Winner Of The “Father Of The Beer” Award

I’m working concessions, trying to get my line down as quickly as possible. Two boys, maybe thirteen and fifteen years old, order two popcorn/drink combos, one with a soda, the other with a beer.

In Germany, you’re allowed to buy some “soft alcohol” (e.g. beer) when you’re sixteen, but of course, we’re supposed to confirm, and even though the older boy might be sixteen and just looked younger, I’m not so sure.

Me: “Can I see your ID?”

Boy: “Oh, it’s not for me; it’s for our dad. He’s already inside, saving our seats.”

This makes me suspicious. We have assigned seating — no need to save any seats — and what father would send his underaged son to get him some beer from the concession stand when the laws are pretty well-known?

Me: “Sorry, then I can’t sell you this beer. It’s against the law. I need to see that you’re over sixteen. Your father will have to buy it himself.”

The boy seems disappointed but nice about it. They both take their other stuff and leave. Two minutes later, a middle-aged man comes over, skips the whole line, and waves his ID in my face. He has a passive-aggressive smile that looks more like a snarl.

Man: *In a sarcastic, sickly-sweet voice* “So you need my ID, too?”

I blink at him in confusion for a few seconds in which he still bares his teeth at me. Finally, it clicks.

Me: “Well, I can see that you are over thirty.”

He just scoffed, still smiling, threw his money on the counter, took the bottle out of my hand, and storms off, leaving me utterly confused as to why he was so angry that his underaged son DIDN’T break the law by buying alcohol.