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play0:00 / 4:17#ESL #ELT #ELL #ELD #ESOL #EFL #TESOL #ESOL #English #language #twinglish #joke #ingles #wordplay #pun #hotdog #bun
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Whatsofunny Bessie Smith sings "I want a hot dog for my roll: http://youtu.be/MpqYKMhFZPY
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Whatsofunny MY GIRLFRIEND GOT FIRED FROM THE HOT DOG STAND FOR PUTTING HER HAIR IN A BUN. What’s so funny about this? This short little one-liner is loaded with cultural information that most Americans take so much for granted that most will not even realize it. Take the concept of a “girlfriend”. In many parts of the world unmarried males and females are kept apart for a variety of reasons, social and religious. Even in the west, 100 years ago, contact was restricted and when teenagers of both sexes did get together, they were supposed to be chaperoned, or accompanied by a married adult. When a boy and girl were friends the two words were written separately and there weren’t any sexual implications. All that is ancient history in the west and the two words are now written together and they mean that they are probably intimate; same for boyfriend. Now, what the heck is a hot dog stand? Or a hot dog, for that matter? I’m sure you know it’s a small, short sausage that Americans eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just kidding. They were introduced by German immigrants at the end of the 19th century and had various names including “frankfurter “(indicating the origin was Frankfurt), or “wiener,” also “weenie” (indicating the origin as Vienna). But after two world wars fighting Germans, the term “hot dog” came into use. BTW when the US was angry about something that France was doing, a Congressman wanted to change the name “french fries” to “freedom fries” – thankfully, that never happened. Let’s get back to hot dogs. They are frequently sold out of small shacks and even out of little trucks. These are known as “hot dog stands.” Of course it’s not the dogs that stand erect it’s the one or two people inside that stand and they have to do the standing, all day long. I’m sure there’s no connection, but the word “dogs” is also a slang term for feet. When people have to stand all day long, they get tired, sore feet. They might say that their “dogs are barking”. Anyway, back to the 19th century. Sausages were nothing new to Americans, but it was the German guy who thought it would be smart to put a sausage on a soft white bun and top it off with mustard, who was the genius that invented the hot dog. Pretty soon people were adding ketchup, onions, relish, sauerkraut, potatoes, and all kinds of even more esoteric toppings. Needless to say, you want the hot dog guy or girl who works at the stand to have clean hands and you certainly wouldn’t want to find a hair in your hot dog roll, or bun. But is that what happened in the joke? Did my girlfriend insert one of her gorgeous red hairs into a hot dog bun? Or did she just pull her hair up into a knot that also happens to be called a bun? We’ll never know because she got canned; just as well, her dogs were always barking at the end of the day anyway. And THAT’s what’s so funny!
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