In the summer of 2020, already in the midst of the Corona pandemic and the lockdown, we in L’viv, Ukraine, received an invitation from the Goethe Institute to participate in the International Day of Languages at the end of September 2020 together with the Austrian Cultural Forum in Kyiv. We could present our scholarship programme, show Austrian culture and art, musical and literary programmes would be possible but the main focus would be on the language. Everything would take place online. For one day various international representations in Ukraine would be given time slots in a virtual building, which could be filled with country-specific programmes.
We Austrians love our Lipizzaners and our choirboys, and also Mozart and the mountains. Jelinek, Bernhard and Qualtinger were also up for discussion. But very soon it was clear to us that it was all about reach, attention and ratings in these times when it is not possible to meet in person. So my colleagues had the crazy idea of filming me cooking or baking besides a scholarship presentation and producing an online cultural programme in Austrian German. And it would have to be live!
Unfortunately I had already made a name for myself as an amateur chef at that point, I had received a cook apron from my mother-in-law and a refusal would have been an embarrassment and a defeat of immense proportions, which had to be avoided at all costs. I decided to cook Kaiserschmarrn. So I began to study all sorts of recipes, bought ingredients and prepared myself and my kitchen in terms of filming and lighting for the big day. Recipes were translated into Ukrainian, we received baseball-type caps and backpacks from the municipality of Vienna to give away as prizes because a quiz was also planned. I bought a few jars of Zwetschkenröster (stewed plums) in Vienna because they were to be the main prizes.
The announcement of the show in the social media was already a terrific success. Some people didn't want to believe it and yet it came true. The show in my kitchen in L’viv exceeded all ratings and reach records that we had hoped for and knew from our previous shows. The turnout was enormous, with viewers from all parts of the country and all age groups watching our show. They asked questions, sent requests for upcoming programmes and took part in the quiz. At Karasin University in Kharkiv our programme even became part of the German classes. Even days after this International Day of Languages we received comments and pictures from viewers who wanted to show us the results of their own Kaiserschmarrn cooking.
The chance in the crisis was for us from the beginning the use of new digital formats and online broadcasts, which we had already tried out. In this way, despite difficult conditions, we not only managed to stay in people’s minds but also to reach a new, young audience in all parts of Ukraine and thus to increase our reach. More culinary programmes followed, such as Vanillekipferl (vanilla-flavoured crescent-shaped biscuits) in Advent. And little by little we also improved our video skills. We learnt a lot during that time!
You can still watch the programme on our YouTube channel:
The OeAD Cooperation Office L’viv is located at the National Ivan Franko University in L’viv. The focus is on supporting mobility, networking and cooperation in higher education. We also cooperate with local institutions in the fields of science, education and culture.
Author & chef: Andreas Wenninger