that of eating
previously apportioned food interlocks with these preferences for either talking or keeping
silent. The system in which each person eats from a separate plate divides the companions,
and talk provides the needed interchange among them. People who take their food from a
central dish or set of dishes necessarily interact in the process, so they concentrate on eating
with fairness and consideration and tend to talk little. People who use chopsticks eat quickly
because cut-up food, sizzling hot, could get cold if too much time is taken in chatting rather
than eating. Talking for these last two groups tends to be done before the meal or afterward.
Complication
Not being mannerly, and effortlessly mannerly, can arouse irritation, unease, disgust,
contempt, and finally rejection by other people. Manners, which are supposed to ease
relationships, can be turned into a series of tests to sift out people who have not learned the
niceties and therefore are kept outside the privileged circles of the "well bred." Here manners
are no longer "for the sake of other people" but only for the complacency of some and the
exclusion of others. Mealtime manners make a more draconian demand than most aspects of
"proper" behavior because ignoring them can violate largely unexamined or unconscious
taboos. People often use the differences between their own systems of manners and those of
others to make derogatory judgments about those others. In the modern West people
frequently shudder at or mock the behavior of their own ancestors, who, for example, ate with
their hands.
Yet people who eat with their hands have just as many rules and elaborations as do the
wielders of chopsticks or knives, forks, and spoons. People might, for example, always have
to eat with their right hands (Needham, 1973) and might even have to restrict the number of
fingers used on that hand. They must never reach for more food while still chewing and must
never fill both cheeks or even fill one too full, which shows uncontrolled appetite. Hand
washing is demanded before and after meals and sometimes during meals as well. No spilling
or grabbing and no fiddling with the food is allowed, such actions being all too easy when
eating with the hands. Eating gracefully, or the reverse, is defined, and rules establish how to
take up a morsel and just how and how much to dip it into sauce. Restrictions govern general
physical postures at meals, and the pressure is to offer delicacies to others. Rules such as these
regulated eating behavior before the imposition of the set of cutlery now common in the West.
FORRÁS: http://www.answers.com/topic/etiquette-and-eating-habits
A SZENVEDÉLYBETEGSÉGEK
There are addictions, which are very harmful, for example: smoking, drugs and drinking.
Smoking is very harmful and it’s very difficult to give up smoking. I think smokers smoke
cigarettes out of sheer habit not for the taste and flavour of cigarette.
Drinking coffee is harmful too, but some people who has low blood pressure it’s helpful.
I think drugs are the most dangerous passion because it’s crocked up the body so quickly. Taking
drugs weakens the addicts’ immune system, makes them susceptible to strokes and causes
anemia. Young people try drugs mostly because of curiosity. Young people’s idols, famous pop
stars, actors and actresses, also take drugs and show a bad example for them. Giving up drugs is
very difficult because drugs are extremely addictive. I think it is almost impossible to give up
drugs without professional help.
Drinking is as dangerous as taking drugs, both of them mend the feelings for a short time. Adults
should call the attention of young people to the health hazards of drinking. They should make
teenagers realize that alcohol is as addictive as drugs and cigarettes. Drinking is especially
dangerous for young people as their liver functions are not developed enough to stop alcohol
from destroying their brain cells.
I think it’s impossible to stop people from smoking and drinking with laws or regulations.
Producing and distributing cigarettes and alcoholic drinks is a very profitable business.
FORRÁS: http://janaangol.hu/17-tetel-illnesses-betegseg/?wpmp_switcher=desktop
Internet addiction is described as an impulse control disorder, which does not involve use of
an intoxicating drug and is very similar to pathological gambling. Some Internet users may
develop an emotional attachment to on-line friends and activities they create on their
computer screens. Internet users may enjoy aspects of the Internet that allow them to meet,
socialize, and exchange ideas through the use of chat rooms, social networking websites, or
"virtual communities." Other Internet users spend endless hours researching topics of
interest Online or "blogging". Blogging is a contraction of the term "Web log", in which an
individual will post commentaries and keep regular chronicle of events. It can be viewed as
journaling and the entries are primarily textual.
Similar to other addictions, those suffering from Internet addiction use the virtual fantasy
world to connect with real people through the Internet, as a substitution for real-life human
connection, which they are unable to achieve normally.
Internet addiction results in personal, family, academic, financial, and occupational problems
that are characteristic of other addictions. Impairments of real life relationships are disrupted
as a result of excessive use of the Internet. Individuals suffering from Internet addiction
spend more time in solitary seclusion, spend less time with real people in their lives, and are
often viewed as socially awkward. Arguments may result due to the volume of time spent on-
line. Those suffering from Internet addiction may attempt to conceal the amount of time spent
on-line, which results in distrust and the disturbance of quality in once stable relationships.
Some suffering from Internet addiction may create on-line personas or profiles where they are
able to alter their identities and pretend to be someone other than himself or herself. Those at
highest risk for creation of a secret life are those who suffer from low-self esteem feelings of
inadequacy, and fear of disapproval. Such negative self-concepts lead to clinical problems of
depression and anxiety.
Many persons who attempt to quit their Internet use experience withdrawal including: anger,
depression, relief, mood swings, anxiety, fear, irritability, sadness, loneliness, boredom,
restlessness, procrastination, and upset stomach. Being addicted to the Internet can also cause
physical discomfort or medical problems such as: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, dry eyes,
backaches, severe headaches, eating irregularities, (such as skipping meals), failure to attend
to personal hygiene, and sleep disturbance.
Sources: "Virtual Addiction" David N. Greenfield, Ph.D., "Caught in the Net" Dr. Kimberly
Young, Center for Internet Addiction Recovery, American Psychiatric Association.
FORRÁS: http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=43
The term Alternative Medicine means any form of medicine that is outside
the mainstream of western medicine or conventional medicine as practiced
a majority of doctors today. This term is loosely used to over all forms of
medicine except allopathy. In 1973, the Medical Faculty of the University
of Rome convened the first World Congress of Alternative Medicines and
the provisional program contained no less than 135 therapies.
Alternative medicine exists in all cultures to some degree and terms such
as traditional medicine, indigenous medicine or folk medicine etc. are used
to describe such practices. These medicines date back hundred or even
thousands of years depending on the country and culture concerned.
There are more than 100 systems of alternative medicines still in practice
all over the world. Every country, region or area has its own traditional
system of health and medical cares such as for the Chinese it is
acupuncture, for the French, magnetic healing; for the Germans,
Heilpraxis; for the English, Herbalism; for India, Ayurveda with Siddha
being widely practice in the southern part of the country; for Japan,
Shiatsu etc.
Alternative Therapies
Similar to acupuncture, but using finger pressure rather than fine needles
on specific points along the body to treat ailments such as tension and
stress, aches and pains, menstrual cramps, arthritis.
Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Astrology
Atlas Orthogonal
Ayurvedic Medicine
Practiced in India for more than 5,000 years, ayurvedic tradition holds
that illness is a state of imbalance among the body's systems that can be
detected through such diagnostic procedures as reading the pulse and
observing the tongue. Nutrition counseling, massage, natural medications,
meditation, and other modalities are used to address a broad spectrum of
ailments.
Auricular Therapy
Alexander Technique
Autogenic Training
Anthroposophical Medicine
This practice comes from Yoga and is the use of one's own urine as food,
medicine, restorative, transforming agent and immune system booster. It
is sometimes called 'Your Own Doctor'.
Holotropic Breathwork
Biofeedback
Cellular Therapy
Colon Therapy
Chelation Therapy
Chiropractic
Colonics
Counseling/Psychotherapy
Cupping
Craniosacral Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapies
Dentistry, Holistic
Dowsing
Ear Candling
Primarily used for wax buildup and related hearing problems, ear candling
is also used for ear infections and sinus infections. Treatment involves
placing the narrow end of a specially designed hollow candle at the entry
of the ear canal, while the opposite end is lit.
Electropathy
Fasting Therapy
Feng Shui
Feldenkrais Method
Flower Essences
Gem Therapy
Heliotherapy
Holistic Medicine
Homoeopathy
Hypnotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Iridology
The diagnostic system based on the premise that every organ has a
corresponding location within the iris of the eye, which can serve as an
indicator of the individual organ's health or disease. Iridology is used by
naturopaths and other practitioners, particularly when diagnosis achieved
through standard methods is unclear.
Kinesiology
Kinesiology is the study of the human body during movement. There are
many disciplines within Kinesiology including anatomy, biomechanics,
exercise physiology, motor control, motor learning, neuromuscular
physiology, sports psychology, and philosophy. Kinesiology graduates
enter a variety of careers and graduate programs related to the
understanding of how the body works including medical school, physical
and occupational therapy schools, athletic training, and other health
professions, public school teaching, sport and exercise related fields, the
military, business, and law.
MassageTherapeutic
Magnetotherapy
Midwifery/Childbirth Support
Native American healers and spiritual leaders seldom travel far from their
homes and even more infrequently publicize their work - it is not the way.
However, there is a body of knowledge about the herbal treatments used
by various Native People. Much of the information has been tested and
incorporated into our present herbal therapies.
Natural Products
Naturopathic Medicine
Network Chiropractic
Ohashiatsu
Oriental Diagnosis
Osteopathic Medicine
Osteopathic physicians provide comprehensive medical care, including
preventive medicine, diagnosis, surgery, prescription medications, and
hospital referrals. In diagnosis and treatment, they pay particular
attention to the joints, bones, muscles, and nerves and are specially
trained in osteopathic manipulative treatment - using their hands to
diagnose, treat, and prevent illness.
Physiotherapy
Pyramid Healing
Radiesthesia
Radionics
A therapy that has grown up around the ability of the human being to use
radiesthesia together with simple instruments to help in the diagnosis of
disease in animals, plants and humans and then to treat this disease at a
distance without the presence of the patient.
Reconstructive Therapy/Prolotherapy
Reflexology
This modality is based on the idea that specific points on the feet and
hands correspond with organs and tissues throughout the body. With
fingers and thumbs, the practitioner applies pressure to these points to
treat a
wide range of stress-related illnesses.
Reiki
Rolfing
Shiatsu
The most widely known form of accupressure, shiatsu has been used in
Japan for more than 1,000 years to treat pain and illness and for general
health maintenance. Using a series of techniques, practitioners apply
rhythmic finger pressure at specific points on the body in order to
stimulate chi, or the vital energy.
Sound Therapy
Tibetan Medicine
Unani
Involves the use of plants and herbs, these remedies are known to provide
cures for diseases such as sinusitus , leucoderma, rheumatism, jaundice
and elephantiasis.
Vision Therapies
Vitamin Therapy
Wellness Restoration
Yoga Therapy
The use of yoga to address mental and physical problems while integrating
body and mind.
FORRÁS: http://www.altmedworld.net/alternative.htm