A week ago, German soccer sensation Lukas Podolski, a. k. a. Poldi, launched his ice cream parlor Ice Cream United midst “Belgisches Viertel” (the place to be, eat, drink and hang out) in Cologne, Germany. Naturally, I had to check it out as it was said to be tasty and healthier than your average ice cream place. To be perfectly honest with you, I did not intend to write an article about the place because I do not see myself as a food photographer, food blogger or restaurant critic (although I might as well be, given the time I spend trying out new places to eat). Why do I write this then?, you ask? Well, the owner of the place and Fußball King himself, Lukas Podolski, happened to visit his ice cream parlor to meet with a journalist. When I got to talk to him, writing about the newly opened place and him became a matter of the heart to me. Read on to find out why 🙂

Ice Cream United

The ice cream at Ice Cream United (Brüsseler Straße 72, 50672 Cologne, Germany) contains half the sugar than your average ice cream, still satisfying your sweet tooth just as perfectly. You can choose between multiple trendy flavors, such as Tahitian Vanilla and Oreo. They offer lactose free and vegan ice cream, for those of you who bother. Aaand they serve the Poldi Burger, the “oh my”-kind of tasty special ice cream burger — talking about food porn, people. The service is completely nice and they really take the time to help you out deciding what you’d like to have or answer your questions patiently (like me asking for a decaf at almost 10pm). The coffee (not decaf) was good and the bakery goods, particularly the Berliner, tasted so fresh and fruity.

Lukas Podolski

The International Fußball King Poldi, you have to know, is also a major local hero in Cologne. He is laid back, open and just nice to his fans. This I can only confirm. Poldi’s reactions towards everyone who asked for a picture (selfies, to be more concrete – why selfies people? I don’t get it) was plain friendly and out-going – and there were loads of requests for pictures.

That was nice to see but the reason for me writing these very lines, was what he told me when we chit-chatted. Lukas is not a supporter of the happening fitness trend, nor does he even like it. He finds it absurd. All the organic, vegan, gluten and lactose free trends are just a hype, he said (except for those people who have an intolerance, they can’t help it). Poldi doesn’t get the trend of photographing yourself with a protein shake in your hand. As the sportsman he is, he lives a healthy life, but refuses to hop on the fitness hype wagon. Eventually, it will pass, he said. I cannot tell you, how refreshing this sounded to my ears. It really was music to my ears, hearing this insight from a world-famous person being so down-to-earth, clear and realistic about things. With Ice Cream United, he created a healthier and tasty alternative to other ice cream places, still being aware that ice cream is not healthy per se. The balance is what matters, he knows. And that’s when he got me. Honest, straight forward. Refreshing.

Thank you Poldi, for being the refreshing, straight-out honest character you are — it was really nice to meet and talk to you 🙂 Good luck with your ice cream parlor and all the best for your time in Japan!

Looking forward to my next Ice Cream United visit. Try it, if you can! x

-your tiny woman in a giant world