November 7, 2009

This is just an afterthought after yesterday's little thing about diets.

As I said I am Hungarian. I left Hungary in early 1957 just after the 1956 Revolution. Most of the Hungarians who left the country escaped towards Austria. Being a Western country they all felt safer there, away from grasps of the Soviets.

I agonized too long about leaving and by the time I decided, at my cousin's prodding, Austria was out of the question. The border was heavily guarded by the Russians.

The authorities thought nobody in his right mind would go towards Yugoslavia. That was a communist country so why would people who are running away from communism would go that way.

Well, I went toward the south and that happened to be Yugoslavia. Even though good old Josip Broz Tito was a communist he wasn't in love with the Soviets and we were kind of grudgingly accepted. They weren't too thrilled with us but never turned us back to Hungarians.

There were a several hundred thousand refugees there and I for one stayed for nine months before was allowed to enter the US. Nine months! I could have been reborn and now I would be 20 years younger.

Since we were not very acceptable politically we were kept in refugee camps with very limited free movement.

We were fed, clothed by the Red Cross, helped by religious organizations and by far removed relatives who were searched out at this time.

The food was camp food. Very limited menu. One day beans the other day cabbage. And bread with everything.

I have to tell you, I love beans in every shape and form. At the same time I hate cabbage with a vengeance.

So, every other day, on bean day, I was in seventh heaven. While everybody was complaining about the food I was at the opinion that being a countryless refugee with an uncertain future isn't so bad at all.

For nine months I ate this heavenly (crappy) food and nothing ever happened. Was not undernourished, my cholesterol didn't go up, my sugar was normal. I got chickenpox but that was for a different reason.

Today's dietary authorities would have had a conniption if they were there reviewing what we ate.

But lo and behold, we all survived, none of us got fat and we all grew up to be fairly good people.

And I still love beans!