„Horvath Rozi” yet exists

I had just started fancying the kitchen as the little helper of my Mom when the „Horváth Rozi” spices began to sell and I was fond of scrutinizing their packages, while wondering above the potatoes to be pealed. It was exciting to imagine that there is this Rozi Horváth who, like an “Aunt Pepper” (i. e. a tale heroine) watering her plants in the backyard garden and when it is time she picks and dries them, let’s say spread on a bed-sheet in the living room and also she shreds them with her hands into the packages.

A grandma-feeling radiated through all this, that this whole thing is just especially for us. I was already a grown-up when an acquaintance of mine explained to me that this is only a brand name, you know, a customer magnet tool, there isn’t any old lady, but only a sketch drawing on the package and the smart-ass marketing gurus. It gave me quite an unpleasant feeling even though I was buying „Kotányi” (brand) by that time for a while because it looked more impressive in the spice drawer. Nevertheless I did keep some „Horváth Rozi” nostalgia from my childhood but it only manifested when one of my customers has introduced me to Gyöngyi who happened to be her mother-in-law. Gyöngyi is a fragile woman who had just quit working at one of the most famous print companies at that time, leaving behind her top executive position with the adjacent daily stress. She was full of enthusiasm like those who listen to their heart when making a seemingly irrational decision. She was dreaming of a book binding workshop where all books come out from her hands, made carefully with elaborated techniques and definitely with corners rounded. We developed together the whole case bound stationery palette and each of the diaries or calendars bear the marks of her hands. At the very beginning she was the one who recommended the specific paper we use: it should have a cream shade so that to be less blinding, it should be a high bulk paper so that the books shall be light contrary to their durable and thick pages. Furthermore this paper comes from a Swedish paper mill manufacture where the paper is made from cellulose produced with pollution free, environmental friendly technology, furthermore they pay special attention to maintaining an ecological balance by planting five trees instead of each one cut. And not just any tree but a pine tree that grows straight like an arrow and has a high fiber content so that the paper to be made from it shall be durable instead of the easily-ripping type. And than we designed together the typo and the interior layout design of the agendas. She is the one alone who folds the printed sheets, also in the case of agendas, where the order of the pages count as well, she does the gathering. She is the one who pre-punches the pages, and then continues with the thread sawing which means the side-sawing of the pages with stitches. It is a twenty minutes meticulous work on each piece. However: the case binding holds on forever! – she says triumphantly when she almost brakes a book into two that will bear no trace or damage from this. Gyöngyi works at home with museum piece, old school tools (her guillotine cutting machine works without electricity, cuts through a seven centimeter thick bible, it was made in 1904 and surely will serve the next hundred years too) while listening to „Klasszik” Radio station. While the glue of the front or rear end-paper or the paper-cup is drying she hangs the washed clothes or throws up a dish of peas to the stove. She has two sons and two little grandchildren who often visit her and of course while having a conversation with them her hands are busy making things, gluing the colorful dotted bookmark ribbons or my fabric brand label, cuts round the corners of the block of book. But really, how much time does a job binding needs, I ask, but she laughs that she does not know, and I insist on eliciting this in vain because she could not tell this to me for years now. Job binding is her life. She does not measure time because it is not separated from her living time. I think this attitude has a mark on her case bound books and e-reader jackets. That we do not hurry off anything. Resulting that we live a better life in terms of quality because we have time for everything. Recently I learned that my acquaintance was wrong because Horváth Rozi actually does exist, indeed. And there is no surprise in her success. As the real power of a specific good can be the workers standing behind it, being passionately devoted to their job valium no prescription .