The young assistant tells him they only sell whole cauliflowers. The man persists and asks to see the manager.
The boy says he’ll ask his manager about it. Walking into the back room, the boy said to his manager, “Some sh*t-for-brains out there wants to buy half a cauliflower.”
As he finished his sentence, he turned to find the man standing right behind him, so he quickly added, “…And this gentleman has kindly offered to buy the other half.”
The manager approved the deal, and the man went on his way.
Later, the manager said to the boy, “I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of that situation. We like people who think on their feet here. Where are you from, son?”
“California, sir,” the boy replied.
“Well, why did you leave California?” the manager asked.
The boy said, “Sir, there’s nothing but porn stars and cheerleaders up there.”
“Really?” said the manager. “My wife is from California.”
“You’re kidding?” replied the boy. “Who’d she cheer for?”
Joke Poo: The Algorithm Apprentice
A junior AI developer in a Google campus cafe is trying to get the deep learning algorithm to recognize a handwritten numeral “7” that he drew poorly.
The senior engineer explains that the AI can only process clearly written numbers, suggesting he redraw it more precisely. The junior developer insists, wanting the AI to handle messy inputs, and asks to consult the lead algorithm architect.
The senior engineer sighs and heads to the architect’s office. On the way, he tells his boss, “Some data-illiterate knucklehead out there is trying to get the AI to read a scribble that looks nothing like a ‘7’.”
As he finishes his sentence, he turns to find the junior developer standing right behind him, so he quickly adds, “…And this bright young innovator has kindly offered to provide a larger dataset of diverse handwriting samples for enhanced training.”
The architect approves the extended training, and the junior developer beams.
Later, the architect said to the senior engineer, “I was impressed with how you smoothed things over there. We need people who can navigate complex social situations here. Where were you trained?”
“Stanford, sir,” the senior engineer replied.
“Ah, that explains it. Why did you leave Stanford?” the architect asked.
The senior engineer said, “Sir, it’s all just coding prodigies and future unicorn CEOs there.”
“Really?” said the architect, raising an eyebrow. “My spouse teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford.”
“No way!” replied the senior engineer. “Which unicorn are they incubating?”
Okay, let’s break down this joke.
Key Elements:
- Setting: Ohio Walmart. This immediately sets a certain cultural expectation/stereotype.
- Conflict: The initial request is unusual (half a cauliflower), creating an absurd premise.
- Miscommunication/Quick Thinking: The core humor is in the assistant’s quick thinking to cover up his insult.
- Stereotypes: The joke heavily leans on stereotypes about California (porn stars and cheerleaders) for the punchline.
- Irony: The manager’s wife being from California sets up the final, embarrassing reveal.
- The “Gotcha” Moment: The final question from the assistant is the punchline, creating a funny but awkward situation for the manager.
Now, let’s use this to create a new, related humorous bit:
Humorous Observation:
“You know, the irony of this whole situation is that, botanically speaking, the cauliflower is technically a deformed flower, its the result of selecting an ‘unhealthy’ version of a wild mustard plant over thousands of years. So, buying half a cauliflower isn’t as crazy as wanting to buy half of perfection, it’s like going for half a ‘mistake’, like someone who is only partially regretful. In that case maybe the manager should just be glad the guy didn’t ask for a quarter of a cauliflower, and ask himself “how little bad decision do I need in my life”?”
Explanation of the Joke:
- This observation builds on the initial absurdity of buying half a cauliflower, and gives an actual reason for why it could be funny.
- It pokes fun at the idea of what is “perfect” when it comes to nature.
- The concluding question turns the entire scenario into a humorous rumination on decision-making and regret.
Alternative Joke:
A man walks into a California Walmart, heading to the produce section. He stares intently at the cauliflower.
He sighs and says to the nearby produce worker, “You know, it’s tough being from Ohio. Back home, we just wanted half a cauliflower. Now, I can’t help but thinking “how will I eat all this broccoli, and be expected to cheer and do porn*?””
The produce worker stares back blankly. “Sir, this is a Walmart…”
“I know!” The man cries out “I really went down hill after my divorce.”