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Food

A Berlin veggie decade

2000: the vegetarian is a lonely species who eats at home or subsists on falafel. 2004: Heinz “Cookie” Gindulis opens the high-end veggie restaurant Cookies Cream, the same year Germany’s first vegetarian fast-food restaurant, Yellow Sunshine, starts up. As hordes of veggie-hungry immigrants from the wealthy West overrun Berlin, the local gastro tunes up to meet the needs of these alternative dieters. La Mano Verde opens in 2008, and in 2009 vegan Café Vux arrives in Neukölln. Vegan cupcakes and “Real men eat tofu” badges are bestsellers at Mauerpark. Chipps, Viasko, Rootz and Vego Foodworld join the veggie cavalry. 2011: nine new veggie restaurants (four of which are strictly vegan), vegan supermarket Veganz and vegan fashion label Umasan set foot in Berlin.