The combination of meme and ritual began at the end of August when a simple poster appeared on a lamppost in the city centre inviting anyone interested to a ‘Pudding mit Gabel’ meet-up. The instructions were minimal: bring a pot of pudding, bring a fork, turn up at the appointed time.
Unexpectedly, several hundred people arrived, many of them young adults, forming loose circles across the park before peeling open their pudding pots in a synchronised countdown.
Videos shared online showed a light-hearted atmosphere, with strangers chatting easily and groups lingering long after the short event officially ended.
Influencers have also gained many hundreds of thousands of views, bringing the phenomena to the wider world and ensuring its longevity – especially when the warmer weather returns.
In the weeks and months that have followed, similar meet-ups have been announced in cities including Stuttgart, Hannover, Munich and Hamburg.
Attendance in some locations peaked well over a thousand people. Smaller gatherings have since followed in Bonn, Bremen and parts of the Ruhr region, with the idea spreading to Austria and Switzerland, and even as far as Boston in the United States.
The Grand Duchy has also been caught with this viral bug. A group of Palestinian protestors held a peaceful gathering called ‘Pudding mat Forschette’ (pudding with fork) on 28 September on the steps of the Philharmonie in Luxembourg City. However, in general, the Pudding mit Gabel phenomenon is mostly apolitical.
Authorities have largely treated the events as informal picnics. Police in several cities have issued reminders about park opening hours and public-order rules, but the gatherings have passed without incident.
Although the trend is deliberately absurd, it is described as an accessible way to meet others without the pressure of formal social events with many particpants speak of the low-stakes appeal of doing something intentionally simple and inexpensive during a period of rising living costs.
