Lost in Translation

Knock Knock...
Who's there?
B'nana.
B'nana who?

Knock Knock...
Who's there??
B'nana.
B'nana who??

Knock Knock...
WHO'S THERE???!!!
Orange.
ORANGE WHO????
.....Orange you glad I didn't say B'nana???


Now, I know for most of you that's a pretty lame knock knock joke... but when my soon-to-be five year old son Paden tells it, well you just can't help but laugh because he derives such joy in telling it and he always cracks up laughing at his own great sense of humor. That little squeal of giddiness gets me every time.

Telling knock knock jokes is quickly becoming a lost art. Think about it...when did you last hear a good knock knock joke???

Usually when you hear a knock knock joke, just about everyone has to respond with one of their own...

Knock Knock.
Who's there?
Tank.
Tank who?
You're very welcome!
(...and loud groaning ensues)


See what I mean???

Telling knock knock jokes in India, to someone who is used to speaking Tamil - let's just say it doesn't have the same effect...which is actually just as hilarious. No - it's more than hilarious. It's gut-bustin' funny. I'll be the first to admit that I am really (and I mean REALLY) bad at telling jokes (most who know me will happily confirm), and you know you're doing a pretty poor job when you have to explain a knock knock joke. But just thinking about it makes me have to sit back for a second cause I'm laughing at the memory of the perplexed look on Prabeesh's face.

Prabeesh is my sister's driver, and considering there is a bit of a language barrier there, the guy has a pretty good sense of humor... like when he suggested to drop my sister and I off at Ritchie Street or Pondy Bazaar to do a little shopping....trust me, he thought he was quite the comedian, but since those shopping districts are veritable zoos of tiny street shops and throngs of people all wanting to gawk and haggle and barter for the best deal - I'm sorry, but I did not see the humor in that - not one bit...but he thought he was being pretty funny...

Prabeesh found it pretty funny when my sister nicknamed MacGyver. Not having seen the 80's tv show, he couldn't understand why he was being compared to the swiss army knife/duct tape wielding secret agent...but watch him in action, he could make a pizza out of a paper clip and a stick of juicy fruit (ok, so I'm exaggerating slightly)...but he definitely knows how to get things done and he sure is a handy guy to have around when you're attempting to traverse the meandering streets of Chennai. I feel pretty good knowing that they have someone like that to ease them through their time in India.

Prabeesh found it amusing when I was taking all that footage of the marathon of traffic, and pictures of the cows having right of way in the street, and laughed pretty hard when I tried to explain to him why it was so mind boggling to me that people drive around the cows because in Alberta the cows would end up on our barbecues...although, I don't really think you'd be wanting to be eating a cow that hung out in traffic....seriously.

Yup, Probeesh is a handy guy to have around, and a pretty funny guy...but something gets lost in the translation... he just doesn't get the knock knock joke.