Fact Check: Dr. Sara Petras

1. What Is Pálinka?

• It Is Basically Fruit-Flavored Hungarian Moonshine.  Law In 2010 In Hungary That Allowed Citizens To Distill 50 Liters (About 13 Gallons) Of Their Own Palinka, Tax Free, As Long As They Used Approved Equipment And Did Not Sell It Or Give It Away.

2. Pig Slaughters In Romania 

• This is a dying tradition in Romania, where in early December, families buy a pig at the fair to slaughter at home.  The slaughter is supposed to be done humanely, by slitting the pig's throat so that it dies quickly.  Some of the pigs that are bought were raised in factories and some on farms with better conditions.  It is expected this tradition will also die within a few years.  

• Szalonna is Hungarian for fatback made of smoked pork fat with the rind and is traditional in Hungarian cuisine. It is often smoked or cooked in some manner before purchase so that the buyer can eat it without further preparation.  It is very different from popular American bacon, which is typically sold soft and uncooked. A photo of this traditional food is below. 

4. The Word "Schlepping" 

• The verb comes from the German sleppen, adopted with that meaning in the Yiddish schlepn or schlep, meaning “to drag, haul, lug.” “In Yiddish, the verb shlep is standard,” the lexicographer Sol Steinmetz, who spells the verb without the c, informs me, “with the literal meaning of 'a pull, drag or jerk.  Schleppy:  frumpy, run down. 

5. James And the Giant Peach Plot 

• When his parents are unceremoniously eaten by a rhinoceros that escapes from London Zoo, James is forced to go and live with his unpleasant aunts. Through a series of peculiar and magical happenings, James finds himself in a giant peach with a bunch of friendly giant insects for traveling companions.

6. Where Were Horses Brought To America From

• In the late 1400s, Spanish conquistadors brought European horses to North America, back to where they evolved long ago. At this time, North America was widely covered with open grasslands, serving as a great habitat for these horses. These horses quickly adapted to their former range and spread across the nation.

7. Baumhammers Murderer From the 90s - Roadkill Murders? Collector?

• His name is Richard Baumhammers (plural not singular).  These murders were not roadkill related, but rather it was a racially motivated murder spree in Pittsburgh in 2000.  He was from Mt. Lebanon, large and played football there.  He came from a prominent Latvian immigrant family.  Had a law degree and MBA.  Had been suffering from psychosis in the years leading up to the spree and had been in and out of psych wards and therapists.  Was not taking his meds at time of spree.  He targeted, shot and killed 5 people including:  Jewish people, Indian people, Chinese people and one African American .  He was caught right away from the shooting spree.  In 2001, he was sentenced to death but eventually was granted an indefinite stay of execution.  

8.  Air Conditioning In Hungary

• As of 2020, 14% of households in Hungary have A/C compared to 88% in the U.S.

9. Why Do All 4 Shopping Cart Wheels Pivot In Some Other Countries Like Hungary And Korea?

•  In the US, shopping carts almost universally have two caster (rotating) wheels up front, with two fixed orientation wheels in the back. This feature makes them far easier to control, especially in confined spaces, or on a sloping parking lot.  The downside to this greater control is that some people abuse it - e.g. using the cart as a skateboard, or pushing them much faster than a speed appropriate for inside a store. The UK, Ireland, France, and Germany all use trolleys with 4 casters (at least all the shops that I’ve been to).  The only good reason I could imagine for using the 4 caster system applies to the process of returning carts from the parking lot to the entrance of the store. When trying to maneuver a long line of interlocking carts, a series of non swiveling wheels would essentially make the whole thing rigid and unsteerable.  In the US, they overcome this problem with a clever trick- when a cart is added to the line of carts from the rear, it lifts the back wheels of the previous cart off the ground. 

10. Arcadia Music Video- Clear Shot Of Sara’s Husband

• Chris and Bethany’s band, Balloon Ride Fantasy, filmed a music video for their song “Arcadia” that Sara and her husband Balazs were a part of. It was mentioned in this episode that Balazs looks just like the musician Pitbull. The timestamp for our Pitbull look-alike is 2:55.  If you want to see the part of the video featuring him, or just want to watch the whole video, it can be found here.

11. Sara’s Current Vet Practice- Franklin Park Veterinary Hospital 

• As mentioned in this episode, Sara currently works at Franklin Park Veterinary Hospital. They are located at 2406 Nicholson Rd, Sewickley, PA 15143. For more information about their practice, you can go to their website here.  

12. Difference Between Vet School In U.S. vs. Hungary, Specimens, Etc.

• Degree is called the same (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine); There are only 32 vet schools in U.S., some states don't even have one. 

13. Do the Stars Of 90 Day Fiance Get No Compensation For Appearing On the Show?

• The couples on 90 Day Fiancé do get paid, but it's not much. Cast members on the show get paid about $1,000 to $1,500 per episode, and $2,500 to appear on the tell-all special. That paycheck amounts to about $14,500 for a 12-episode season.  However, the foreign member of the couple that's on a K-1 visa can’t get paid because they have to wait for a work permit. It’s different if filming takes place in their country. 

14. Pronunciation Of Budapest

• Budapesht in Hungarian, and Budapest in English.

15. Budapest Filming Tax Cut For Movies Like In Pittsburgh

• There is a 25% tax rebate for shooting a movie in Hungary.  If a foreign movie production company shoots a movie in Hungary (and spends money, even only on video or audio post-production), gets 25 percent of the cost back from the Hungarian government indirectly. Productions can request a monthly settling and refund. Subtracting administrative costs, the production still can get 23 percent back.

16. Well Known Films Shot In Hungary

• Munich, Katy Perry Firework music video, The Borgias (TV series), The Raven, A Kid in King Arthur's Court, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Martian, Mission Impossible:  Ghost Protocol, Red Sparrow, World War Z, Bladerunner 2049, Hanna (TV series), Midsommar, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dune, Jack Ryan, and many more.