#GoneGreen2016 | Day 83 | Eco-dining in Berlin

Day 83 / 365

This guestpost is by the ever talented, stunning soul, Carolina Robinson. I first met Carolina at the clandestine ninja wedding of a mutual friend in Paris, we've been friends ever since. Carolina lives a soulful sustainable lifestyle in Berlin and has kindly shared this story for our information and inspiration. You can follow her on her blog here. Below are her words (and photos).

                                                                                              

Berlin raws: Raw mootual lovin’

by Carolina Robinson

The city might still be catching up to its global cousins after a turbulent, historic handicap, but when Berliners cotton-on to something they’re in: hook, line and sinker. Or rather, in the current climate: just plain raw.

As I found out, the raw variety is anything but plain these days - au contraire!

So when it comes to an ecologically-sound dining alternative I didn’t have to look much further than my circle of friends (how’s that for locally-sourced?) who invited me to dine at their raw vegan dinner party.

The range of vegan products available to us today also continues to grow, with substitutes for every kind of milk or meat product you can imagine. My fascination though, centred around the use of the dehydrator in the kitchen. Keeping things raw, means to say that it should not be heated above 40 degrees celsius in order to keep essential enzymes intact.

Stefanie Witt, founded Using a dehydrator in place of a stove or oven allows rawists to enjoy crispier dishes (like our delicious pizza) and conserve fresh produce by drying and storing.

Not to brag, but the fellow dinner guests were all very present in the raw vegan and green scene in Berlin. Frankziska, better known as Superfrans, has just opened her own raw vegan store by the same name.I knew I was in good green hands with Kerstin as head chef - she runs her own vegan lifestyle consulting business and workshops, and is a walking beacon of health, having had her own eating struggles in the past. Using knowledge about health learned from being a  medical assistant in a prior life, her interest in alternative medicines now puts her in an ideal position to coach others about a realistic and gradual approach to a vegan lifestyle.

I joined Kerstin and Ludwig for a trip to the local weekend farmers market which is a five minute walk from both or our houses. It might be also cheating to say that within that distance there is a vegan supermarket, Veganz, which is quickly sewing its seed across Berlin and beyond throughout Germany.

The Green Market Berlin which runs every three months painting the city all shades of organic green. Rounding out the dining table was Benedikt Maschke  who has founded the Nectarbar, which includes products such at the Nut Bag - who knew it was so easy to make your own (nut) milk? (Hint: all it takes are nuts and water!)

In contrast to these superstars, all I could bring to the table was an appetite and an open mind - neither of which should be underestimated.

[Drinks]
- Freshly made pomegranate, apple and beetroot juice
- (Organic) Cotes du Rhone Reserve, 2014, Famille Perrin
[Entree]
Garden salad with olives & sundried tomatoes
[Main] 
Raw Vegan Pizza with a base of dehydrated zucchini, red bell pepper and linseeds, topped with fresh homemade tomato sauce and mushrooms, avocado, yellow bell pepper, onion and fresh herbs
[Dessert]  
Rawvegan brownie made from dates, cacao, natural sweetener, nuts topped with vegan frosting and served with a scoop of vegan banana ice cream
[On the side] 
An educational conversation about all things raw and vegan

So, what’s the point here? While we might not all have dehydrators sitting on our kitchen bench, we are all able to rustle up a different kind of dinner party that is consciously-minded toward the Earth. By sharing these experiences between friends, unbeknowingly, we begin to break down preconceptions about vegan (or raw) lifestyles. We might not cut out animal products overnight, but if each individual lightened their footprints, it will allow for healthier lifestyles and future generations to enjoy the Earth’s splendours.

Mmmmerci: In order to ensure you’re invited to the next dinner party, why not follow up with a little thoughtful (&/or tasty) treat? Inspired by the evening, I threw together some raw vegan chocolate coffee date balls that got the seal of approval from my two hosts!

Kerstin & Ludiwg : so cute you could eat them!