Back in August. 90 degrees and near 90% humidity. Cuba and Korea are facing off for the second of two pre Olympic exhibitions in Seoul. I’m watching the game at Jamsil Stadium with Dan from MyKBO and it’s only the first or second inning. We’re sitting in the first row of the reserved seating  but fans are climbing over the railing. The section is quickly filling up and two older Korean men sit a row behind us.

One guy takes his shoes off and puts them up on the seat two down from me. I’m trying to take notes on the players but would love nothing more than a nice cool beer. But I’m working. The guy behind me takes his feet down and flags down a beer boy. I look to my right and see this poor teenager. He’s got some kind of awkward strap thing around his body and inside I can see a metal pony keg peeking through. That’s right, a pony keg strapped to his back. He’s pouring sweat and looks miserable. He’s wearing glasses. I didn’t look but I’m sure they were fogged up. He climbs over the railing seperating the two sections with great effort and ambles past us.

The old man orders two beers. The kid pulls a cup out from the strap thing and starts filling the first just to the left of me. As he’s filling it the other old guy, who I think was his older brother, shakes his head no and says he doesn’t want a beer. The first guy protests a little, “don’t you want a beer?” The other guy shakes his head. “No? You don’t?” He keeps shaking his head.

So the guy who ordered the beer tells the kid he doesn’t want the beer. By now the cup is full and the kid is holding it out like an offering. Almost parallel with my nose. The guy doesn’t want the beer. Says they’ll have ice cream instead.

The kid demonstratively drops his arm, huffs a little and walks to the garbage can in front of Dan and I. He dumps the beer in the garbage can. Dan and I groan a little in a way you’d expect two guys in a beer commercial to in the same situation. The kid steps back  over the railing between the two sections and starts to make his way back up the stairs. I’m assuming it was the worst summer job he’ll ever work in his life.

It’s too bad that kid didn’t have a Nebo.

According to The Design Blog  (reached via Gizmodo):

Usability:
The back pack bulges out to accommodate beverages while the tray on the front holds the ice-creams with ease. This balance on the front and the back helps to give support to the vendor’s posture too. A hose fitted with valve from the back helps the vendor to fill the glasses with the required drink from the tank on the back. A UVresistant foil on the back pack takes care of keeping the drinks cool. The whole set can be worn with the help of a well-designed harness that not only keeps the beverage tank and tray in place but also takes care of the wearer’s back. Vendors who need to be up on their feet cannot ask for a better alternative to sell stuff at beaches, parks, carnivals and other festivals.

This looks like the Rolls Royce of vending packs. Are these things already showing up at Japanese ballparks?

Thanks to Korea Beat for the heads up.