sadsense-marketing for idiots

My Brother lives in Hungary now, where he is in the property development game. I’m sure a blog is in the way for him also, however, I would like to quote from an email he sent regarding the ‘little differences’ when ordering your trusty burger out there….

To those of you who would venture forth to this gentle land, fair warning is due to parry indelicacies that may arise from time to time, owing to certain linguistic coincidences.

The word in Hungarian for cheese is here pronounced shite, admittedly with a slight extra emphasis on the “i” sound. This unlucky sleight of chance may precipitate unwelcome awkwardness in ordinary social situations, but nowhere is hilarity more guaranteed than your bog-standard trip to Mickey Dees.

You see, this is the only place on the planet where its completely orthodox to walk into McDonalds, set your facial features to “perfectly serious”, and ask politely for a “s-h-i-t-e-b-u-r-g-e-r”. Your trustee Mc Purveyor will not so much as flinch; no raised eyebrow, no bellowing for security, no grave warnings about mockery of the hallowed name etc. The more likely response will be the equivalent of; “yawl wan’ fries with that”, or an offer to “super-size” you.

Whether the appellation “Mc Shiteburger” works best as Truth or Metaphor, THIS REPORTER will leave to the judgement of the esteemed reader. The only dissimilating grace in this cruelly ironic twist is that “cheese”, in written Hungarian, appears as “s-a-j-t”, a spelling not even James Joyce himself would discern. If nothing else, the earnest traveller is afforded a unique opportunity to practice the delicate arts of sang-froid in the most trying of circumstances. Consider yourselves forewarned!