Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid, recently visited Budapest’s Vörösmarty Square Christmas fair, highlighting what it considers to be high prices for traditional Hungarian dishes. Stuffed cabbage costs HUF 7,000 (EUR 18.5), shashlik is HUF 5,000 (EUR 13.2), and a slice of strudel is HUF 1,800 (EUR 4.75). Hot tea is priced at HUF 1,000 (EUR 3), hot chocolate at HUF 2,200 (EUR 6.5), and a glass of hot wine at HUF 1,350 (EUR 4). The fair’s most popular dish, goulash soup, ranges from HUF 4,500 (EUR 12) to HUF 8,500 (EUR 22.5). The tabloid noted that sellers mentioned a majority of their customers are foreigners, with 490 out of 500 being non-locals. Desserts are around HUF 3,000 (EUR 8), and there’s a budget-friendly menu for HUF 1,500 (EUR 4) for those seeking more affordable options. Additionally, sellers do not accept cash at Vörösmarty Square.
I’m not surprised that the Christmas Fair has such high prices. We had the same experience last year and the year before. We may go to the fair, but we will certainly not eat there, but instead we will eat at the Pakistani fast food a few blocks away or down the street, where the corn cake is no longer sold for 7000, but only 1500. We did it last year, and I think we will do it again. But we don’t go there for the food, we go there for the atmosphere. From a commercial point of view, I think Christmas is a robbery: the prices for simple bauble-shaped decorations are staggering.
One of my students was just complaining the other day that they had to pay a lot for a string of lights. If you are starting from absolutely nothing and want a medium-sized Christmas tree at home, you can pay a fortune. Now that’s exactly why we bought artificial trees years ago, so we don’t have to bother buying new ones all the time – which is also a nature-friendly method because you have one for several years and even if you throw it away, the plastic can be recycled.
But getting back to the fair, it’s easy to spend the same amount as a small family to spend the afternoon and evening there. Everyone tries to exploit you in different ways. The oners who rent the space also do the same to the vendors who sell there. In any case, I think it’s not necessarily the food that makes a Christmas Fair special. You can take advantage of the cheaper options and still enjoy the event by going to the neighborhood streets after you’ve been to the fair.