O Buda

So I've solved one mystery: why Budapest is so quiet at night: because they've recently made it illegal to drink on the street, forcing everyone to stay inside the bars and not stumble around outside. Sounds normal enough, but it's provoked mutterings of 'creeping fascism' from the local drinking population.

Hungarian food - like most Eastern/Central European food, it seems - has the aim of putting as many calories as possible into a meal, usually involving some kind of breaded meat chop, sour cream, and a thick slice of bread. Also liberal use of paprika, which by regional standards makes Hungarian spicy and exotic.

A classic Hungarian snack is a piece of bread slathered with lard and covered in onions. Also, fried bread covered with sour cream and cheese. Arteries, shmarteries!

They're also fond of pastries, especially a pie-like thing called retesh, which is a flaky little bundle filled with a variety of things, usually apples or cherries or poppy seeds.