The Fräulein Weekend Round Up

vor 3 years

Friday is always warmly welcomed! Here is what is on our radar at Fräulein – of what to do, watch, peruse, and read this weekend.

NEWS & READS

NYC Launches $25M Recovery Program for the Arts

Which begs to question… Berlin, how are you thinking to support your struggling creative scene?

Camille Paglia Declares Cinema Done

We have missed reading and hearing from the art historian and social critic Camille Paglia. After a couple year hiatus, she is back for an interview and of course we did not expect her to come back quietly. This time, a scathing critique on the film industry as we have come to know it: “It lasted for a spectacular century—which is actually longer than other important movements in the arts…”

The Berlin Flat Quest Computer Game

For those that have ever moved to or within Berlin in the last few years, you are aware of just how comically horrific it is to find a good apartment (and one in your own name!) that is decently priced, within the Ring, and without 12 flatmates. An apartment on a tree-lined street with Anmeldung at this point seems like a fable, from days of yore. Yesterday, an online game was released, designed by Bastien Allibert, recreating the painful process that is finding a place to live. You choose your own character (which include the South German and the Creative Talent) and try to find a place to lay your head before your savings dry up. Painful and playful satire. Consider this your trigger warning.

LOCAL SUPPORT

According to the Senate Chancellery, restaurants may finally be opening up again next week (21 May) for outdoor dining in Berlin. Is it true? Is it happening? For those manifesting this (and for those taking care to socially distance!), we salute you. Our time for total imbibing is coming. As we count the days, and gaze lovingly at our ever-growing wish list of culinary delights, may we remind you of a few spots we already love and can’t wait to have some more of, in a more… seated capacity?

FRANK
Frank is a beautiful cafe on the border of Mitte and Prenzlauer Burg that opened in April by a team of interior designers. We went for cocktails-to-go last week, and determined we must make the trek once again when its front doors are further opened because of how green and gorgeous it is on the inside. A new see-and-be-seen brunch spot.

GOLDA
A recently opened pop up hole-in-the-wall Israeli street food spot is now in the Schillerkiez of Neukölln on the weekends, so if you are trying to impress your date in Templehof, you will certainly first swing by here for the vegetarian Sabich (a pita stuffed with eggplant, egg, harissa, and a whole lot of delight.) So good, my date actually ate two… Further charm: local artists paint and sketch on the wrappers, so each sandwich is uniquely yours.

ROCKET WINE
Please don’t tell us you are still drinking späti wine! Rotkäppchen in the park with friends is one thing, but if you are bringing a bottle to dinner, make it good. We only live once, and the 5 extra euros are worth it, babe. Our favorite wine shop is the all-natural Rocket Wine located in Mitte, with a knowledgable team that scours the world for the most interesting vineyards and brings them back- by hand and with love- to their sweet storefront. The team here are friendly and want you to delight in wine as much as they do. No pretension here. Tell them what you are having for dinner, fill them in on your budget, and they will lead you in the right direction with no judgement.

CULTURALLY-SPEAKING

Fräulein’s office is situated off the culturally-dynamic Potsdamer Straße, with a bevy of options for gallery-hopping. While Gallery Week was a total bust this Spring, some galleries are still allowing visitors by appointment. Why not make a day of it in Schöneberg? We humbly suggest:

Esther Schipper Gallerie is hosting the all-female group exhibition “L’Invitation au voyage,” with artists such as Paula Rego (known for her representational paintings and portraits of storybook imagery and characters) and Almut Heis (whose stark paintings of interiors have a nostalgic tinge). You are sure to leave this colorful exhibit a bit lighter and more inspired.

Klosterfelde Edition has been taken over by the conceptual Thai artist Rikrit Tiravanila, presenting an exhibit entitled ‘Go for the Good Spirit.’ Indeed we will. Social practice is the center focus of this show, encouraging viewers to heed words of advice from the artist and to implement them, such as: During difficult times do breathing exercises in the light of the moon.

Swan Lake online, courtesy of the Berlin Staatsballett

The Berlin Staatsballett (and at times, also the opera!) has been streaming their sorely-missed productions for free online, each week choosing different productions. Every performance is available for 24 hours. Tonight is the classic Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, choreographed by Patrice Bart, with ballerinas twinkling around on their toes in ways that make us tingle. Oh, it’s been too long…

AT HOME GOODNESS

READING: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

This is a book I have owned for many years, in varying degrees of frayed paperbacks and editions. I have given it to a multitude of girlfriends and important women in my life. My special recipients have spanned age, time zone, and reason. I encourage women to keep close a copy of this for the same reason that I find myself reading through chapters again and again… it reminds you of your magic as a women. Written by a Jungian analyst, this is a compilation of myths, fairy tales, and folklore, all depicting women as emotional, intuitive, and instinctual beings… strong in their convictions and in their support of each other’s magic.

WATCHING: The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, Netflix

I am an avid fan of all things true crime. And honestly, it need not necessarily even be true crime (I’m looking at you Law & Order…) This Netflix-produced mini-series throws all kinds of darkness into the arena with some really wonderful footage of a very interesting time: it takes place in New York City in the late 70s, when the city was deemed Fear City, and involves a Satanic cult and a lot of occult clues leading to a cross-country capture. It’s narrated by the freelance journalist that helped solve the serial killer(s) case in its entirety in the height of American Satanic Panic.

COOKING: Recipes by Ottolenghi

The best purchase I made over lockdown last year was a cookbook by Ottolenghi. I started with Simple, because all the recipes consisted of less than 10 ingredients, and because the word ‘Simple’ in the kitchen seemed manageable with my meager tools. Since then, my Ottolenghi cookbook has expanded (he has eleven in total; I have four). With springtime in full swing (read: a multitude of spring showers), why not throw on a playlist (follow our Spotify!) and do some baking? How about these Swiss Christmas cookies that the master chef himself deems as ‘too good to have only once a year’, or if you are really wishing to stay seasonally-appropriate, why not try out this beautiful Strawberry & Rose Mess (it’s called a Mess for a reason, so how badly can you f*ck it up??)