The Puszta

Like Amy, I'm loving Texas so far. For me, part of the charm comes from how much it reminds me of the countryside in Hungary that I love so much. For its small size, Hungary boasts a diverse landscape with mountains on the North, low rolling hills in the West, and plains in the East.

For me, the wide plains of the East are the most romantic and memorable; they invoke the spirit of Hungary more than any other element of the landscape. Called "the Puszta (the desolation or the desert)," the plains are a vast flatland of golden grain. Occassionally, there are low rolling hills, and every once in awhile, marshlands and rivers.

This is mostly farmland, and here you can see the old Hungarian cowboys and the great, gray, Hungarian longhorns. Driving along the highway, you'll see wells in the distance, they're reminiscent of those novelty plastic birds that would continuously dip their beak in a glass of water (see the picture above). Arany Janos, a great Hungarian poet, described them in his epic poem "Toldi" as mosquitoes sucking the blood of the earth.


Near Debrecen, a large town in Eastern Hungary, is an ancient bridge with 9 archs underneath it. On its Eastern end is a little piac (open air market) where one can buy traditional Hungarian mementoes. Many missionaries would buy Hungarian horse whips here.

I loved the Puszta and think of it fondly. As we drove through Texas on our way here to Dallas, I was constantly reminded of the Puszta as I looked out at the golden grass on either side of the road. This added all the more charm to Texas for me.

So I am happy with this land. I've been researching and found that there is a decent Hungarian community here in Dallas. In fact, in Richardson (just North of Dallas) there is church that offers regular classes in Hungarian language and culture. An association in Dallas is working on putting together a Hungarian clubhouse. In Austin, there is a troupe of Hungarian dancers, and they come up this way every now and then. I'm looking forward to trying out Laszlo's restaurant in Addison, offering a wide variety of European cuisine, including some Hungarian dishes. The Hungarian community here is having their New Year's celebration at Laszlo's.

In any case, again, I am happy with this land. The golden grass, the cool winter air, it reminds me of a place and a time that I cherish.