Ice Cream & Techno
Friday, 15 August 2008 by kinakoJam
Cologne's yearly c/o Pop festival began this week, and I celebrated the opening day by eating a c/o Pop ice cream cone from the organic ice cream truck which sometimes appears on Brüsselerplatz. Some would have you believe the cute two-tone van is there every fine afternoon, but I think it depends which dimension you're currently inhabiting.
The cone cost one euro (about 30 cents more expensive than your average non-organic ice cream cone): Demi and Erik told me when they were kids a cone went for 50 pfennig (about 20 cents). The range of flavours this guy offers is pretty dope: the mango-mint was good and I'm looking forward to trying the Hollunder-blossom and yoghurt flavour, and the cassis flavour. The milk & spelt-cookies one could be good too.
And I'm not even such a big fan of ice cream. This is actually the first time in living memory that I have bought one. Kein scheiss.
I remember some years ago buying a Cologne techno compilation, that featured a red & white tiled modernist drinks cart on the cover. Supposedly some guy would set it up in random places and sell alcoholic beverages. At that time I thought it was a pretty cool idea, but since I moved here I have never seen the cart and none of my work mates has ever heard of it.
Supposedly coffee carts are against the law here, and Demi & Erik were also laughing at the idea of someone trying to put an uncovered food vendor stall under a tree or lamp post or anywhere a bird might shed unhygienic effluence.
And yet apparently it is possible to get around the current smoking 'ban' in corner bars and clubs simply by having someone sitting outside the door with a 'smoking club' list which everyone who wants to go inside has to sign and become a temporary 'member' of.
The hygiene and health laws in Germany can be very strict, but apparently the rights of 'kneipe' owners are still more important than the lung-health of hospitality workers.
Bear that in mind if somebody approaches you with a clipboard outside one of the c/o Pop venues.
