B E ST OF B E R L I N

VOLUNTEERING

BEST JUMP-ON CHARITY RIDE

I
f, on any given Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday, you feel the urge to do some
good, head to the Wedding headquarters of Berliner Obdachlosenhilfe and help
prepare and distribute food to the homeless. No need to plan ahead, just show
up and – after a brief health and safety chat – start chopping those carrots! You can
join the cheerful team of young volunteers as they prepare sandwiches and cut fruits
and vegetables in a friendly kitchen buzzing with chatter in German and English; or
you can help load it all into the van, alongside the supplemented drinks, clothes and
toiletries, and deliver the goods to Leopoldplatz, Alexanderplatz and Kottbusser Tor
(or Hansaplatz on Sundays). The whole operation runs from 2pm to midnight, but
volunteers can come and go as they please... without getting dirty looks. Don’t forget
to wrap yourself up, as the cold can get to you on the tour, but afterwards you’re sure
to be rewarded with a bite to eat or a beer with fellow helpers. No time to volunteer?
Donate money, clothes or foodstuffs directly to the Obdachlosenhilfe – they have
a list of specific items they need detailed on their website and Facebook page. It
couldn’t be easier to up your karma! — Özgül Demiralp

Berliner Obdachlosenhilfe, Buttmannstraße 1A, Wedding, Wed, Sat 14-24, Sun 15-24,
www.berliner-obdachlosenhilfe.de

Araí Moleri
REHAB

BEST ERSATZ DIGITAL DRUG

I
s your Screen Time app report causing you panic, but the idea of actually going sans
even more alarming? Enter Complicated Needs’ Digital Detox Phone. It’s got the
weight of a smartphone, it’s shaped like a smartphone, it has buttons like a smart-
phone and it’s... wood! Just wood. Mahogany, walnut or maple. Launched in November
by one German with a wicked sense of humour, Helge Simon’s concept store offers
“gadgets” that give a subversive nod to our 21st century existential needs and vanities.
Now, seriously... for €32 you can fill that 97g hole in your pocket (and the bigger one in
your soul) and leave home free and Handy-less in the New Year. — Walter Crasshole

www.complicatedneeds.com
Complicated Needs
Araí Moleri
CACAO

BEST SUSTAINABLE HIGH

W
hat could possibly be the next best energy drink after third-wave
coffee, matcha brews and grass or ginger shots? Pure melted cacao
of course! Think bitter yet creamy hot chocolate that’s supposed to
boost your immune system, focus and euphoria in life. One spot in Prenzlauer
Berg is leading the way: Moruga Cacao Café, named after a town in Trinidad
where cacao is the drink of choice, especially at family gatherings during wakes
and funerals, or simply when catching up. Open from November through
March, the small café serves pure organic (and fair trade) hot cacao, be it the
“Cacao-ccino” (€3.50 with your choice of milk: plain milk, oat milk, soy milk,
etc.) or the double shot (€2.50 for 8g) – both served unsweetened, so sugar and
honey are at hand for beginners. The tiny place has just four seats by the bar, so
you won’t be spending the whole afternoon here. But no need, you’ll be up and
buzzing in no time without suffering from the caffeine or sugar slump you usu-
ally get after coffee or energy drinks! For real aficionados, health-conscious mil-
lennials or locals just after something a little different, this may be your drink
of choice for 2019. — Fabienne Lang

Moruga Cacao Café, Gleimstraße 54, Prenzlauer Berg, Fri 14-23, Sat 12-18, Sun 10-18

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