As part of the multimedia project “What does Austria believe?” at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2, then: “Food like the gods – a heavenly cooking duel”
Vienna (OTS) – Why do spiritual rituals play a role at weddings for many people? What rituals are there – and why are the offerings also growing for non-religious couples? The new “criss-cross” documentary “The most beautiful day in your life” by Andrea Eder goes on a colorful journey as part of the multimedia project “What does Austria believe?” on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2 Search for clues. In “Food Like the Gods – A Heavenly Cooking Duel” at 11:20 p.m., Pastor Johannes Freitag, Imam Ramazan Demir and Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister will compete in a joint cooking competition against top chef Sissy Sonnleitner: Even if in the course of the kitchen campaign there are all sorts of things about religious dishes and food regulations , Judaism, Christianity and Islam are chatted about: Interfaith cooking is, above all, entertaining.
“The most beautiful day in your life” – A film by Andrea Eder
“It’s as if there was an additional protection over us,” says the artist Yasmin Ada-Tarsousi about her religious wedding and, together with her husband, Mustafa Tarsousi, explains what constitutes a nikah, an Islamic wedding. Like Yasmin Ada-Tarsousi and her husband Mustafa, many couples in Austria decide year after year to celebrate their wedding not only in a civil ceremony, but also religiously or with individual spiritual rituals. The reasons for this are diverse and as colorful as life itself. The desire for individual offers and new paths is growing.
This is also the case with Julissa Wurz and Clemens Puntigam. Both have left the church, but their wedding should still be accompanied by a spiritual ritual: “Only at the registry office – so quickly, quickly – that wouldn’t be enough for us!”, the parents of a little boy agree. They turned to a freelance speaker with whom they are planning their wedding ceremony: “Couples come to me because they want an individual wedding ceremony that shows and strengthens them as a couple. Simply a ceremony and a ritual tailor-made for you!” says Jasmin Krainz.
There was no talk of so much individuality at the Jewish wedding of Ramy and Brigitte Ungar-Klein 53 years ago: “My father said to me: You are doing the wedding for society!” Nevertheless, the Viennese couple enjoyed the religious wedding and their love is constant: “I would marry her again in a heartbeat,” Ramy confesses lovingly.
Pastor Wolfgang Schwarz from Graz recommends exactly this heartfelt commitment to each other at their wedding to his couples who want to get married:
“I say to all couples: Be with yourself!” The priest, who has also completed training as a Christian ritual companion, is open to the individual wishes of his bride and groom. This is also why Jörg and Johanna Gössl decided to celebrate their wedding with Wolfgang Schwarz. The parents of a little boy say: “We wanted a modern priest because it was important to us to include our son in the ceremony!”
Andrea Eder met the four couples and shows in “The Most Beautiful Day of Your Life” how diverse wedding rituals can be in Austria, why they can provide support and strength and what role love and religion play in them.
“Food like the gods – A heavenly cooking duel” – A film by Jennifer Rezny and Florian Gebauer
A priest, an imam and a rabbi meet – what begins as a joke is in this case the beginning of an interreligious cooking show. Pastor Johannes Freitag, Imam Ramazan Demir and Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister compete together against award-winning chef Sissy Sonnleitner in “A Heavenly Cooking Duel” in the documentary produced by Metafilm. A competition seasoned with interpersonal warmth, critical discussion and a good pinch of humor. The three clergymen cook a four-course menu of their own creation together and compete in a live duel against award-winning chef Sissy Sonnleitner, who prepares the same menu. They have four hours to complete the meals. At the end, a three-person jury, consisting of Burg actress Maria Happel, food entrepreneur Theresa Imre and gastrosophist and book publisher Lojze Wieser, evaluates the result and chooses a winner.
Although the three men are in the majority, Sissy Sonnleitner has more than 50 years of cooking experience ahead of them. Fully aware of this disadvantage, Imam Demir, Pastor Freitag and Rabbi Hofmeister join forces: Rabbi Hofmeister takes care of an oriental starter plate, Pastor Freitag prepares a Styrian potato and mushroom soup and Imam Demir devotes himself to the dessert after one His wife’s recipe: date balls with date cream. All three men help prepare the main course, lamb shoulder with couscous and spinach. For the experienced restaurateur Sonnleitner, the same menu sequence becomes a bit of a challenge. Even though there is a competitive atmosphere in the air, the three male and female chefs grow closer together during the cooking event. This creates a lively exchange about family, vocation, favorite dishes, dietary regulations such as Halal and Kosher, fasting and the role of women in the three major religions.