LAUGHING THROUGH HISTORY 16 'Are the Cat's Whiskers White Because It's Old?'
An 18-year-old cat takes a nap. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Editor’s note
“Bwahahahaha” is a weekly column that explores the roots of Korean humor through the joke book “Kkalkkal Useum,” originally published in 1916.
From a child’s perspective, there’s something odd about grandfathers. A comparison of the jokes in the humor book “Kkalkkal Useum” depicting grandfathers and grandsons versus those depicting fathers and sons shows a clear ambiguity in the relationship.
Should a grandfather be respected and feared the same way that a father is? Within a patriarchal system, a paternal grandfather is in theory at the top of the hierarchy, above the father himself. But within a traditional family, the grandfather is often less responsible for providing discipline, and is thus free to treat the child more indulgently. Today I’m translating two jokes — both quite short — in which a grandfather lets a grandson walk all over him.
When reading the first of the two, it should be remembered that the fear of aging is a part of our contemporary culture that doesn’t necessarily apply to Korea in this era. In this context, it’s less insulting for the child to point out that the grandfather has white hair (although that might sound like a jab today) than to act dismissively about his advanced age.
The second joke is especially interesting for how it depicts the relationship between the two figures, with the old man expressing disappointment that the child doesn’t treat him with more filial dedication while at the same time seeming to accept it as natural. (As a reader, I also think it’s hilarious. I really love this joke.)
Are the Cat's Whiskers White Because It's Old?
There was an old man who loved his grandson, so he set him on his knee to watch his childish pranks.
The grandson said, "Grandfather, why is your beard white?"
The old man replied, "That's because I'm old."
The grandson answered, "Well, the cat's had a white beard ever since it was born. Is that because it's old too?"
The old man smiled brightly and said, "Heh! This kid has no manners."
Say What You Will, but a Grandson Isn’t as Good as a Son
There was an old man who dearly loved his grandson.
This grandson picked up two pieces of fruit that had fallen from a fruit tree. One of the pieces had split open, and the boy set it aside to give to his father while giving the piece that was whole to the old man.
The old man was deeply touched, but he said, “Since this one is whole, why don’t you give it to your father?”
But his grandson replied, “No, it fell in some poop.”
The old man sighed, “Say what you will, but a grandson isn’t as good as a son.”
G.S. Hand is a graduate of the Translation Academy at LTI Korea and winner of the Fiction Grand Prize of the 53rd Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards. He has a master’s degree in Modern Korean Literature from Korea University. He lives in Seoul.