Liquid Diet for the National Holiday

Yesterday, Saturday October 23rd, was the Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. The revolution began as a student demonstration in Budapest and attracted thousands of people to the the Parliament building. In an attempt to broadcast their demands, a student delegation entered the Hungarian Radio building and as the demonstrators outside demanded their release, they were fired upon from within the building by police. News spread quickly and disorder and violence erupted throughout the capital. The revolt spread quickly across Hungary and the communist government fell by the end of the month. At the inauguration of the Third Hungarian Republic in 1989, October 23rd was declared a national holiday.

Now, why would such a holiday inspire me to go on a liquid diet? Well, it's not because it's what the Hungarians do, and I was embracing local culture, it's not because I was so deeply moved by the country's history and wanted to show my respect to my new home that I felt the need to refrain from eating solid foods. No, no, no. Actually, the responsible young adult that I am, unintentionally allowed my cupboards to become painfully empty, and all my familiar shops were closed. The little non-stop shops under the housing blocks were closed, Spar was closed, and after a 20 minute walk I found that even the 24 hour Tesco was closed. I was S.O.L and hungry. I ventured into a few unknown areas of town, figuring it would be good for me to do a little exploration of the city. Still, no luck.

At home, I did still have a few items; seasonings, condiments, olive oil, honey, onions, garlic, unsalted sunflower seeds, and tea. Those who know me well, know I am not the most gifted when it comes to navigating the kitchen, given that my favorite and most used appliance in the kitchen is the toaster, so I stuck to tea with honey for 24 hours until I could make a trip to Tesco this morning.

I realized once again, that shopping while hungry creates more problems than it solves because not only did I end up with far more groceries than I need, or could possibly eat in a week, but also because I had to walk home with all three overflowing bags. My arms and shoulders are going to look great if I keep this up, however I do hope to remember to do my grocery shopping before the next national holiday.