Auf Haxe | Blind Sextuple Date

This Saturday, ongoing chefs around the city will be rattling those pots and pans again. The name of the game is Auf Haxe, and it's basically a blind date involving six people and a wholesome dinner.

The night will consist of a three course meal, with each course taking place in a different apartment around a similar neighborhood. Teams of two will be visiting each other in their respective kitchens, meaning that one course is served at home and the other two at fellow contestants' homes. Who ends up with whom – that's pretty much a matter of chance, the names are drawn out of a hat. Auf Haxe follows a cleverly devised schedule: Entrées and dessert must not exceed 45 minutes, the main dish gets an hour and thirty minutes are alloted for traveling to and from the different apartments. 

The last event, which took place in February, had 160 Berliners whipping it up for their neighborhood. Which is great, the event has remained unimpaired after its expansion because of its simple concept: All dinners are limited to twelve people max. You can find out what happened in the other groups at the ensuing party, where everyone is reunited.

Exactly how elaborate your cooking skills might be is besides the point. “It's about socializing”, says Phillip Günther, who created Auf Haxe with his friend Johannes Groß. “We just wanted to get a couple of people from our neighborhood together. It's a possibility to fill those empty houses in the area with faces and stories.”  Günther and Groß use a special type of software to calculate schedules and organize menus for the night. Participants just have to cook what they're assinged. Pretty simple. 

The crux of the night: You'll never know where you might end up. Schmalzstulle and elaborate Braten might clash just like roaring laughter and awkward pauses. Most of Auf Haxe's participants are between the ages of 25 and 35, and at a point in their lives where convenience food has started losing its allure. “When you bump into people at the flea market or in the park, you notice that the concept has worked out”, says Phillip Günther. 

This Saturday marks Auf Haxe's first anniversary. You can register by 5 May. Participation is free of charge except for your meal's ingredients.

(abi)