2023 Winter
Our Nobel Prize winners
This year’s Nobel laureates include two Hungarian-born researchers and scientists, although this huge recognition is the fruit of decades of work abroad. It is logical that the host country should also claim the prize as its own. We Hungarians, a little intoxicated by the great glory, consider as Hungarians those in the long line of Nobel Prize winners who were born abroad, or even whose parents have already left their Hungarian homeland. Consequently, we ask the question: should we have more Nobel laureates? Ferenc Krausz, our new Hungarian-Austrian Nobel laureate, also expressed his opinion that, in addition to determination and perseverance, we need teachers who are role models: “Because if this fails, and we don’t have Uncle Kiss, Uncle Láng and Uncle Vermes in the future, we will most certainly not have Nobel Prizes.”
Sentiments
Even as a child, Beatrix Joó wanted to be a fashion designer. She had good drawing skills, creativity but took a detour, because she got a diploma in tourism, but fashion has always been her passion. She gained her first experience in the fashion industry thanking to her granndmothers. She graduated from an art school in Vienna and fate brought her to meet Andor Kovács. They together founded the brand Sentiments in 1996. Its meaning is emotions, their slogan is: For women who wear their emotions. During the creation process they complemented each other perfectly: Andor had a very clean line. Beatrix was keen on the dresses of the 16th-17th centuries. She came up with the ruffles, the clasps, the refined solutions in the dresses and a new brand was born from the different styles. They have been working with such a humility, success and recognition that they have regular customers for 25 years.
ZEMA worldwide
ZEMA Hungarian Porcelain and Jewellery House presented its unique and special porcelain products in Manila. The series of events lasting several days culminated in a big fashion show featuring the works of three designers. The unprecedented show of two Hungarian star designers – one of them is ZEMA – and a local, Philippine star designer was held in the Grand Hyatt, one of the most beautiful hotels of Manila, with unrivalled success. Hundreds of guests showed particular interest towards the designers and their products.
Fusion of styles
Art has no borders, the cooperation of artists is truly astonishing. We are glad to immerse ourselves in the artistic world of Zsuzsanna Udvarhelyi and her mentor, Aida Cui, whose unique styles reflect the beautiful contrast of soft European elegance with flashy, jungle-like Philippine and American aestetics. Zsuzsanna Udvarhelyi is an artist known by her soft and subtle depiction of themes inspired by her European roots. Her paintings exude serenity and grace, capturing the essence of nature and human form with remarkable delicacy. The American artist, Aida Cui is from the Philippines and her works are and explosion of bright colours and dynamic compositions. With her gorgeous and jungle-like aestetics, Aida’s paintings reflect her rich cultural heritage and the world of nature. Her depiction of landscapes and a vibrant world of wildlife leads the spectators to the realm of energy.
Törley champagne, Törley sculptures
We visited sculptor Mária R. Törley in her home in Ómátyásföld, who even over 70 is working with young energy, further enriches her oeuvre, which at present consists of nearly a hundred public sculptures and three hundred statuettes. The descendent of József Törley, who introduced the art of making champagne in our country 141 years ago proudly recalled the memory of the predecessors like the factory founder in Budafok, then her father and grandfather who continued champagne business, mentioning that her favourite is the dry Törley champagne. She said in the interview that her husband, László Ruszina, jeweller and IT engineer helped her a lot with the final shaping of the sculptures. The artist pointed out that considering all her awards, she boasts about the Hungarian Heritage Award the most. Her latest work is the monument commemorating thousand years of German-Hungarian coexistence from Saint Stephen to the 2nd World War.
Artistic fulfillment
After twenty-four years spent in tourism and the hotel industry, which included the management of her own hotel, Hotel Villa Medici in Veszprém, Edit Neubauer studied interior design and also started painting. On demand, she not only designs the interior, but also manages the implementation. In this case, as a design forewoman, she is in contact with the general contractors or the relevant specialists on site. Moving on to painting, she has always had artistic ambitions, and drawing and painting have always been her main interest, so she started to work in this field as well. What started as a hobby has become a passion. She now consciously brings not just a single picture, but an entire theme, through several paintings, onto canvas. In this way she takes part in exhibitions. To mention just one, recently she has exhibited her paintings in Paris.
Apostle of men’s work
Karate champion? Businessman? A soul mate? A kind of group therapist? Ambassador of community building? Hungarian Dakota Indian? Am expert mediator of the science of manhood, a kind of mentor? Perhaps a bit each of them but more likely someone who combines all of these – not even all of them. His official name card is not much help, as only his name is on it: Gábor Windt. We have talked with him and the interview reveals that he is basically an ambassador for the global community that helps men’s work and men’s empowerment in Hungary, and that he himself also organises men’s groups in this country. The essence of these physical and spiritual healing groups is to empower men to take responsibility first of all for themselves, their lives, actions, thoughts, feelings and have a place in their families, overcoming their frustration often brought from their childhood.
The unknown person you know
Ferenc Hűse is a trainer, attitude specialist, writer, lecturer, as the thought-provoking man used to say. “Many people have said of me in my life that I always go against the masses, that I look at the world through a particular lens. “I have always said to myself, ‘I look at people from different perspectives’. Indeed! I can’t say that I have ever lived the drab boring life of the average person. This is not, of course, a matter of appearances, but rather a constant search for new paths, a never-ending curiosity and an often overflowing love of life that has always been my hallmark. Yes, I am restless! I am driven by some unknown desire to search and find something, somewhere, sometime … I am happy and driven by a constant dissatisfaction. I’m healthy and die a little every day. I have everything that is important to me, and every day I am a beggar and a tramp, but am comforted by an inexplicable certainty every minute: I will get there in time!”
Messi has eight
The separate fight has been decided between the two highest-ranked football stars of today in favour of Lionel Messi. The second main collector of the trophy for the best player, Christiano Ronaldo who has played in Saudi Arabia as a legionnnaire, stopped at five awards, while the Argentina genius – who after the Paris Saint-Germain has continued his carrier in America from summer – took over the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual prize of the sport for the eighth time. The Portuguese, who was 39 in February, last received this recognition in 2017, while the Argentinian, who is nearly two and a half years younger than him, topped the poll previously in 2021. This year he was among the best three players for the 14th time, by this he is an absolute recorder. Messi could win again, by leading the national team of Argentina to a gold medal at the Qatar World Cup, and was voted the most valuable player of the FIFA World Cup for a reason.
Papp Serleg
József Papp was born in Transylvania, studied design at the Academy of Fine and Applied Arts in Bucharest. He moved to Hungary in 1982 where he naturalised his diploma. After his arrival, his professional carrier has been exemplary. He started to make copper souvenirs, small pieces of furniture, shop fittings and railings designed by himself. In addition to the souvenirs he produced trophies too. The trophies that determine the present, apppeared then. He founded the Sportérem Co. and in 1997 the Papp Design Ltd. In the nineties they gradually stopped production and only assembled. Their portfolio contains nearly everything in this segment, starting from medals worth a few hundred forints to cups and goblets of several ten thousand forints and also glass and crystal prizes. Their customers can find everything necessary for sport and corporate awards.
Hotel Helikon
The 52 year old hotel was reconstructed, rebuilt in September 2022. The final result is 176 rooms in four categories: standarad, superior, deluxe, junior suite and suite. Each room has a balcony overlooking on Lake Balaton. The total wellness area is more than 1500 m² equipped with saunas with a view to the Balaton, infrasaunas and steam cabins. What is more unique, is the Helikon Tennis Centre, in which six accredited clay courts are built perfect for holding even ATP tournaments where the total prize is 25.000 dollars. András Csere, manager of the Hotel Helikon Keszthely is a tennis fan and an enthusiastic tennis player. He invited Rajmund Fodor and Tamás Märcz, our Olympic water polo champions, who play tennis regularly, to a friendly doubles tournament. Naturally, our champions’ knowledge of tennis was divided, so they could not be on the same team.
Premium Butcher
Zoltán Komár believes in expertise and persistent work. He has been working in trade in the field of the meat industry. As always, he has made come true his dreams and goals this time too. „For many decades, I have been working as a butcher, operating meat stores in Budapest, still I have dreamed secretly to have my own shop in my hometown, Pilisvörösvár. This old cherished dream has come true recently when we opened the Premium Butcher shop with my partner. It’s a jewellery box for us, much more than a butcher’s, it’s such a gourmet shop which is a bit different than the others. There are special products that meet the requirements of people who are fond of sophisticated gastronomy. Our repertoire is practically endless, perhaps I can say without exaggeration that everything in connection with meat of premium quality can be bought or ordered here.”
Steak
For years, the enjoyment of steak has been a popular pastime in Hungary. Where does a good steak begin? In principle, the quality is determined by the cattle breeds, and the way it is kept is also a very important factor. It is the combination of all these that gives the so-called marbled steak, infused with interstitial fat, which gives the best cooking results. For this quality of meat, it is worth choosing not only the better known loin steaks, sirloin rib-eye, but also trying secondary cuts such as flank, skirt, picanha. If you have selected the suitable cooking method, don’t cook the steak above medium rare and never, ever skip resting it, because you can reach the best texture and flavour in this way. To sum up, when a fantastic steak is put on our plate, it really starts with the keeping of cattle and ends with the resting. But after this, you can have real culinary enjoyment.
HOTEL HOCHSCHOBER
Turracher Höhe awaits the guests not only with a rich winter offer but also with one of Austria’s most renown 4-star superior hotels on the shores of Lake Turrach providing extra quality services, experiences and joy. Outside, nature in snow-white dress is an idyllic sight. Inside, the hotel provides alpic comfort, exotic lifestyle and wellness at high level: heated „swimming-pool” in Lake Turrach, saunas with panorama right on the shores of the mountain lake, hamam Turkish bath, a China tower in the middle of the Alps. The 5000 sqare metre spa and wellness area offers a game of alternating hot and cold. The hotel’s three jacuzzis are also open all the year round as well as the „Seebad”, lake bath, unique in the world, that is separated from the lake, heated to 28-30 degrees and with 25X10 meter water surface.
Climate situation in the bottle
Climate change poses serious challenges for viticulturists and winemakers. On one hand, they have to tackle with the high sugar content of the grapes caused by plenty of sunshine and the „burning”, dulling acids, and also they have to find suitable solution against draught. On the other hand, it’s important to keep in mind the consumers’s needs, and the trends show lighter, fresher wines, for which climate is not advantageous. In the new centre of Streit-Zágonyi Winery being built in the Villány wine region, environment consciousness and sustainability played an important role already in the initial phase of planning. The new building has been carefully designerd, taking into consideration all the aspects that promote effective and environmentally friendly operation. Starting from 2024 wines will be made at the new location, among others the classic Bordeaux combination called „The Union” consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Bonbonier
Nóra Erdélyi, chocholatier, chocholate master, one of the owners of Bonbonier Gallery and Café invents, experiments and creates her bonbons. We learnt that they have won two awards this year again, and Bonbonier is the project of love, after eleven years they have completely renewed their shop in Ráday street. „Apart from the handcrafted bonbons, hot chocholates and a great variety of bakery products available so far, we also offer our customers personalised chocholate selections and also breakfast, which reflects the flavours of diffferent countries. Our repertoir has been enriched with decorative chocholates with festive, red or gold ribbon packaging, with a customised cover upon request. We have added two mor vistories to our prizes this year. Our Ecuador hot chocholate and our oolong raspberry-rose tea bonbon were unbeatable at the Great Taste Worlds competition.”
Hotel Abacus
The Abacus Business & Wellness Hotel**** Superior is located 25 km from Budapest, in Herceghalom. The hotel’s inspiring atmosphere, innovative environment and uncompromising gastronomical philosophy makes it the ideal place for family vacations, wellness weekends, conferences, business meetings and even weddings. The chef, Ferenc Toth, whose resume boasts with extensive foreign experience, uses simple, local and seasonal ingredients from Zsambek’s basin in his dishes. The majority of the spices he uses are grown in the kitchen’s own garden. Their dishes draw on both international sensibilities as well as the traditional Hungarian sense of taste; all while using modern culinary technology. The combination of gastronomical pleasures with a peaceful, familiar atmosphere and modern environment translate into more than half the guests being regulars. Their success was further confirmed when Abacus Business & Wellness Hotel won the title of Best Rural Business and Conference Hotel in Hungary.
December “pigging out”
Nowadays you can get a piggy pack at any time of the year. December is the traditional time of year for pig slaughter in rural Hungary, when rural households stock up their pantries with liver sausages, sausages and bacon. But the preparations began on 1 September, when the animals were put to fattening. The pig slaughter was one of the most important social and economic events in the community. The basic rule of the pig slaughter is that all the ‘parts’ of the animal must be used. In international gastronomy, many types of liver sausages and sausages have become famous in their respective countries, such as boudin blanc and boudin noir in the Francophone countries, and white and black pudding in the English-speaking world. The jewel of Spanish (Catalan) cuisine is botifarra negra, a close relative of the blood sausage, and the Scots boast about their haggis.
5% VAT in construction industry
Tibor Várhelyi, owner of Consolum Architects Ltd., architect and project manager, from whom we got valuable information what to pay attention to in the field of purchase, investment and construction, by which serious costs can be saved. The VAT reduction on buying a home is now in its second phase. If the builder has a legally binding building permit until 31 December 2024, construction can still be carried out with 5% VAT. This strongly affects the real estate developers, as they have to start planning now, because the planning and the process of permits may last even 6-8 months. Subsequently, the project can be sold as a site for construction, with a valid building permit, and the buyer can carry out construction for not less than ten years, with 5% VAT. As an example, it’s worth buying a site and by this get an advantage on the market with an empty plot.
St Solar
The leaders of St Solar, a company based in Dunaújváros, talked to our magazine about the changes of the Hungarian solar industry who consider it an important new regulation that now electricity can be sold not only to electricity suppliers but also to energy traders, which is good news for the consumers. Especially as in 2023 the purchase of solar cells by the citizens has slowed down to a great extent. According to experts the future belongs to energy storage and electro mobility. St Solar will offer such hybrid and storage methods that can guarantee self-maintenance even in the corporate sector in case of any regulations. Furthermore, they would like to be the active supporter of electric car use, this is why they will bring the charging methods of the greatest producers to both the population and public authorities.
„On the land of bears”
In one of the most popular, quitest parts of Veresegyház, in Hegyek district, on a huge plot of 1 105 sqm, a newly built three-bedroom house of 80 sqm with a 16 sqm terrasse and a separate 22,5 sqm garage is on sale. Entering our one-storey house, from the hall you get into the corridor. On the left side a huge sitting-room, kitchen, dining-room can be found, from where you can step out to our terrasse. From here you can enjoy our intimate back garden, which with its 500 sqm area is a potential of further great possibilities. From our corridor you can enter our pantry, separate toilette and bathroom equipped with a bathtub and shower. After turning right, you have access to our two bedrooms with separate entrances. As far as the extras are concerned, in our newly built house you can choose the tiles, bathroom accessories and the colour of the walls. Our heat pump system guarantees the extremely low maintenance costs.
Social life
Through our social events column, we want our readers to gain insight into various, in our opinion high level and exclusive events, parties, inaugurations, film, theatre premieres and fashion shows, exhibitions, concerts, sports events, etc. The list is endless but the various events have something in common: the high quality, high standard and style. Our aim is to inform you about interesting activities and programmes in each issue of our magazine. The list is endless but there is something still common among the various events, the high quality, high standard and style. Our aim is to inform you about interesting activities and programmes in each issue of our magazine. In our winter issue we have been present at an award gala and a polo event.
Japanese overview
A few years after its appearance the Honda Jazz has been facelifted. The main new feature is the reinforced hybrid system, which drives the extremely practical small car with 122 hp. The Toyota Proace Verso „was born” as a result of international partneship, and it’s a super ideal electric city car for big families. The Toyota Corolla Cross is also part of the Japanese expansion. We liked the new SUV because of its excellent urbqn usability and its low fuel consumption. Among the tested cars the sport version of Lexus RX500h was the top one. The speciality of the full-bodied SUV is its exciting duality it hides. If necessary, it can accelerate to 100 km/h within 5,9 seconds. Its other advantage is the consumption under ten litres.
Stars young and today
Our round-up is about some of Hollywood’s stars’ mostly successful struggles with time, ageing and coming to terms with who they are. What were they like then and now? How much have they changed? What values do they think and live by? What keeps them young after a certain age? Who are the people we believe, or don’t believe, to present an image of themselves to the outside world that is not what they are. The greatest transformation artist of them all is Madonna, who in her sixties still aspires to look like a teenage girl. Two classic divas, Sharon Stone and Angelina Jolie, have found the secret to agelessness in self-fulfilment. Jennifer Lopez remains a style icon in her fifties. Leonardo DiCaprio found purpose in his commitment to nature, Brad Pitt and George Clooney in running charities.
Matt Damon
The 53 year old actor belongs to the army of American good guys like Tom Hanks. Free from scandals and the desire to be seen, he continues his varied acting career in a spirit of honesty, trust in the word and friendship. After a continuous thirty year presence he wanted some rest for himself and his family. He went to couples therapy with his wife, where he vowed that “the only way I could get out of my vacation was if Chris Nolan called me.” And miracle of miracle, he did and casted him in the second most important role in Oppenheimer, Lieutenant-General Leslie Groves, the military leader of the Manhatten Project. He is credited with more than half a hundred films, a dozen screenplays and a dozen producing contributions. He met his Argentine wife Luciana in 2005 and they have three daughters of their own and one by her previous marriage.
