Question: If youre French in the kitchen, British in the living room, and Swedish in the closet, what are you in the bathroom?
Answer: European. (Pronounced youre-a-peein)
Alex told me that he learned this joke from one of his campers back in New York. He used to be a camp counselor and he thinks that the camper who told him this joke was about nine or ten. He does not know where the camper learned the joke, but since he is pretty young and knows the joke, he guessed that it was a really popular joke.
One of the reasons I like this joke is because of the associations between the cultures and the section of the house. The French are well known for their cuisine, so they are put in the kitchen. The Swedes are known for their high technology and design, shown through stores like IKEA, so they are put in the closet. The only reason I see the British in the living room is maybe because they are illustrated as being proper and intellectual, and I can picture a Brit sitting in the living room reading a book. And so when I heard the question to the joke, I was trying to think of which culture would be associated with the bathroom. I thought it would be mean and wrong to start guessing different countries, but when he said European I found it really funny.