Strange Hungarian Customs

[motohorseman]

Large American company hires Hungarians...

I work for Boeing as an aircraft mechanic here in Hungary. We've hired a few Hungarians to help us. All the ones we hired are great workers and eager to learn. There are some differences, though. Over-the-top frugality is one. Businesses here never have any lights on. When I go to car dealerships or other big businesses, it's always very dark with the lights off. Maybe one little lamp on the desk for the secretary or something. So our Hungarians have tried to get used to us leaving our lights on in our building, etc. But I agree, us Americans are wasteful in many areas.

Anyway... Boeing has a new policy that flightline workers must wear a yellow reflective vest while on the flightline. So Boeing purchased some vests locally. I was wearing my vest while lubing our main landing gear (dirtiest job). I had grease head to toe and all over my [formerly] yellow vest. We have a Hungarian that works in our tool room. I asked him for a new vest. He said, "You need to try to clean it." I chuckled and said, "There's no way this will get clean. I need a new one." Well, he made a big deal about it. He said, "We cannot purchase 10 vests per week!" I said, "Yes you can. Boeing is paying for them, not you." We argued back and forth for a few minutes which seemed like eternity. He went to my manager and told him. My manager said "Yeah... and...?"
Boeing has a lot of money. I think they can afford a new $5 vest.

If it makes you feel any better, I'd write you up for insubordination.

Wear your dirty vest and be grateful to have a good paying job.

I'm making the assumption it's a good paying job.....  

Anyway, I need to make some time to read this whole thread, very interesting. We've got it so good here in the States, most of us have no clue...

Spoiled might be a good term -

Give Obama and those like him enough time, we'll be just like them.....

[Bminder]

.

Give Obama and those like him enough time, we'll be just like them.....

He's doing his best, ain't he.

.

[Lotsokids]

If it makes you feel any better, I'd write you up for insubordination.

I don't understand this statement.

[Lotsokids]

Needed to get my son a tetanus shot today. Here's the procedure:

1. Wait to see a doctor. Explain the need.
2. The doctor writes a prescription for the injection.
3. You bring the prescription to a pharmacy and they hand you a small box containing the syringe and vaccine.
4. You bring the package back to the doctor and wait again. Then he opens the box and injects the vaccine.

Not very efficient.

[simi_ed]

Mark, Until I saw the title of this thread, I assumed you were in Kalifornia & dealing with 0bamacare...

This same routine will be happening here soon enough 

[The General]

Needed to get my son a tetanus shot today. Here's the procedure:

1. Wait to see a doctor. Explain the need.
2. The doctor writes a prescription for the injection.
3. You bring the prescription to a pharmacy and they hand you a small box containing the syringe and vaccine.
4. You bring the package back to the doctor and wait again. Then he opens the box and injects the vaccine.

Not very efficient.

That`s what I have to do here in Australia! ....Though I know my doc, so he leaves the prescription for the injection at his reception desk for me these days.

I could write a book on the bureaucratic inefficiencies of our medical world, yet their workers, incl nurses & doctors are efficient, professional and extraordinary. My kids (both teachers now) have reminded me on more than one occasion of a statement I made to them regarding their career choices, while they were at school, "Any profession that involves compassion and/or passion will be raped by bureaucracy".

[Lotsokids]

Bicycle pusher captured on video! As mentioned before, they push their bikes everywhere. I just don't understand it. My Hungarian friends deny it mostly. But one said, "Sometimes it's just more comfortable."

After I recorded this old guy pushing his bike, I counted 4 more in the next 10 minutes.

[Bones]

We call bicycles "pushbike's" in Australia, but we don't go to that extreme and push em everywhere.

[red]

Bicycle pusher captured on video! As mentioned before, they push their bikes everywhere. I just don't understand it. My Hungarian friends deny it mostly. But one said, "Sometimes it's just more comfortable."
After I recorded this old guy pushing his bike, I counted 4 more in the next 10 minutes.  

Lotsokids,

Sounds like a nationwide epidemic of bad bike seats, there.  This unit was the difference between night and day, for my bike riding comfort:
http://www.amazon.com/Hobson-amaderesdx-Easyseat-II-Saddle/dp/B001C6DROM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399383281&sr=8-1&keywords=Hobson+Easyseat+II+Saddle

It fits on standard seat posts, and does not poke at that nerve bundle at the base of the spine.  That is a more important consideration, as we get older.  It takes about a week to get accustomed to the new seating arrangement, but it's well worth it.

Cheers,
Red

[The General]

Bicycle pusher captured on video! As mentioned before, they push their bikes everywhere. I just don't understand it. My Hungarian friends deny it mostly. But one said, "Sometimes it's just more comfortable."
After I recorded this old guy pushing his bike, I counted 4 more in the next 10 minutes.  

Lotsokids,
Sounds like a nationwide epidemic of bad bike seats, there.  This unit was the difference between night and day, for my bike riding comfort:
http://www.amazon.com/Hobson-amaderesdx-Easyseat-II-Saddle/dp/B001C6DROM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399383281&sr=8-1&keywords=Hobson+Easyseat+II+Saddle

It fits on standard seat posts, and does not poke at that nerve bundle at the base of the spine.  That is a more important consideration, as we get older. 
Cheers,
Red

mmmm....they do look a bit like those crotch roclet`s pillion seats. ....Only a max gap of 38.4mm? Need more for FJ riders me thinks! ....and and why is it more important as we get older?...I had much more of them when I was younger!

[red]

Bicycle pusher captured on video! As mentioned before, they push their bikes everywhere.

Lotsokids,
Sounds like a nationwide epidemic of bad bike seats, there.  This unit was the difference between night and day, for my bike riding comfort:
http://www.amazon.com/Hobson-amaderesdx-Easyseat-II-Saddle/dp/B001C6DROM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399383281&sr=8-1&keywords=Hobson+Easyseat+II+Saddle
It fits on standard seat posts, and does not poke at that nerve bundle at the base of the spine.  That is a more important consideration, as we get older. 
Cheers,
Red

mmmm....they do look a bit like those crotch roclet`s pillion seats. ....Only a max gap of 38.4mm? Need more for FJ riders me thinks! ....and and why is it more important as we get older?...I had much more of them when I was younger!

General,

All joking aside, as we age we lose the "padding" down there that healthy young tissue provides, for those nerves.  When injured, it also takes them longer to heal.  Re-injuries can become chronic pain or discomfort.  Most bike seats put your full body weight on a part of your body which was not built for that.  The tilting plates of the Easy Seat let your bone structure carry the load as you pedal.  As said earlier, it takes about a week to make the transition to having a pad under each hip, instead of the old bicycle seat pressing up between the legs.

Cheers,
Red

[Lotsokids]

Full Leathers and High-Quality Oil vs. Income

LEATHERS:
So Hungarians earn an average of $300/month, yet they insist on wearing full leathers. A Hungarian co-worker just spent nearly $1,000 on full leathers, and wears them all the time. Protection is great... priceless actually. But if I'm going to the store, I'm not going to suit up like that. Actually, I don't own full leathers. I've been racing at the drag track here without leathers - and I am the only one. If you notice my icon, I'm on the racetrack wearing a textile jacket and textile motocross pants. It was smoking hot in August. But the track manager was fine with that because I signed a waiver stating something to the effect that if I crashed, they would sweep my body to the side and continue racing. P.S. - lawsuits do not exist here. The U.S. should try emphasizing personal responsibility like that! But if I was racing with turns, I certainly would invest in good protection. Full leathers, no doubt. But now, I would just have a hard time justifying using 3 months of my entire income to buy a full set of leathers. Yet Hungarians do. I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS WRONG, I just find it odd. I have other priorities.

Here's a picture I took at the Shell fuel station this morning. The "scooter" riders wore textile, but all 6 motorcycle riders and passengers wore full leathers:



OIL:
Most of the oil here is synthetic. I have a hard time finding regular mineral oil. I've never used synthetic oil in my motorcycles with a wet clutch. I'm sure the oil topic has been debated somewhere else. I love to rebuild engines. It's fun for me. I've done 15 engine rebuilds in my life, mostly Chevy small-block V8's. So I use the cheapest oil money can buy. Engine rebuilds don't scare me. My Hungarian friends always debate with me about this. Again, they earn very little money. Yet they pay up to $75 PER LITER for oil. Not to mention our current $8.60/gallon of gas.

"Boy, you look good in those leathers, and we sure have awesome oil in the car, but we will need to put more water in the soup for dinner."

[Lotsokids]

Jobs / Marketing Rant:

I went to a restaurant yesterday with a friend and his family. There was only one waiter. He continually complained about being the only one, and asked for a simple order. We all ordered the daily special to help him out. He said his manager only had one waiter that day to save money. Later, a customer complained about the wait time. The waiter told the customer, "If you want fast food, go down the street to McDonald's."

This is not an isolated incident. This is certainly NOT a capitalistic society. As you can read in my earlier posts, it seems merchants don't care if they sell you anything or not. I've asked my local car parts store to look up a sunroof and some other accessories for my car. They never did. If the roles were reversed, I would think, "Hey, a rich American wants these parts. I have a great opportunity to make a big sale!" Marketing is minimal. Is it because they are heavily taxed on their profits? Maybe. I've learned that under Communism, certain people had certain jobs. If you needed something welded, go to the local welder. Need a butcher? Go to the local butcher. There is no "competition" either, it seems. Maybe some of that Communist thinking is still around. I am sometimes criticized for working on my own vehicles, because there is a local mechanic that does that. Our hired Hungarian translator could not believe that I removed my own wheels to install a plastic spacer. He even made an appointment with the tire shop and everything.

[Lotsokids]

I'm trying to sell a small dirtbike. It is VERY hard to start (I suspect the carburetor). It's a Chinese 125. But it does eventually start and run, but rough. I just don't want to mess with it.

Yesterday, a Hungarian rented a trailer and drove from Budapest (2-hour drive). He already talked me down from about $300 to about $275 before seeing it. It was advertised as hard to start, but runs. When he arrived, he inspected the rear wheel closely and noticed is was a little loose. Evidently it needs rear wheel bearings. So he gets completely focused on the wheel bearings and unconcerned about the way it runs or anything else. He made calls for TWO HOURS, pacing back and forth, trying to get estimates. A mechanic friend of his finally gave him an estimate of about $150 for a whole new wheel. I told him the bearings are very inexpensive and easy to replace. He said "No... bye." I dropped my price to about $200. That added another 15 minutes of pacing around and thinking. Then he said, "Sorry, no. Bye." He had no intention of giving me an offer. Odd. He rented a trailer, spent $8 per gallon of gas, and drove 4 hours, just to leave and not try to work with me. Whatever. They can really nit-pick the little things. Now I'll be replacing the bearings tomorrow for maybe $20.

[Lotsokids]

In Hungary, it is illegal to ride a bicycle across a street. You must push it across.

But now it is legal to ride a bicycle while drunk - they changed this law in 2014.