“I’d like to see your lunch menu”, I told the waiter

Joke Poo: The Architect’s Specs

“I’d like to see your building plans,” I told the architect.

“Excuse me sir, but I just handed them to you.”

“I know, but I forgot my scale ruler.”

Alright, let’s break down this joke and then build something new:

Joke Dissection:

• Premise: The setup creates an expectation of a normal restaurant interaction – requesting a menu.
• Incongruity/Twist: The humor arises from the absurd situation. The person has the menu in hand, making the initial request illogical. The glasses explain the illogical request, but doesn’t make it less absurd.
• Underlying Themes: absentmindedness, mild embarrassment, perhaps a hint of stubbornness (“I know I have it, but I can’t see it!”), and the reliance on tools (glasses) for everyday function.

Key Elements:

• The Menu: The focal point of the interaction, symbolic of choice and information.
• Glasses: Representing reliance on technology for basic function.
• Waiter: The passive recipient of the absurdity, a standard role in these types of jokes.

Comedic Enrichment:

Now, let’s leverage those elements for some comedic enhancement. Here are a few options:

Option 1: Factual “Did You Know?” Enhancement

“Did you know that the longest restaurant menu in the world, according to Guinness World Records, belongs to the ‘Aashiqui Mughlai’ restaurant in India and contains more than 1,000 items. Imagine needing your glasses and a seeing-eye dog just to choose an appetizer! At that point, the waiter should just offer to read you the entire Wikipedia entry on Indian cuisine. The menu is so long it contains entries for menu items that don’t exist anymore.”

Option 2: A Related Observational Joke

“It’s amazing how quickly we’ve gone from needing glasses to read menus to needing glasses to use menus on a tablet. Soon restaurants will hand you a VR headset and you’ll ‘virtually’ eat your food while the real dish sits sadly in the kitchen, untouched. You’ll have to download DLC’s for extra flavor. It’ll be the only way to afford eating out in 20 years”

Option 3: Twist on the Original Joke

I asked the waiter if they had a gluten free menu.
“Of course sir, here it is.”
“Perfect. Do you have a menu that has gluten in it?”
“Yes, right here, it’s our normal menu…”
“Excellent. I’m allergic to the absence of gluten. It makes me too healthy. I need to maintain a proper level of carb-induced existential dread.”

Explanation of Choices:

• Option 1 leverages the ‘menu’ element with a bizarre, but true, fact. The absurdity is amplified by applying the original joke’s premise to an even more ridiculous situation.
• Option 2 takes the “glasses” element as a jumping-off point to comment on technological dependence and the future of dining. It’s a more observational and slightly cynical take.
• Option 3 uses the same exact format but uses a different twist, it comments on modern dietary restrictions, allergies, and a slightly ironic view on modern food culture.

Which option is best depends on the audience. The first is likely to elicit a chuckle due to the sheer scale of the menu fact. The second has a touch of dry humor and relatability for those familiar with technology creeping into every aspect of life. The third is a bit more niche, but may resonate with people familiar with modern dietary restriction fads.