A Spoon Stirs Many Topics

(Mum and I are in a small office filling out paperwork. The girl helping us leaves to get something. From the room next door where a meal is being served, we hear someone say they need more spoons.)

Me: “I wonder why they’re only allowed spoons.”

Mum: “Maybe they’re not allowed anything else, or don’t need anything else.”

Me: “Well, I guess a spoon can be used for most stuff if you have to.”

Mum: “Yeah, like your dad on the army.”

Me: “Like when he was in Canada and it was so cold he had to break the ice every morning for a shave.”

Mum: “Do Eskimos have that problem?”

Me: “I don’t know.” *pause* “How do Eskimos go to the toilet?”

Mum: “I don’t know. Wouldn’t they freeze to the ice?”

Me: “Maybe they build special seats? No, they’d freeze to those too.”

Mum: “You’ll just have to ask an Eskimo.”

Me: “Do you know what else I’d ask an Eskimo?”

Mum: “Do penguins taste like chicken?”

(We were both laughing so hard when the girl came back we were close to tears. Not that we could explain why though, given the conversation!)