Hawaiian Non-sense of Humor

by Jody Worsham
All rights reserved to send funny e-mails to our 50th state.

I just assumed that almost every person in the world had a sense of humor or could appreciate a sense of humor. That does not seem to extend to our 50th state. While we expereienced a great Aloha Spirit from almost everyone, there didn't seem to be much laughter going on.

For example, in one of the "Things to Do" there was an advertisement for a comedy club (only one listed) announcing that a venue had been found to explore Polyniasian humor. Hadn't they been laughing before?

In one of the many McDonald's a taro root fried pie was right there along side the apple pie. I had to buy one that morning just to see what it tasted like. Definitely not anything funny about chunks of library paste covered in sugar. I was standing there waiting for my order when a guy came up to the counter. The definitely native Hawaiian asked "Could I help you." The definitely NOT native Hawaiian asked for a margurita. I cracked up but the native boy just stood there. No smile, no grin. Maybe he was a new trainee and was looking for the margarita/salt no/s.alt button.

We did encounter some humor at the Polynesian Cultural Center parking lot. We had become accustomed to paying high parking fees everywhere we went but when the attendants told my sister she had to pay $8 every thirty minutes she was shell shocked at first. "No, we have a full day pass for the center". "Sorry, see sign, says 30 minute parking." Indeed, there were 8 parking places with signs "30 Minute Parking" We were about to turn around and go back to town and pay a cab to take us back (it would have been cheaper)when the two boys burst out laughing. That doesn't really count because they were from China and just working there part time.

We paid our one time $8 parking fee and parked. As we were walking back, my niece pointed to the name tags on the two Chinese parking attendants i.d. tags, "Chak" (prounounced chick) and "Wing". We all began laughing and asked to take the picture of "Chak-n-Wing". At least one person had to have a sense of humor to put those two working in the same spot.

The next day we were looking for a Chinese place to eat. We found one and I even took a picture of the resturant sign in case any of you doubt me. The place was called "Fook Yen Food". Now, I don't know if I have just taught high school students too long or I look for passive resistance tendencies everywhere, or I just have a twisted sense of something. We did not eat there.

I'm thinking we should bombard Hawaii with every humor book we can write or find and send them to the Hawaiian people...well, except for Chak and Wing but then they aren't natives.