lifestyle

Sex in Berlin: Cuore di Vetro

Dearest readers,

What is hot or not, and what is coming this month when it comes to love and desire?

Nike Wessel

Photo: Stefanie Jockschat, Unsplash

“I’m lying in bed with two naked people and thinking about spaghetti,” my friend Ana wrote to me on a cold April evening.

Far away in my favorite park, Großer Garten, I observe the blossoming trees and think of warm noodles, like the ones Ana and I recently ate at Golden Hahn. There, they made fresh pasta for us while Ana talked about her search for love — the feeling of sometimes being lonely, even during sex; the revolving door of partners; and the question of whether "the one" even exists. Does it?

In Germany, pasta has been one of the most popular foods since the ‘70s. A radio station once pulled an April Fool's joke claiming the "noodle harvest in Italy had failed," which actually led to a nationwide panic. During the pandemic, it was noodles and toilet paper that we hoarded in our apartments. A strange combination, isn’t it?

Photo: Onur Senay, Unsplash

I think about the connection between types of pasta and lovers, and how a large selection, such as the one available in Berlin, doesn't necessarily mean you will be satisfied. Worldwide, there are said to be 600 different types of noodles: short, twisted, ribbed, and those delicious filled varieties. "Yes," said Ana, “now we’re back to sex.” In her last relationship with a German man, there were a lot of cold cheese sandwiches with sour pickles. The fifty shades of grey of the Berlin weather in his dark apartment didn't make things any better.

As we know, it is important to do things differently to get a different result, so I sent Ana to KitKat for the Hedoné party. For anyone curious about KitKat, this is a gentle introduction. The sex-positive collective aims to promote pleasure with its celebrations, and they wear wonderful costumes to do so. I consider this party series essential, the granita of the KitKat scene.

Ana, however, decided against a night of loud music while waiting in line. Instead, she reconnected with a couple she had met in Italy. All three were happy about the reunion and the conversation quickly turned to food. That's how it goes in the party city of Berlin: sometimes you skip the club and do what you really need at a cozy home.

As with any good dinner party, they discussed cravings and intolerances before heading to the couple's light-filled penthouse in Mitte. After they kissed, they danced and cuddled next to the antipasti. Salt, fat, acid, heat... That means the desire for an encounter, bodies that fit, a bit of humor because things never go exactly as planned, and then — the heat.

As a surprise, the host later brought out dessert from the ice cream shop Cuore di Vetro. "Now we melt the winter away," he said in a warm voice.

After weeks of searching, Ana had found what she truly needed: warmth from within. It doesn't have to be the one perfect noodle; sometimes a wild, mixed plate is exactly what suits you best. Especially with our “Cuore di vetro”, our hearts of glass, it's worth being brave and trying new recipes sometimes.