Soul Kitchen: Leben ist, was passiert, waehrend du dabei bist, andere Plaene zu machen...

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans" is the tag line of the latest movie by Fatih Akin based on a novel written by Yasmin Ramadan. A movie which makes you laught without being funny, Soul kitchen tells the story of Zinos, a Greek-German man who runs a shabby restaurant in a poor neighbourhood of Hamburg. He does the cooking himself: fries, fatty burgers, spinach with frikadele, the music is loud and weird but despite that middle-class customers are happy to have their lunch there. Somehow, Zinos manages to run both the place and his life until Nadine, Zinos girlfriend, a slim and long legged German, goes to China to work as a correspondent. At this point Zinos decides to find someone else to manage the restaurant so that he can join her in Shanhai. A series of mishaps prevent Zinos from flying half of the world to be with Nadine. First, a tax collector comes to the restaurant reminding Zinos that he has to pay his taxes. Second, health inspectors check the restaurant and give Zinos 30 days to renovate the kitchen. Neumann, an old buddy of Zinos from high school, who now happens to be a real istate agent interested in the land on which the restaurant is built, does his best to create more obstacles for Zinos in order to persuade him to sell the place. However, Zinos will not let trouble stop him, he manages to find a new chef for the restaurant whose funky cooking refreshes the image of the place and s new customers and generating better profits. As a result, the kitchen is renovated and taxes are paid back. Zinos older brother, released on parole from jail takes his place as a restaurant manager. Finally, Zinos is on the airport trying to reach his gate to catch his flight to Shanhai when he bumps into Nadine. She is coming to Hamburg for her granny's funeral followed by her new boyfriend, a short and fragile Chinese guy. While Zinos is trying to understand why Nadine had left him, his brother loses the restaurant in poker game. Will Zinos succeed in keeping his soul kitchen? Will he reunite with his girlfriend? Watch it and you will see what I mean.