While Pestiside.hu reported yesterday on the bitter ironies of the recent NATO Partnership Running Festival, the chefs organizing the buffet dinner for the recent invasion of NATO dignitaries at Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts were in equally "defensive" mood, refusing to venture far from familiar culinary territory. According to weekly 168 Óra visiting defense ministers were offered the following menu items:

• Goose liver fried in its own fat

• Veal pörkölt with red wine served in a metal cauldron, with galuska flavored with dill and ewe's cheese (not unlike that pictured)

• Stuffed pike from the Tisza or pike-perch from the Balaton, rolled in tender spinach

• Rétes, candied and dried fruit, cheese

Contrast that to the vargabéles assault launched on French PM Nicolas Sarkozy or the downright traitorous menu served up to visiting Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu by his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsány.