Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Thursday, March 23, 2023
EGG SUBSTITUTES - FOR YOUR EGG CRISIS BAKING!
EGGS provide valuable protein in our diets so we are in a crisis when we cannot afford them. However, we can use other ingredients to substitute for eggs in our baking, perhaps leaving the real eggs to be eaten boiled or scrambled.
Eggs provide a binder - a substance that holds other ingredients together - when we bake.
APPLESAUCE can be a terrific egg substitute in baking, especially because it ads a little flavor but not overwhelmingly so. I've used this with success.
1/4 cup APPLESAUCE for every 1 egg - There is no fat in the applesauce so you may want to add a little more oil.
1/4 cup mashed BANANA for every 1 egg. These do have oil but will add a banana flavor... So you can make banana bread that is eggless.
FLAX SEEDS... ground.,,, also called "meal." One tablespoon seed to three tablespoons of water. Let then soak and stir to get consistency.
TOFU - the silky soft kind (made of soybeans) and a fairly neutral flavor. 1/4 cup for every one egg. Adds protein as well.
BAKING SODA and VINEGAR - helps the loaf rise. 1 teaspoon of soda to 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Since baking soda is already in many recipes, I confess to not being sure how to adjust a recipe using this option.
PLAIN YOGURT - 1/4 cup for every 1 egg.
BUTTERMILK - 1/4 cup for every 1 egg.
PEANUT BUTTER - 3 tablespoons for every 1 egg. Has oil. Influences flavor.
OTHER NUT BUTTERS - ditto.
CARBONATED WATER also called SODA WATER - 1/4 cup for every 1 egg. Helps the rise.
Now, almond butter or carbonated water might work if you're making pancakes. Peanut butter cookies might be a better use for peanut butter.
I've had great luck with Yogurt as a substitute.
GELATIN - 1 Tablespoon gelatin to 1 Tablespoon cold water. Like the FLAX SEED MEAL give it a stir as it's a binding agent. Then add 2 tablespoons of boiling water and stir some more... you should see that it's turning into gel.
I haven't tried this but a friend suggests that even flavored gelatin could be a great addition to plain cookies or white cake batter. Such as lemon or orange.
I hope these ideas will help you feel a little less deprived!
Coming up in the next few months, some How To's on making use of groceries one may find in a Food Bank box!
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Sunday, March 19, 2023
THE SAD STATE OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY - FAKE EGGS TO DYE FOR EASTER - TWO FOOD BANKS INSTEAD OF ONE
I'm writing this post on March 10th, having just heard that an important bank that funds investments in the tech economy based in Silicon Valley, central California, has gone belly up. Like in the Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, there has been a run on the bank, but it's not people physically going there expecting cash. Rather, upon hearing this was happening, people pulled their funds electronically. This bank failure is said to be the biggest since the crash that began The Great Depression. I spend some time listening to various opinions about what will happen next. By the time this posts, I/we will all know if that bank failure has had a "rolling effect."
This past week or two I experienced some telling signs that our economy is not healing from the ordeal of Covid, that inflation is beyond the high being reported.
First it was going to the grocery nearest me, which I should name but won't at this point, a store that I have long suspected is gouging customers who do not want to put in travel time or gas money to buy groceries. I'm signed up for this companies special discounts for those enrolled. They are trying to break the union by having people register themselves out and by having people come and pick up their purchases through a pre-ordering shopping system.
They also run coupons suggesting an item is free and usually there is such a run for it that that item that gets people in the store has run out before I get there. Last summer they had a free store brand Pizza which was usually marked at about $2 to $3 dollars. That same pizza was now marked at $6.99.
Seeing a box of 50 typical papery Made in China face masks for $5.99 there a couple months ago started me thinking they were gouging. Then I noticed their day old bakery items were marked double what they had been. The other day I went in to buy the laundry detergent I swear by, the Arm and Hammer 100 loads Unscented, which I last purchased for about $12 about a year ago. I was shocked to see this item marked at $23.00 for the same...
As a result I went to a pharmacy type store that is a chain about a half mile away. I searched for laundry soap and found NONE on the shelves. So I went to the register and asked if it was possible that the product was elsewhere in the store. Actually they had moved all the laundry detergent BEHIND THE REGISTER. The clerk told me this was because people were walking out - stealing - bottles of laundry detergent! They did not have my brand.
I went to another store and saw what appeared to be white eggs in cartons. It turned out that these fake eggs were crafts items ready for dying for Easter and offered as a substitute to those who CANNOT AFFORD REAL EGGS... There is no indication the price on eggs is coming down, and some brands are $9. to $12 a dozen for the real eggs. So kids will have fake eggs in their Easter baskets?
Finally a friend of mine headed for a senior center in another town where she was able to get some free groceries on Wednesdays. It turns out that, due to higher demand, they were going to do these food distributions by lottery and twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. This food comes in from an outside organization not a governmental agency. They pick up food that grocery stores are supposedly are ready to throw away. The higher demand is because the extra money put into the EBT food cards from the federal government of the United States for Covid relief ended. (This money also stimulated our economy.)
I needed some onions and also shopped for them. The store I suspect of gouging wanted $1.69 for a pound of white onions. The "Mexican Market" a small chain that is probably not unionized, had them for two pounds for $1 but I didn't have an hour for the round trip. I found them at a "dollar store" (where near nothing is a dollar and where the register always ads on a penny) where they were prebagged at three pounds for $2. At home I found one big onion in there appeared to be moldering.
A young woman I know who works as a waitress for a chain said business wasn't down but the tips were (while the sexual harassment by men was up.) Out to buy her own groceries after serving meals all day to others more fortunate, she loaded up on the cheap noodle soup packets for her own dinners.
As a result of all this, I'm going to try to post more recipes using food items that are often given out at food banks. Remember I have volunteered for a couple food distributions in recent years and have a good idea what is in those bags.
I will also be posting about EGG SUBSTITUTES for cooking soon.
During World War II, when food rationing was in place in England, they got one egg a week, one pint of milk, four ounces of meat... just barely enough... I believe people can make it through - when there is an end in sight.
Let us not forget that the Covid pandemic was very real. None of us could imagine when the first masking mandates began that we would be effected for YEARS.
I hope we are not headed for another Great Depression.
C 2023 Magyar-American BlogSpot
Friday, March 17, 2023
GYPSY SONGS FROM HUNGARY
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
FERENC RAKOCZI : and a post from EUROPE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST BLOG
Rokoczi's ashes were taken from Budapest to Kosice and to Saint Elizabeth Cathedral.
An excellent blog! Follow along as the author takes us to the crypt.
Saturday, March 11, 2023
1867 COMPROMISE MILITARY RECORDS - WHEN AUSTRIA RULED HUNGARY : USING THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY : HUNGARIAN GENEALOGY PRO TIP # 3
We're not totally dependent on FamilySearch (or any other database in the United States of America) to find the records that are originally sourced from Hungary. We have the use of HUNGARICANA which is the database that originates in the country of Hungary and is a function of the National Archives in that country. The archives hold military records that go beyond what we've just looked at in the FamilySearch catalog.
HUNGARICANA cultural portal You will see a number of database categories on this start page.
I put the words "military 1876" into the search and up came a number of readable books that are in English... I know that the language presents difficulties for those who are not native in it... I know that personally, so I don't want those of you who never had or lost the language to be totally deterred from doing Hungarian research... search using English words and see what comes up!
THIS LINK TAKES YOU TO A BOOK IN ENGLISH THAT WILL TELL YOU WHERE MILITARY RECORDS CAN BE FOUND IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY...
To bring up ALL posts in this series click on the label 1867 - Austrian-Hungarian Military Gen Tips
C 2023-2025 Magyar-American BlogSpot All Rights Reserved including International and Internet Rights.
Saturday, March 4, 2023
1867 COMPROMISE MILITARY RECORDS - WHEN AUSTRIA RULED HUNGARY : TRANSLATING THE DOCUMENTS : HUNGARIAN GENEALOGY PRO TIP # 2
Depending on church records mostly for your research, you may find notations on marriages in particular that the groom is an officer - tiszt, or a soldier - hajdu, or you might see the word hadsereg - army. (Some men married by proxy while serving!) There might be a notation on a child's baptism that the father is serving.
I'm using FamilySearch TM and the following records to discuss how to use these.
Specifically, I'm using the following record group.
Katonai nyilvantartasi jegyzek 1863-1888 (List of Military Records)
Gonc Hadkiegeszito Parancsnoksag (Main Author)
Published in 1962 by Filmre vette a Genealogical Society of Utah
I'm using film #008737879 and film #008737839 (but there are four categories available.)
These are Muster Rolls from the Gonc Military District.
There are notes that this film covers the years 1866-1876 (and birth dates 1841-46 and 1850 - 1856, suggesting that there are missing pages for men born 1847-1849) However another film many include some men born during that period.
These records are from Abauj county. Before the split up of Hungary, Abauj county had much more territory than it does now, when parts of it are now Slovakia and towns now have Slovak names. So these records have the potential to cover a lot of territory.
Some of the places mentioned include Goncruska, Szanto, Telki Banya, Fony, Crizoly, Also Reymecz, Ujfalu, Felso Dobfzu, Hejcze, Hermad Keres, ...
Gonc (also seen in archival records as Goncz and Gontz) was historically a civic center, a place of governmental administration, though it appears to be a small, unimportant town today. These military records include those men who came from the surrounding area. The four categories hold records that are thousands of pages and no index is forthcoming. In fact, I sense that the original records that FamilySearch microfilmed decades ago in archives within Hungary, were intended as a kind of index. But more on that later. *********
First of all the FamilySearch SEARCH function in which you put in the film number was not working. I'd taken down the number 8737879 on notes and tried to use it in their SEARCH feature to bring it up. It did not work. I tried it with and without the 00 in front of the number. I tried it multiple times.
Therefore, you may have to bring these up by going into the CATALOG function. Search in the CATALOG for Gonc (the name of the town) and then choose military records. You'll see the word Gonc twice as it is the town AND the Military District.
Across the top of the records you will see columns/categories of information which are in Hungarian and sometimes in Hungarian and Old German lettering. Some of these were not properly written in the first place. So here are the corrections, sans the accent marks.
THE COLUMNS
(Please note that this discussion covers the version used quite a bit but there is also a shorter version and a longer version existing on this film.)
1) a kozseg neve de osszeir asi jegyzekenek szama
This translates to "the name of the group and the number of notes."
In general this means "Where the person is from" because the name of the group is named after the town. (This does not necessarily mean that this is where a soldier was born but think of it was where the person was living when it came time to serve in the military. And there is a good chance it is also where they were born.)
On pages to the far left you will see a list of numbers, and that is where they hand wrote the numbers of notes otherwise thought of as "items."
2) Sorz szam
This translates to "Serial Number" and I see that this column is often blank.
3) A hadkötelesnek csaladi es kereszt vagy elo neve
This translates to "The conscript's family name and first and last name."
This sounds awkward. It might be thought of as "soldier's name, first and last" however, I believe it is stated this way because sometimes a "family name" is not the same as the soldier's first and last name. This is because there is an understanding that some people come from a "House" such as a Noble House or a Clan (which would be the family name) and within that House or Clan they have another name. For instance, as a made up example, a person might be going by the name Janos Kovacs but come from a noble lineage Andrassy. On other records you might also see this written Janos Kovacs alias Andrassy. There could be a variety of surnames that are associated with the House or Clan, harkening back to the ancient days. After looking at hundreds of pages, I haven't seen this written in, but the column heading allows for that possibility. Instead we are finding a first and last (or surname) simply with notation that the person is a noble.
4) Szuletesi i eve
Translates to "year of birth." Ahmm. Birthday
Usually only a year is given. But this is where you must be careful not to assume. The records are arranged so that the men are listed by year born, and the older they are, the earlier that year. And the older they are - in general - the LATER they are on the record/film. It's too bad full birth dates are not given.
As I click along, reading page after page, I see that some effort is also made to group men by their home location.
5) szylet es helye
translation? year and place Think Location, Location, Location,
jaras is singular form of jarasok translating to district. The Hungarian megye (county) was further divided by districts. Think of an American county, further divided by Townships.
megye means county
orszag means country
In general I see the name of a town listed again, often matching the first one mentioned. So a man served or was in the reserves fairly close to home.
6) vallas allapot - religious background
These records include men of Catholic (R.K.), Reform (Ref.) (Protestant), and Jewish background. They overall include people of all religious backgrounds. Greek Catholic (Gr.C.) may indicate that the family has Carptho-Rus (Ruthenian, Rusyn) heritage, or Ukrainian, or Slovak. Evangelical (Eve) indicates they are Lutheran, indicating the family may have German heritage. Zsido is the term used for Jewish, though I have also seen Israelite (Isr).
Notlen - unmarried
Nos - married
Gyermek - child (implied is a father)
vagy azok or those
nelkul - without
(Who would make a better recruit? A man who needs to support a family or man who won't leave a wife and children if he dies in military service?)
7 - 10)
tudasa - awareness (i.e. is this person intelligent? informed? Educated? Have any special skills?)
olvasus - reading
iras - writing
zene - music
mesterseg - handyman
(This is about a man's education, and so how he might be useful to the military. I like that they ask if the person knows music. Implied he plays an instrument or sings which might be useful if they march.)
11) az atyanak csaladi kereszt vagy eloneve
This translates to the father's family cross or first name...
The "family cross" is implied to be the family shield/ name, again this refers to noble House or Clan.
What I see in general is the name of parents (implied unmarried soldier) or the name of a wife (if married) but read across-
12) haz szam helyseg kozseg hol a hadkote les lakik
translates to "house number, location, district, where the soldier lives."
If this is filled out, it could be interesting. It might tie into church records and other census. It's a possible lead or secondary document.
13) test nagy saga translates to the saga of the body or body story hmmm....
test nagy saga translates to... I admit this word choice seems strange but it seems to be saying... "According to the little bird." And we used to say "A little bird told me..." to indicate gossip - something personal.
Roughly, what does this person say about their health? How big are they? Basically it appears to be all about how TALL they are, and based on contemporary heights, these men are seemingly about as tall as Napoleon... I see this column is left empty quite a bit.
On some forms:
mell merteke - breast courage indicates a measurement size of chest . They need uniforms. (I see a soldier standing straight up to full height and sticking out their chest!)
Overall I'm reminded that people seem to have grown taller through the decades, because we have better nutrition.
14) lelet az utolso allitasnal Finding with the last alliteration/statement.
le lett az utolso The last one is down.
Let's try the German :
befund bei der bebten stellung means "findings in the trembling position"?...
So - my genealogy friends - this seems to be asking "When the going gets rough, how does this man bear up? How does he act? Does he have courage? Or is he a weakling?
Hajdu means soldier. So when I see hajdu written in, I figure that man has passed some test of courage or endurance or wit.
15) az ava stasi bizott many lelete reszrol Findings /basis for findings by the committee/ commission
Katona - Military Polgar - Civil
The absence of notes in this column indicate to me that this was probably only used if a soldier got himself in some trouble and therefore had to go into some review in which he was judged and some determination was made.
16) az avatottnak be osztas - for the initiated
iranti - on
ki va - who is
na ta - so there you are
I tried a translation from the German and it was worse. asically, I believe this column is to express information on who is who, what their rank is.
17) az avatas napja az ezred - the day of initiation is the regiment
Hadtest - corps
vagy osztaly neve - or class name
melyhez beosztatott - to which he was assigned
18) eszrevetel - perception (final assessment overall)
Other words encountered:
korostaly - old age. These men are not elderly, they're just a bit older, still in their early twenties, so what is indicated is that they have probably nearer to ending their term of service.
Further the record will state where the person is stationed, if it is not in their hometown. In general it appears that most men served fairly close to their hometown, which probably made visiting family, taking care of personal adult responsibilities, and especially, being a reservist, easier on them and their families. These were agriculture economies in which the men's labor was very much needed.
Commentary:
The records are and are not arranged as one might expect.
Alphabetical, yes, however only by first letter. That means that it may appear to be fully alphabetical, taking into consideration every letter in a surname in some places, but do not be too quick to think the surname you seek is not listed If the surname you are using begins with Sz, look through ALL of the letter S. And so on.
To bring up ALL posts in this series click on the label 1867 - Austrian-Hungarian Military Gen Tips
C 2023-2025 Magyar-American BlogSpot All Rights Reserved including International and Internet Rights.
Slightly edited on April 8, 2023
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
DANCE MUSIC from the 17th CENTURY
Saturday, February 25, 2023
1867 COMPROMISE MILITARY RECORDS - WHEN AUSTRIA RULED HUNGARY : A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUNGARIAN MILITARY UNDER AUSTRIAN RULE : HUNGARIAN GENEALOGY PRO TIP #1
If you've traced your ancestry back to the days of the Austrian Empire's rule of Hungary you may find some notes in church or other records that mention that a man is serving or has rank in the military. This can be an interesting addition to your genealogy and family history story.
Here is a brief and general history of Hungarian Military under Austrian Rule focused on the records that we'll be looking at:
In 1867 it was determined that Hungary and Austria were separate "states" though many a Hungarian never thought of themselves as Austrian or thought of Austria as anything other than an occupier of Hungary. (Thus the uprisings mid 1800's, in particular 1849.)
Prior to this men who turned 18 had the expectation that they would serve in the military. It had been three years of service but, in what was considered a Compromise, in 1867, that was reduced to two years.
Prior to this some men paid for another man to take their place, but now they could no longer use this legal way out, though perhaps by paying someone else to serve in their place, they could have then attend to their education or family business. It might have been a good opportunity for a poorer man to take the place of a richer one, particularly a noble one, for military service had long been a way for some men to advance their education, work, and status. Being the servant of a noble, especially in the days of castle defense, had elevated some to the "castle noble" nobility as well. So if you and your family were scratching out a living, serving for someone else really could be a good opportunity, especially if you were a younger son who might not be expecting an inheritance. Especially if service was not seen as especially risky because it seemed to be a time of peace.
Then again, maybe, seeing that you were the one the family could not do without, you might ask a relative to substitute for you... and not have to pay him!
From 1815 to 1848 the Austrian military was experiencing a long period of peace rather than a long time at war, with just a few military actions. But who knew how or when war might break out and things could change? (They sure did when World War I broke out!)
So in 1867 the rules about military service changed. When a man turned 18, he had to sign up for what was a draft, sort of like the lotteries used to call up American citizens to serve in our Vietnam war. Annual lotteries were used to call up men to serve from the entire draft enrollment - not just the 18 year-olds. So it wasn't that if a man turned 19 he would not be called. He might duly serve his time and get out and go back to his life. Some might have been able to distinguish themselves in some way and stay in a while, perhaps have a career.
A man who was born in 1849 would have turned 18 some time in 1867. Do a little math to see if and when your ancestor would have been eligible to sign up for that new draft lottery and serve!
(It could be interesting to find out that your ancestor was part of the mid century uprisings about that time. From our view looking back those who rose up were Hungarian patriots who wanted Hungary to have it' freedom from Austrian rule. However the military squelched the uprisings.)
Circa 1867, when the changes were made, if the man were NOT called up to serve by lottery for the two years, then he HAD to be in the Reserves or in a "territory" militia. The territory was actually the COUNTRY of Hungary and in Hungary the military was called the Honved. (Austria was a territory, so was Croatia.) Like today, to be in the Reserves he had to attend some meetings, some training. He had to be ready to serve if needed. So when you hear that all men had to serve, it's true; some were in the Honved and some were in the Reserves.
There was also an opportunity for the men who were educated, say college candidates, to volunteer for a year. This was a bit like the role of ROTC in the United States in which men who went to college on ROTC scholarships and graduated were moved into the leadership roles as officers for Vietnam. Hungary was a bit special in this regard because many of the reservists who volunteered for a year with the army were Jewish. The records reflect religious diversity at the time.
Though we are focusing on this new era 1867ish, it wasn't until 1918, after World War I, when Austria no longer ruled Hungary, that Hungarian men no longer served for Austria.
The label 1867 - Austrian-Hungarian Military Gen Tips brings up all posts in the series.
*** This contemporary town heraldry shield for Gonc will be used to help identify this series of genealogy tips as this records held under this town's name will be the ones we look at.
There are many more genealogy tips and links within MAGYAR-AMERICAN BLOGSPOT.
C 2023-2025 Magyar-American BlogSpot All Rights Reserved including International and Internet Rights.
Thursday, February 23, 2023
CAVERNS OF AGGTELEK NATIONAL PARK : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #16
Excerpt: The Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst are outstanding for the large number of complex, diverse, and relatively intact caves concentrated into a relatively small area. Located at the north-eastern border of Hungary and the south-eastern border of Slovakia, this exceptional group of 712 caves...
UNESCO ORG - AGGTELEK click on the small photo icons and you will see some of the formations that are quite stunning and unusual.
NATIONAL PARKS ORG on Aggtelek Again more photos and information. This site features National Parks all over the world.
Excerpt: Aggtelek is also rich in cultural heritage featuring a number of castles, palaces, forts, museums... The terrain above ground is also exciting, serving as habitat for a variety of wildlife species.... gray wolf, Eurasian lynx, red deer, wild boar... imperial eagle, saker falcon, kingfisher... birds...
Click on the label Wonderful-Hungary to bring up all posts on this theme.
Friday, February 17, 2023
IF YOU THINK BIG FOOT MAY EXIST CONSIDER THESE WILD MEN!
WILD MEN OF EUROPE - COSTUME TRADITIONS
Excerpt: Between December and Easter, tiny villages spanning all the way from Romania to Portugal become overrun with humans who shed their human form completely...
Monday, February 13, 2023
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
SANDOR PETOFI : POEMS WRITTEN IN HUNGARIAN and TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH
I learned that when it comes to translating poetry written in the Hungarian language, there can be a number of translations.
I use a number of translation opportunities on the Internet, including the one Google offers. I can't say that these translations are always correct or perfect, however, I do think the essential meaning is rarely lost. The question would be the eloquence, a quality that I think is especially essential for poetry, Here is a web site that offers a translation of the poem THE END OF SEPTEMBER by Sandor Petofi, a man who is thought of as one of Hungary's greatest poets.
I looked at several sites offering a translation of this poem and think this is the best one.
To me this is a sentimental love poem, quite beautiful.
BABEL MATRIX : END OF SEPTEMBER IN TRANSLATION







