The export of strategic goods used to be one of his specialities.

Ronald Mollinger was born in the Netherlands East Indies in 1946 as son of a dutch colonial officer and his hungarian wife. After his military service as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Airforce, he graduated from the Law Faculty of the Leyden University before he joined the dutch diplomatic service.

Ronald Mollinger is married to Florence de Malherbe. They have two sons: Alexander and Theodore. Both of them work in the oil and gas industry, which is not surprising as the family mainly lived in the Middle East. The boys appear frequently in the nightlife of Budapest.

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
We arrived here in our old Volvo XC on 1st October 2005 and not earlier because our bedroom was still occupied.

2. Have you been an expatriate before?
We have served as junior diplomats in Bonn, East-Berlin, Jeddah, Paris, Abidjan, The Hague and Vienna. As ambassador in Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Tehran and as Ambassador at Large in The Hague (Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Chairman of the EU Committee against terrorism).

3. What surprised you most about Hungary?
Navel-gazing seems to be a rather popular activity.

4. Friends are in Budapest for the weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
Changing of the Guard at the Presidential Palace.

5. What is your favourite Hungarian food?
Goose liver with Tokay.

6. What is never missing from your refrigerator?
Goose liver and Tokay

7. What is your favourite hungarian word?
elkellkáposztástalanitottátok

8. What do you miss most from home?
Sea.

9. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
Lobbyist

10. What's a job you would definitely never want?
Bookkeeper

11. Where did you spend your last holidays?
Snow.

12. Where do you hope to spent your next holiday?
Sea

13. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
My own old rock band.

14. What can't you resist?
Goose liver with Tokay and other forbidden fruit.

15. Red wine or white?
Claret

16. Book or movie?
DVD

17. Morning person or night person?
Night

18. Dog person or cat person?
Horse person.

19. Buda or Pest side?
Pest, but we do live rather comfortably in Buda.

20. What would you say is your personal motto?
Never take no for an answer.