c e n t r a l e u r o p e a n u n i v e r s i t y

WEEKLYs p e c i a l w i n t e r e d i t i o n 2 0 1 4

Inside this issue:Recipes, Events,

Gift Ideas,Student Traditions

and more!

WINTER RECIPES

MushroomCabbage Rolls”Gołąbki z Grzybami”Wigilia, held on the December 24th, is a tradi-tional Christmas Eve dinner in Poland. Before dinner family members break the Christmas wafers (“opłatek”) and exchange good wishes. An extra plate is put on the table in case an unexpected guest or even a vagrant should come by. Some households put some hay un-der the tablecloth as a reminder that Christ was born in a manger. Traditionally, there should be twelve different dishes on the table and none of them should have meat in it, so many of these recipes contain fish or forest mushrooms. The number twelve symbolizes the twelve Apostles and the twelve months of the year. The recipe beneath, Mushroom Cab-bage Rolls (“Gołąbki z Grzybami”), is usually prepared during the year with meat. Various recipes of cabbage rolls are quite common in the Central and Eastern European region.

Ingredients1 middle-sized cabbage (with large leaves) 120 g mushrooms – it can be fresh or dried or a mix of the two types1 cup / 2 bags of rice 2 large onions 3-4 cups mushroom or chicken stock Salt, pepper and garlicOil

DirectionsCook the rice and set it aside. Separate the leaves of the cabbage and cook it slightly in boiling wa-ter. Wash the mushrooms and chop finely. If you use dried mushrooms, soak them for a couple of hours in hot water. Squeeze out the excess wa-ter and chop finely. Sauté the chopped onions in oil, then add the mushrooms. Cook 3-5 minutes, then mix with cooked rice. Add salt, pepper and garlic.

Put the mixture of mushrooms and rice into the cabbage leaves, (two tablespoons per leaf) and fold the ends like a parcel. Heat the oven to about 350 degrees. Grease a large casserole pan and put the cabbage rolls in it, packing them tightly. You can pour vegetable or chicken stock on the rolls. Other versions use tomato sauce for this purpose. Cover the casserole with foil or with a top and bake it in the oven for about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes to brown the rolls. You can serve them with sour cream or mushroom sauce. Smacznego!

Whether you are facing freezing cold temperatures, long lines at the airport, or too much time with your family (just kidding!), here are a few recipes to help you survive the holidays. Winter just got so much better!

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Wine Soup with “Habgaluska”This is a traditional, although not too wide-spread, Hungarian dish served on the Christmas Eve dinner table. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare and can be served either at the begin-ning as an appetizer or the end of the dinner as a dessert.

Ingredients for the soup:½ l dry, white wine10 cl water30 cl cream100 g sugar5 egg yolks6-7 pieces of clove 1 lemon

Ingredients for the habgaluska noodles:5 egg whites3 table spoon of powder sugar

The SoupMix 10 cl of wine with 10 cl water, add the clove and approximately ¼ of the lemon’s grated peel to it, and then boil the mixture a little bit. Separate the eggs’ yolk from the whites, and stir the yolks with 100 g sugar. Add the cream to the yolks. Add the rest of the wine to the watered mixture. Then grab a hand mixer and add the yolk-cream mixture gradually to the wine, while constantly stirring it with the hand mixer. Warm up, but do not boil the soup for a few more minutes, and that’s it.

The “Habgaluska”(noodles made of egg white)Whip the 5 egg whites with 3 spoons of powder sugar. Boil 1 l of water, and add the sugary whipped egg whites spoon by spoon onto the surface of the boiling water. It takes no more than 1 minute to cook the noodles. Remove the noodles from the water and place them into a big bowl.

Place 2-3 “habgaluska” on top of the soup when you serve the plate.

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[Image: femina.hu]

ISSUE 54

Mulled Wine

Ingredients(~4-5 Servings)1 bottle of dry red wine1 cup (110 grams) granulated sugar1 cinnamon stick2 whole cloves1 lemon or orange peelRum, brandy, amaretto, or other liqueur

DirectionsUsing a large pot, begin heating the wine over low heat. As the wine begins to warm, add the sugar and spices. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the rum (or other liquer) if desired. Heat thor-oughly, but don’t let it to boil! Add the lemon peel. Steep for about 1 hour over low heat. Now you can enjoy one of the best perks of the Christmas Markets in the comfort of your own home!

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Apple Cider Rum Punch

Ingredients(~4-6 servings)8 cups apple cider (that’s a little less than two liters)1 apple, thinly sliced crosswise1 orange, thinly sliced crosswise1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced2 cinnamon sticks2 cups dark rum (or however much you wish)

DirectionsIn a large pot combine the apple cider, apple, orange, and ginger slices and cin-namon sticks. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rum. Drink and be merry!

HotChocolate

& RumIngredients (2 Servings)2 cups milk (~0.5 liters)3½ ounces (~100 grams) best-quality dark chocolate, bittersweet or semisweet2 teaspoons honey1 teaspoon brown sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extractDark rum, or to taste1 Peppermint Stick (optional) DirectionsPour the milk into a saucepan and break the chocolate into pieces.Add chocolate to the milk along with the honey and sugar and heat gently until the chocolate is melted.

Add the vanilla and mix with a small hand whisk and still whisk-ing, add a small amount of the rum (or a large amount, that’s up to you!). Add more sugar if you want it to be sweeter. Garnish with the peppermint stick.

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Tips

The Fulfilling Break

It is that time of year again! But I am not referring to the holiday season so full of bounteous joy (or at least a small reprieve from work). Rather, I am talking about that period right before the end of the semester when you want to

slowly claw at your desk to relieve the palpable frustration of your assignments, which unfortunately just never seem to reach your (unreasonably) high standards. As I write this short piece, I am myself camped out in the library with everything short of a tent for marathon work session. And as I start this marathon, I would like to suggest to you that while 10 straight hours of non-stop academia are wonderful in their own special way, you might want to invest in a short break in order to keep your mental state intact.

Breaks are good for you, not only because they give you a short moment of relaxation, but they also readjust your mind so that you can function at the level of a human being and not as a study zombie. If you find yourself stuck in your work, a short break can often cause you to rethink, reconceptualise, and reinterpret the problems you are facing. Short breaks are not only for your personal enjoyment, but they affect the quality of the work you will produce.

Now that being said, I don’t want this article to be some positive psychology trip where I suggest how you can ‘be a better you’ during your study break. I think you should at least be free from self-improvement during your supposed ‘break’. I mean to suggest below some activities that are short and meaningful; or at the very most, a tad more involving than scrolling up and down your Facebook newsfeed.

1 Take a Walk: This is one of the best refreshers for a cramped day with

the sterile air of the library beating down on you. And don’t forget you are now living in Budapest: people come from all over the world here to glimpse this beautiful city and you LIVE here. With just a short walk down to the Danube, you have already seen a whole host of some of the best attractions this city has to offer. Breathe in the air, gaze out at the river, and when you get back to work your scattered thoughts might be better in line.

2 Write a letter/postcard: There are more than enough shops around ev-

ery corner that sell inexpensive postcards. Why not buy a few and take some short breaks in between work to write friends or family abroad. In our world where written correspondence has become archaic, get-ting a written note from someone over-seas is a wonderful feeling.

3 Write your dedication (for all us thesis writers!): Have

you started your Introduction? Literature review? Data analysis? Is everything not quite coming along as expected? Why not take a moment to relax and work on your dedication. Not only is it fun to think of all the characters that have made up your CEU ex-perience, but it also might just re-affirm your project’s purpose.

4 Go for a short coffee break with a friend:

see a friend near you who’s also stressed out? Why not got for a walk around the block to the nearest coffee shop? Get a drink, have a chat. The trick with this break is to avoid negative topics or school, which is sometimes hard when the deadline is right around the corner. Try to make this a trip that reinforces positivity.

5 Pick up some fiction: Why not start a book? And I

mean here an actual work of fic-tion. The library has an impres-sive collection of fiction on its top floor just waiting for you to pe-ruse when your (hopefully) non-fiction work is no longer in the drawing stages. Since you are in Hungary, why not educate your-self to some of Hungary’s great literature, like János Kosztolányi or Imre Kertész?

6 Don’t go on Facebook or Youtube: obvious-

ly this advice will likely be ignored, but why not try to avoid these traps on your break?

-- Jacob Verhagen, Nationalism, Canada

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Winter Break Tips

Upcoming Events:- MErry WintEr BrEak!

To get into festive mood after the deadlines, don’t miss A Christmas Carol (with English subtitles) - a show based on Charles Dickens’ classic story in Budapest Operett and Musical Theatre. The show runs almost every day from the end of December to the beginning of January.

Costs: 1500-6000 HUF

More info: www.operett.hu

Check also: Hungarian State Opera - while the tickets for The Nutcracker and The Bat are already sold out, there are still many available performances - www.opera.hu.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart...”

Feel The Music & Sip Mulled WineCheck out the Advent celebrations at Vajdahunyad castle. The 3-week program in-cludes concerts and theatre performances, workshops, puppet shows... and, of course, the Christmas fair with sweets and mulled wine. Where: Vajdahunyad Castle, Budapest City Park, district XIIIWhen: December 1-23, 2014Opening hours: Monday-Thursday: 12.00-20.00 Friday-Saturday-Sunday: 10.00-20.00Costs: entry to the Christmas fair and the programs on the Vajdahunyad stage are free, but you may need to pay for some concerts.

nAppreciate the StyleStylish Christmas Fair at Millenáris organized by WAMP (Hungarian Design Market) is a great opportunity to combine buying gifts with getting to know the works of the best Hun-garian designers. When: 14, 21 December (10:00-18:00) Where: Hall B, Millenáris Costs: 500 HUF - entry feeMore info: http://wamp.hu/en- exhibition

hDance All Night Long

Anti-Christmas party at Akvarium Klub (December 26) - for those who are tired of eating: www.akvariumklub.huSzecsenyi Baths party (December 30) – an unusual though costly way to say farewell to 2014: http://szechenyispabaths.com/szechenyi-baths-new-year-bath-party/Morrison’s New Year party (December 31) - 6 dance floors and plenty of crazy dancers: http://www.morrisons.hu/szilveszter. a

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-- Anna Varfolomeeva, Environmental Sciences, Russia

Holiday

Gift ideas on a BudGetI am betting we have all made a lot of new friends this year, which means…you might have quite a few

more people you would like to give gifts to this festive season! If you are looking to save a bit of money, feel overwhelmed by all your wonderful CEU friends, prefer creative gifts or you are just not into holiday shop-

ping, check out some of these great present ideas!

Festive Foods

-- Imogen Bailey, History PhD, New Zealand

We have already suggested some great new recipes in this issue, so why not get baking! Everyone is happy with a little extra sugar over the winter.Fill up some old jars with some festive jams, chutneys or my favourite: caramel sauce! You can always make plenty. Decorate with a nice bow for an added touch. Tip: If you don’t want to rely on your cooking skills, you can also decorate a pre-packaged box. Buy a tin of hot chocolate, wrap it up in white paper with a per-sonalized message that make you think of that person written around it. My fa-vourite: wrap an empty Pringle tin with Christmas paper and fill it with cookies!

AccessoriesDo not be intimidated by the thought of making your own accessories for friends, it can be both simple and fun!There are not many people who do not appreciate a thoughtful present. Think about buying a cheap plain tote bag or T-Shirt and personalizing it with fabric paint! These can be some of the funniest and most memorable gifts – as well as useful. Tip: I have always been a little intimidated by knitting, but in the age of Youtube, it is easy to take a quick tutorial and produce something warm and colourful for a friend – give it a shot!

DecorationsMost people are spending more time indoors these days, why not add a few re-minders of you to their homes?There are so many decoration ideas out there. Try your hand at origami and make some snowflakes, buy some candles to decorate, or just try your hand at drawing or painting. Buy a plain mug or tea cup and try out a few of your own designs! Tip: If you do not trust your own hand too much, why not decorate or buy a nice frame and print off a picture of you and your friend?

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ISSUE 54

One thing that I have learnt throughout my life is that every religion, whether it is Christianity, Buddhism,

Hinduism, Islam or another religion, teaches humanity, peace and love. Today it is not about peace or war, good or bad – but, most importantly the question is what happens when two different religions confront each other. To make it simpler to the general audience, we can ask the question, what happens when two different people having different faith and belief confront each other? One of the reasons that compels me to raise these questions is the deeply reli-gious politics integrated in different societies and cultures.

I got a very common answer to the above questions around me - one kills another. But if we believe that re-ligions are based on humanity, peace and love, why do people kill each other based on religions – just because one has a different belief and faith from the other? If it is the confrontation between two people that have a differ-ent approach to religion and carry a different point of view which leads one to kill another person, it raises questions in my mind about why one blames religion for such acts.

I grew up in a small town thousands of miles away from the West on the border with Afghanistan – which later turned into a hot bed for terrorists and extremists and would lead me to think in the same way. But thanks to Almighty Allah, who provided me a chance to get out of there, study and work in different countries, and experi-

ence different cultures and religions around the world. Such experiences made me realize that in fact any religion – whether it is Islam or Christianity, Hinduism or Bud-dhism – does not allow violence, or more specifically does not allow one person to kill another person. The only dif-ference that today’s world is experiencing in the name of religion is in fact the follower of any religion that does not have any clue about the teaching of their religions.

To shorten my view, Christmas is getting closer and closer. Many of my Christian friends and colleagues are busy in preparation for Christmas, while others are get-ting ready to travel from one part of the world to another to spend time with their friends and family to share joys and happiness. On the other side, hundreds and thousands of people are suffering and confronting one or other form or religious extremism in different parts of the world.

Let’s make a pledge today that we will try our best to share some of our Christmas gifts with our friends to create faith and harmony with each other and say “NO” to religious confrontation that creates violence and extremism in our society. Such a pledge will make the world a peace-ful and better place for us and our coming generation.

-- Bashir Ahmad, School of Public Policy, Pakistan

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World Politics

Religious Confrontation

Lucia’s Day, also known in Hungarian as Luca [lutsa] Day, is on the 13th of December. Before

the calendar reforms, this day—the Winter Solstice, was the shortest day of the year, and therefore, in many regions, especially Scandinavia, it was cel-ebrated as the Day of Light. However, there are several different versions to Luca Day and in these various traditions, Christian and pagan elements are intermingled. In Hungary, Luca is a mythical evil witch and therefore, there are a great number of customs connected to this day, which aim to protect people from the wrong-doing of witches. The good news though is that on Luca Day you are not supposed to do any household chores, and you should especially avoid weaving, spinning and sew-ing as you would “Sew the bottom of the chickens” for the whole year. It is also not a good idea to lend anything to anyone because witches might steal it. You should also lock up your brooms, so that the

witches cannot ride them during the night. Another popular custom is the making of the “Luca Chair” which you should start to put together on the 13th of December and should be finished on Christmas Day. According to the custom, the chair has to be made out of 9 or 13 different kinds of wood and it has to be strong enough to carry the weight of an adult man. If during the Christmas midnight mass a man stands on this chair, he should be able to recognize the witches of the village because of the otherwise invisible horns on their heads. However, as the witches should see him as well, he should im-mediately run home and burn the chair in order to protect himself. He should then throw poppy seeds on the road as that would slow down the witches because they would need to collect the seeds.

-- Alexandra Medzibrodszky, History PhD, Hungary

Hungarian Tradition at this Time of the Year - Luca’s Day, December 13

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The Christian Fellowship Student Club at CEU

As we approach Christmas, the theme of the CEU Weekly’s special issue, it seems timely to present a CEU student club connected to this holiday. CEU’s students maintain a wide variety of beliefs, religions, and traditions, and they

all have the opportunity to organize events and meetings where they can share the views of their respective religions and beliefs with the whole university community. I spoke with Jeff and Ciprian about one such club – The CEU Christian Fellowship.

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The club was launched in November 2013 and has return-ing students as well as some new to CEU this year. Their meetings take place every Wednesday evening, either in the residence center or at some cozy place in the city. Each session, they discuss topics of interest to participants. The Bible serves as a reference point for the life of a Christian, and meetings combine reading from the Bible, sharing ex-periences, and praying together as they consider topics like love, family, forgiveness, and what they mean for our lives. The CEU Christian Fellowship is a safe place for everyone,

for Christian and non-Christian students, as well. It serves as a platform for those who are curious to ask questions, ex-press points of uncertainty, or share disagreements and also

provides a platform for Christians to experience life togeth-er. Besides discussions, the club has organized film screen-ings including last week as they watched Driving Lessons, a coming-of-age story of a teenage boy in England, and they hope to organize different activities after the new year as well.The next meeting will be the last before Christmas and

takes place today, so if you are interested in joining them, feel free to drop a line to Jeffrey Mills (mills_jeffrey@spp.ceu.hu ; MPA ’15), or join their group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181250005418250/.

-- Eszter Kajtár, School of Public Policy, Hungary

5 of the worst Christmas-themed films you could watch this winter

1We all loved Ma-caulay Culkin’s first Home Alone movie. We were also willing to watch the second installment, when Kevin wreaks havoc in New York. But then that annoying little non-Kevin brat of Home Alone 3 (1997) ruined it all.

2A classic from the mid-1990s is Ar-nold Swartzeneg-ger’s Jingle All the Way (1996). This film convinc-ingly argues that Christmas really has nothing to do with consumer-ism. Nope, noth-ing at all.

3Make sure to watch The Dog Who Saved Christmas Va-cation (2010) to experience the joy that is Paris Hilton playing a dog in a ca-nine version of Home Alone.

4To see every single interna-tionally known British actor fall in love, just (re)watch Love Ac-tually (2003).

5Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christ-mas Ever (2014) is what it says on the tin. It’s so bad, we actually have no words for this one.

Just as the Christmas markets are flooding the Christ-mas spirit in Budapest, in Mexico we start celebrating

days before Christmas. To be accurate, for nine days be-fore the Christmas - from December 16 to the 24th - we have consecutive parties in most of the popular neigh-bourhoods in Mexico. We call these parties posadas and they have at least two meanings: some people say they represent the nine days of pilgrimage of Mary and Jo-seph towards Bethlehem, and others relate it to the nine months of Mary´s pregnancy. In any case, Augustinian friars introduced the posadas in order to characterize this pilgrimage, and thus evangelize the indigenous people. The tradition continued over time: who would not want nine days of celebration? Nowadays several families host the posadas and all neighbors are welcome to come. As part of the celebration, we still keep the characterization

of the pilgrimage and we even ask for posada – and a nice fruit punch. To do so, while at the party, a group will split, and go outside with candles. This group would take a walk and sing some Christmas carols, then they would come back to the party and ask for hospitality from the hosts. After that, we break the piñata: this is another important element of the posadas. Christmas piñatas take the shape of a colourful star with seven peaks. The peaks represent the seven capital sins, and to break it you must have your eyes covered as symbol of virtue and belief. So the mo-ment you break it, you overcome all the sins, and as a re-ward you would get a lot of candies: not a bad prize for a quick redemption. So if you ever happen to be in Mexico around these days, do not hesitate and try out some of the Mexican hospitality!

-- Ursula Sánchez, Mexico

In Greek tradition, we decorate a small wooden ship in the first days of December: it represents the renewed “sailing” of our lives after the birth of Jesus, and reflects

our tradition as a naval power. The day before Christmas, all the children wake up early, to perform the traditional song Kalanta at others’ houses, singing and playing the tri-angle. Hostesses are obliged by custom to give them some money, and the children buy toys, to show on Christmas Day. We usually eat a great meal, drink wine, and perform traditional songs and dances. The celebration always lasts until the next day.

-- Anastasia Theologou, Greece

In Serbian Orthodox tradition, Christmas is celebrated on January 7. On Christmas Eve, the head of each fam-

ily ceremonially cuts down an oak tree, brings the log into the house, and places it on the fire. That log is called badn-jak, and according to folk tradition, its fire keeps the new-born Christ and his mother warm. An indispensable part of Christmas dinner is the česnica, a round loaf of bread with a hidden coin inside. Finding the coin brings luck in the following year. In Serbia, Santa Claus brings presents for New Year, while Božić Bata (‘Christmas Boy’) does it for Christmas.

-- Predrag Babić, Serbia

This winter I am going to spend my Christmas in Ox-ford, UK. I lived in Oxford for two years, and I built

a solid relationship with my supervisor and his wife, who treated me as if I was their own daughter; I cannot wait to reunite with them! Back in Japan, I never appreciated Christmas very much, as Christmas is a commercial holi-day for lovers and families: we have New Year celebrations instead. This year it is different; while I will miss the tradi-tional New Year celebration with my family, I am grateful that I will get to celebrate Christmas instead, with people who are very dear to my heart.

-- Kei Takahashi, Japan

Holiday Traditions

Holiday Traditions from Home – Stories from the CEU Community

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[Image: Diego Rivera]

[Image: Diego Rivera]

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Randy and John’s Public Policy Student Rational Choice Christmas List*

Dear Santa,

We know you are very busy this time of year, and we appreciate that we are (technically) ‘adults’ now, but if you could find it in your big, loving heart to stop by CEU this Christmas and drop in a few parcels for some bedraggled students slaving away in the depths of winter, then you’d be a big fat legend. We have included a list below, to help you with ideas. :)

Merry Christmas and kind regards,Randy and John

P.S. We would be super grateful if you could get, like, all of these.

1. Staplers at every printer at CEU — really, this would make life so much easier2. Semester’s supply of caffeine-filled syringes**3. A home-cooked meal by Mama4. Thesis topic†5. A quantitative study of Tinder, with strategy recommendations to maximise output ††6. Winter semester timetable with all afternoons off7. Auto-reader‡8. A chance to study abroad somewhere warm for January, February and March. Or at least a big puffy Christmas sweater if the study abroad’s too hard to coordinate.9. World Peace™

Disclaimer: * All choices transitive and subject to availability. ** Inject at own risk, stay away from children and bright lights. † Research not included. †† Randy’s choice, John remains wary of the possible shady, foreign inves-tors. ‡ Batteries not included. World Peace is a trademark of Miss Universe

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The CEU Weekly is a student-alumnu initiative that seeks to provide CEU with a regu-larly issued newspaper. The CEU Weekly is a vehicle of expression for the diversity of the perspectives and viewpoints that integrate CEU’s open society: free and respectful public debate is our aim. We offer a place in which current events and student reflec-tions can be voiced. Plurality, respect, and freedom of speech are our guiding principles.

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Contributors: Alexandra Medzibrodszky, Jacob Verhagen, Anna Varfolomeeva, Imogen Bailey, Tamara Szűcs, Bashir Ahmad, Daniel Hartas, Ursula Sánchez, Christina Herrmann, S. A. Siwiec, Aaron Korenewsky, Lindsey Zemler, John Mclean, Randolf Dilday, Jeffrey Mills

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