Berlin 'Grillwalkers' Sell Sausages Cooked on Wearable Grills
[Photograph: Punxatawneyphil on Flickr]
The New York Times has a quick piece on Berlin's grillwalkers, who sell sausages from portable grills that they wear—gas on the back; hot, hot bratfest on the front.
The innovative apparatus sprang up in 1997, when inventor Bertram Rohloff devised it as a way of skirting city street-vendor permits in the city. Without permits, "neither the grill nor the sausages could touch the ground."
As he worked on the invention, Mr. Rohloff considered everything from burning charcoal to hooking the grill up to a car battery — which he rejected because it would run down in just 10 minutes — before settling on propane. He designed it with an automatic cut-off mechanism for the gas, to ensure that it was safe in the event of an accident
According to the story, the Grillwalker franchise has become a common sight in the capital and Mr. Rohloff has hired subcontractors to wear the grills in other German cities.
Note to Erin: Can you get an interview with a German grillwalker for your Street Food Profiles series?
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18 Comments:
I wouldnt put that near the family jewels
mandarin at 11:58AM on 09/24/09
@mandarin: That's what I was thinking, too. LOL.
Adam Kuban at 12:13PM on 09/24/09
I just saw these guys last week, and my first question wasn't about the potential for scorching your own wiener, but how long they wear these things for at a time. It was quite a warm day (for Berlin), maybe 80 degrees, and they looked heavy as hell. As well as dangerously hot..
markemorse at 12:22PM on 09/24/09
neeto!
I heart bratwrust on a portable grill or stationary :D
"gas on the back; hot, hot bratfest on the front."
>>Is it possible to see the grill itself? A profile maybe? A blueprint?
This is a pretty facinating concept considering all the work that typically goes into prepping, hauling and sanitizing an actual cart.
hungrychristel at 12:30PM on 09/24/09
@markemorse: The original article notes that grillwalkers work in pairs. They take turns wearing the junk; the nonwearer then takes care of buns and condiments.
@hungryc: Here's the Grillwalker site. There's a photo there that shows it a little better.
Adam Kuban at 12:42PM on 09/24/09
This is great but this could end badly too....
jlewfoodie at 2:40PM on 09/24/09
coo!
thanks adam!
hungrychristel at 2:42PM on 09/24/09
"...hot, hot bratfest on the front"? Nice one.
RachelDP at 2:56PM on 09/24/09
As much as I love street food. I don't think I'd order something from him after a bathroom break. I mean seriously, where would he put his equipment If he had to "go" but to take it with him to the loo? It's not like he has a cart to shutdown temporarily.
madebytam at 3:09PM on 09/24/09
@madebytam: As it states in the original article (and I reference in my comment above), they work in teams of two. So I'd assume his/her partner would take the equipment while s/he took a leak.
Adam Kuban at 3:12PM on 09/24/09
My question is, what happens when this guy has to sneeze? If he turns away, the damn grill filled with brats is turning with him, and it looks sizeable enough that you couldn't just turn your head and avoid sneezing all over the damn thing.
I guess at that point you just turn up the heat and burn the damn germs off those puppies, huh? :)
mh330 at 3:26PM on 09/24/09
Now THAT'S a strap-on!
juliebugsmama at 3:34PM on 09/24/09
Oh, this topic is just begging for double entendre.......
CJ McD at 3:37PM on 09/24/09
ROFL!! @ comments!! :P
We need these in Montreal!!
Chocolatesa at 4:27PM on 09/24/09
I have to know...is he wearing the umbrella too? Reminds me of (Sen.) Al Franken's SNL take on the portable video setup network types wore at the presidental conventions years ago....
chanterelle at 9:43PM on 09/24/09
Can you imagine how trashed your back would be after a day of wearing that thing?
DanaMcCauley at 10:44PM on 09/24/09
As tasty as the food may be, IMO, the risks outweigh the benefits of this contraption.
hungryhungryhippo at 11:35PM on 09/24/09
I guess they found a way to make it safe, but my first thought was the same thing that mandarin and Adam had.
wunami at 1:20PM on 09/25/09