I’m told it’s hard to makes jokes in a second language. For me
it’s hard to make jokes period, in English, English or English. Words, ideas,
humor just doesn’t always translate. But then we have the people of Bali…
on a small island, renowned for its cultural gifts, there is one less
recognized art form they’ve mastered - quick wit, one-liners and deadpan
delivery… and they do it all in English.
It first happens the night we arrive. In an open-air restaurant,
punctuated by tiki-torches and paper lanterns, my friend asks the waitress,
“What does the chicken curry come with?”
She looks at us straight-faced and replies, “Chicken.”
We smother our smiles until she’s gone, then giggle over our Bali
Moon cocktails. But the next night we realize the joke is on us. Once
again we order a chicken dish, and once again we receive a wise-crack in
return.
“Ah…yes,” our waiter replies, glancing out to the stone
courtyard. “The chicken is still running. You wait.”
This time we caught the secret smile.
Bali is a cultural oddity in the Indonesian archipelago of about
17,000 islands. They’re a unique hold-out of Hinduism and their native Balinese
language surrounded by a literal sea of Islam and other more dominant tongues. Mixed
in is a robust heritage of spirituality, art and culture. That flair for
artistry and aesthetics is what first attracted Dutch visitors a hundred years
ago and continues to draw tourists today. From batik, to dance, to stone
carvings and jewelry, Bali is a center
for creative exchange. Art classes, galleries and theatrical performances
dominate, why shouldn’t they be comedians too?
A few days later we’re driving on a private tour, passing
tropical fruit trees on a winding mountain road, when a stray animal bursts out
in front of us.
“Chicken!” I yell.
“Sa-TAAAAY!!” responds the driver, licking his lips and
playfully revving the engine.
The truth is chickens are everywhere. Mama hens round up their
chicks on the hard packed earth of a rice farmer’s home, others peck coconut
husks down the cities’ side alleys while roosters line the roadside in rattan
cages.
“For fighting.” Our guide explains. There’s silence as my friend
and I uncomfortably consider what he means. Ugh.
“Is cock-fighting that common?”
