7-3 Kishyges and Dombos Fest

7-3

We had guests early this morning. The breakfast dishes were barely cleared when Pisti and Rozsa dropped by to say goodbye. The conversation is spirited. The weather is destroying the local wheat fields and the price is going up. If you can salvage what you have, you can make a killing, but few can. Dombos comes up in the conversation, and then other topics. Z has been leaving me hanging a lot this trip, leaving me free to watch the flies cavort about the table. The reality is that Z says she is having a harder time tracking conversations this trip than on any previous one. Evidently everyone is talking more quickly and all at the same time. By the time she has processed it, they have moved on to a new topic. The things they are talking about are leading her to believe that they are feeling their own mortality. I would hypothesize, however, that it goes a bit deeper than that. Everyone can feel the changes coming here, from the news paper to the people on the street. I think they are trying to hold onto as much of "home" as they can before the changes overwhelm them.

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After my morning power walk to Cuban jazz, we made a quick trip down the street to see Pityu-Basci. Faithful readers of our blog will remember him as the host of the 75th birthday party with the quince schnaps (if you missed it, it's the entry on 7-16-06). Z and this couple go way back, as they used to live in the same village in Germany and used to look after her when she was a kid. Pityu-Basci is looking really bad. The smoking is catching up, I fear.

From there we went by to say goodbye to Imre, Kati and Emese. Our conversation took us through a comparison of teaching salaries. Emese makes 400 Euroes a month, no benefits. She has a masters degree and 17 years experience. She is considered well paid in this society. (By comparison, my monthly take home is several multiples higher, and I get health insurance and a retirement.) Tearful hugs all around, and it is time to leave. Later in the afternoon we will repeat this experience with Beethoven-Bacsi and Mozart-Neni.

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Some random notes:

Word has gotten around that Jaden likes Palacsinta, which are crepes to you and me. We have had them plain, with jelly, sweetened cream cheese and fruit, homemade preserves, etc., etc. The masterpiece was the desert at Capriolo, an amazing masterpiece involving a hazel nut pureé filling and a chocolate ganosh. Jaden still prefers hers with cinammon and sugar.

Peter has given me a bottle of Palinka from Lajos' cellar. I figure it is about 1.5 liters, and is sealed with a bottle cap, so it can't be resealed. So we'll be looking for a big event to consume this - you've been warned.

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Speaking of Palinka, Beethoven-Bacsi proudly showed off the works to me today. In case you've wondered, here is how the stuff is made.

Schnaps is made from fruit, so you have to get that first. Hungarians make palinka from plums, cherries, pears, quince fruits, apples, katata berries, elderberries and apricots (apricot, in Hungarian, is "barack" - so you cam immagine how popular apricot palinka was after the last electon). The fruit must be eatable, no mild or black spots. 100 kilos of fruit is put into a barrel with 2 kilos of sugar to help start it all working, and it is left to "cefre" or, as would say, mash. It is stirred once a day, but otherwise left uncovered until the liquid at the top is clear. The liquid is then poured into the still and heated until it comes out in a stream on the other side about the size of a match stick. The remaining seperated solids and liquids are discarded, and the distilation process is repeated. The target alcohol level is 55% by volume. Age as is appropriate. Enjoy.

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Dombos fest this evening started with a duet performance by a "performer" and a "musician." The musician played the bandoleon and is pretty good. The performer was a "vocalist." Their set lasted about one-half hour, which I will never get back.

The second group was, dig this, a klezmer band! A really great one too. This is still a pretty courageous thing to do around here, so my hats are off to them. They covered the best bands (Klezmer Concervatory Band, etc.) and their originals were pretty ok. The strongest musicians seemed to be the clarinet and guitar players. The pianist and drummer were god enough to support without getting in anyones way, I almost felt like they were being under utilized. The bass player, a leggy model-type, would not be picked by anyone as a musician, but had excellent chops. The violinist, a pretty crucial instrument in a klezmer band was smart enough to not over ornament past her abilities. She played cleanly and simply, always a good call if you are in over your head. Then there was the trombone player. Musically, when things were written out for him, he mostly got the style. His improv, though, was seriously stiff and scaler. Actually, I didn't need to hear him play to know it was going to be like this. You are always tipped off that a performer is not feeling confident in their abilities when they walk on stage wearing a mask. All of the performers seemed comfortable on stage and with each other. The only negative was the moron sound guy who thought he could "help" the energy by turning it up much too loud. A pretty hot show!