Pastries and Meat compete for the Air -(Blog #12)

The city of Budapest has many different districts, each with its own culture. Similarly to New York City; Times Square, Central Park, Broadway, and Fifth Avenue are just some examples. In Budapest, there is more of a shopping district located in Deák Ferenc tér, this is where many of the delicious upscale restaurants are located. This area is more touristy for sure as there are many name brands. I focus on this part of Budapest first because as the weather is warming up there are a lot of outdoor food venues that really attract people because of all the amazing smells. 

Deák Ferenc tér has an open-air market or area with stands selling all kinds of foods. When you walk up the smoke-smelling stairs of the metro, you are hit with a wave of hot dogs and other strong sausage-like smells. The first stand catches your attention because of the smoke of the meat being grilled. The Langosh also has a strong smell from the dough that is deep fried. 

No matter where you go in the city you are bound to pass some kind of cafe. As the doors open and close to the cafes, your nose does the same when it is hit with the smell of all the pastries. The smell of croissants, donuts, and muffins encapsulates you when you walk by a cafe. Without any worker having to get your attention to come in and buy a coffee and pastry, the smell of the cafe will do the job for them. This is probably one of my favorite smells as I walk to class. 

Inside the metro stations are super nice cafes that sell a large variety of pastries and all of them sell coffee. No matter where I go in the city I am bound to smell some kind of coffee or pastry. In addition to the cafe smells, there is an even stronger smell that was one of the most prominent smells when I first arrived in Budapest. The chimney cakes were a pastry with a smell like no other. 

There is a chimney cake stand that has a delicious and strong aroma of sugar and pastries. The Chimney Cake is covered in sugar, sometimes cinnamon, chocolate, and other things like ice cream. The first week I arrived, we had guided tours all around the city. One of the first stops was the Fisherman's Bastion which has small, cobblestone streets and an incredible view of the city. I will never forget the moment that I walked pasted a small shop and the smell of chimney cakes made me stop in my tracks. I didn't know what a chimney cake was but that's what the sign said. 

I was immediately hooked to them after smelling their strong aroma. On another note, when I am not smelling pastries there is a lot of moments when I smell meat/chicken. The nightlife in Budapest is usually very close to Kebab chain restaurants that have kebabs, gyros, and falafels. It is very common for these places to have their windows open and a large skewered chicken that is spinning while one of the workers slices off the meat. This chicken has such a strong seasoned smell that catches anybody's attention when they walk by. 

These kebab and Greek restaurants are truly in every district of the city, similar to the cafes. Kalvin Kebab is one of the places that I walk past almost daily when I make my way to school. As mentioned before but now that springtime is here, many food shops have their windows and doors open. Each street in the city smells of some kind of food as there truly are food options down almost every street. All of which is very pleasant. 

Overall throughout the city, the two most prominent smells, in my opinion, are coffee, pastries, and meat. Since there are cafes are every street the food I smell the most would be pastries. However, when I walk past any restaurant or any kind of market the main smell is some kind of meat. The smell of chimney cakes gives me a warm, comfortable feeling. All the cafes are super cozy and welcoming just like the smell of them. On the other hand, when I am hungry, the smell of chicken kebabs and other smells like sausage they make my stomach growl. 

Budapest has so many restaurants/ cafes that truly all smell delicious. I have not walked down any streets and complained about the smell of the food. In each part of my daily life whether it's walking to school or taking the metro I am bound to smell food. The pastries or walking past a kebab restaurant at night, there
are all smells that I will forever associate with my time here.