It came to life on one of the first days of the Olympic Games, right around happy hour, and unceremoniously started slinging fruity drinks with its long, swaying arm.
There were robots everywhere, in fact: Across the room, they stacked burgers and wrapped them neatly in wax paper; around the corner, they simmered dumplings; others skittered overhead, lowering plates of food from the ceiling.
Here was evidence, as if more was needed, that this was not a normal Olympics, that the pandemic in yet another way might steal the human heart of a global sports gathering; that one of the joys of the Games in normal times — deep dives into local culture and cuisine — could prove hard to achieve.