VEGAN PERSONALITY
Candy Crash – living colourfully, free and vegan
Candy Crash – living colourfully, free and vegan
One moment in Berlin, the next in California. There’s always something going on with Candy. She defies all categories and lives her life self-confidently, courageously and colourfully. Many people came across Candy Crash for the first time in the TV series „Queen of Drag“, and have since been fascinated by her personality, which plays with her feminine side. As an entertainer and content creator, the drag queen inspires an impressive and growing number of followers on a wide range of topics – from beauty to cooking to adventures in life! We caught up with her to find out more about her career, lifestyle and dreams…
Just landed in California
VELIVERY: Your life always sounds so exciting – you’ve just moved to California, for example. How are you doing there and what made you decide to move?
CANDY: I’m doing great and I think I made the best decision of my life to move here. Over the past few years, I’ve felt increasingly uncomfortable in my home country of Germany. Through my career and personal challenges in life I have evolved a lot, and at some point I felt that I had outgrown Germany. I could no longer identify with many of the characteristics of the people there and knew that I needed a change of scenery for my personal happiness.
VELIVERY: Let’s start at the beginning: you come from the south of Germany. Has your life always been more colourful than average?
CANDY: Yes, you could say that! Even as a little kid I couldn’t relate to all the things the other boys thought were great. My grandfather would always give me what he thought were ‚boys‘ things‘ for Christmas, like Lego Technic, miniature cars or a book on bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was always jealous of my sister, who got Barbies, dresses and glitter dough.
Reinventing myself – the birth of Candy
VELIVERY: How did your career as Candy start, and what makes you special? When did you discover the world of make-up and the drag scene?
CANDY: When I moved to Berlin many years ago, I was able to reinvent myself and to start questioning and rebelling against traditional norms. The city impressed me and I found that people there were much freer in themselves than I knew from the south. Meeting drag queens in gay clubs there is normal. This way of expressing femininity as a man was new to me and fascinated me, so I quickly wanted to try it out for myself. I quickly became well known in the scene and soon I knew that I wanted to reach more people, especially the mainstream, with my new-found voice. So I quickly became the biggest drag queen on YouTube Germany, until I was noticed by various TV shows. The rest is history.
VELIVERY: What does your personal lifestyle mean to you? And what do you like to do?
Free and independent
CANDY: My lifestyle as a drag queen and a feminine, queer man means absolute freedom to me. Freedom to be myself, to question social norms and to consciously oppose and rebel against them. I have learned through my queer identity and the reactions I get from the outside world that I don’t want to be part of the so-called ’norm‘ at all. I now see my queerness as a gift on so many levels and wouldn’t have it any other way.
VELIVERY: You have over 320,000 followers as @thecandycrash. What do you have to offer them on Instagram and TikTok?
CANDY: Social media is my voice. There I can be loud, reach people who otherwise have no contact with queer people and maybe even teach them something – be it about beauty, cooking or confidence. I like to talk about serious things, but I also like to make videos that make you laugh.
VELIVERY: What role has Berlin played in your life? And what are you doing now in California? As an influencer, but also otherwise. Beweggründe verstehen.
CANDY: Berlin will probably always be one of the most important places in my life. It is where I found myself and got to know myself all over again. My best friends live there and it feels like almost every street lamp holds memories for me. As wonderful as it was there, however, it was time for me to leave. And now I want to see California, find out what my career options are here away from social media, and also start a family.
VELIVERY: Exciting! So let’s talk about you as a TV star: What have been some of the highlights when it comes to your film roles and TV appearances?
CANDY: Queen of Drags on Pro7 was an absolute highlight, of course. That’s where my friendship with Bill Kautlitz began, who was and still is a big idol of mine.
Typical Candy menu – cruelty-free, of course
VELIVERY: You’re not only interested in all things beauty-related, you’re also a foodie and love to cook. What is on your personal menu?
CANDY: Vegan protein powder! I’ve been doing a lot of sports for the last two years and I’m trying to consume as much protein as possible without eating too many calories. So I can’t do without it. In the morning, I’ve been eating oatmeal with almond milk, fruit and psyllium for years. So these items are always on my shopping list.
VELIVERY: Are you vegan, and if so, since when and what made you become vegan?
CANDY: When I was 10 years old, I realised at the dinner table that I was looking at a dead body. The thought didn’t leave me, and the disgust I felt never allowed me to eat animals again. It meant a lot of battles at home because being vegetarian was unheard of, especially in the 90s. Being as stubborn as I was, however, I succeeded in getting my way with my mother and grandmother. I turned vegan about seven years ago and that was a logical step for me. Since then, I always eat vegan at home. Eating out isn’t always easy, especially in LA. Here, too, I make vegetarian exceptions so as not always to be the odd one out when eating in groups.
For lasagne, bolognese, etc. – Candy’s favourite Vantastic products
VELIVERY: You cook with Vantastic products on a regular basis. Which ones do you like the most and what do you cook with them?
CANDY: I love the yeast flakes! Especially when I cook pasta, they can be used as a Parmesan substitute. I also love cooking with mince soy because you can use it in so many different ways – for lasagne, veggie bolognese or in tomato sauce, for example.
VELIVERY: Is there any other reason why you’re a vegan or how would you sum up your attitude to food?
CANDY: I live by Albert Schweizer’s motto ‘Reverence for life’ and I don’t understand how you can love animals and at the same time eat them. A meat-eating animal lover is a contradiction in terms. ein Oxymoron.
Candy’s grandmother’s irresistible steamed dumplings
VELIVERY: Yes, it’s an oxymoron for us too. Now, let’s be specific: Can you give us one or two hacks for plant-based cooking or your favourite animal-free dish – especially now for Veganuary.
CANDY: My favourite dish growing up was my grandmother’s steamed dumplings, and they were totally vegan!
Ingredients
• 500 g flour: approx. 1,755 kcal
• 100 g vegetable margarine: approx. 720 kcal
• 250 ml plant-based drink (e.g. oat/soy drink): approx. 120 kcal
• 2 tbsp sugar (approx. 20 g): approx. 80 kcal
• 1 tsp salt (approx. 5 g): 0 kcal
• 1 cube of fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dry yeast: approx. 12 kcal
This adds up to about 2,687 kcal for the whole recipe. kcal für das gesamte Rezept
1. Prepare the yeast mix: Crumble the yeast into a small bowl with a tablespoon of sugar. Pour the warm plant-based drink over it, stir and leave to stand for about 10 minutes until small bubbles form.
Make the dough: Mix the flour, salt and remaining sugar together in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and margarine and mix with a food processor on medium speed until smooth. If the dough still sticks together, add a little more flour. Briefly knead the dough with your hands and leave to rest, covered, for 1 hour.
3. Shape the dough: After the 1-hour resting period, shape the dough into 10 same-sized balls and knead each ball into a smooth surface with your hands.
4. Cook the steamed dumplings: Heat a deep pan with a glass of water, a little oil and a teaspoon of salt over a medium heat and cover with a lid. When the water comes to a boil, place the dumplings in the pan, leaving a space between them, and cover again.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and do not remove the lid during cooking. After about 15 to 20 minutes, the water should have evaporated.
6. Remove the steamed dumplings: When the water has completely evaporated and a salt crust has formed on the bottom of the pan, carefully remove the steamed dumplings.
Take responsibility and ‚make it new‘
VELIVERY: That sounds delicious and makes me want to start baking right away – thank you very much! What are your plans and visions and what would you like to share with people who might not yet have dared to live their dreams?
CANDY: Like you say, live your dream, don’t dream your life! You create your own happiness and have to learn to take responsibility for your own life. What is it that Peter Fox sings? „Hey, if you don’t like it, make a new one.“
VELIVERY: A good last word. Thank you for a great interview and all the best!
Verantwortung übernehmen und „neu machen“
We’re impressed by Candy’s attitude to and reverence for life. And we’re also inspired by her cooking ideas and favourite recipes. We hope you like them too!
