Today during a break in recording, I was trying to find some common ground with the men I was working with. In conversation I realize they were from a beach area so I assumed they were fishermen. We began to talk about fish, their stories, my stories, and I decided to try and tell a joke.
Jokes do NOT often cross cultural boundaries, so I told him 'I'm going to try and tell this joke, but it may not be funny to you.'
I then told an old fishing joke my grandad told me:
"Tambuna papa bilong me, wanpela day, em i go long kissim pis" (one day my grandad went fishing)
"Na em tromawae hook, na wetim" (he cast his line, then waited)
"wanpela bigpela fish kaikai huk, nau paitim paitim, na tambuna papa, em pulim pulim" (a huge fish bit the hook, and then my grandad began to fight to reel him in)
"na dispela pis, em kirap, na kaikaim han bilong em" (now this fish, leaped up, and bit off my grandad's arm)
"tasol papa, em paitim em, na banisim insait long boat na kissim em" (but my grandad, still caught him, and got him on the boat)
"behain, mi bin askim tambuna, Papa? Dispela Pis, em stap long wanem saiz?" (later I asked my grandad, "how big was this fish?")
"i bekim, 'Dispela bik'" (holding up 1 hand, he replied, "This big")
The joke got a big laugh. They liked it quite a lot....
thanks Grandad.
