Slice of Life

Why makes this Joke funny?

The humor in this joke arises from the subversion of expectations and the absurdity of the situation.

In a typical dining scenario, a customer expects the waiter to be knowledgeable about the menu items and to provide accurate descriptions of the dishes. Here, the diner inquires about the type of pie, a reasonable question that one might expect a straightforward answer to. Instead, the waiter deflects the question by asking what it tastes like, which is nonsensical because the diner wouldn`t be asking if they already knew.

The punchline comes when the diner admits to not knowing the taste, to which the waiter responds, "Then what`s the difference?" This is absurd and humorous because it implies that the identity of the pie is irrelevant if the diner can`t discern its flavor, which is contrary to typical expectations in a dining experience. The humor is rooted in the waiter`s nonchalant dismissal of what would generally be considered an essential aspect of his job — to inform and serve the customer accurately.