Storytelling through Food: Comedy
- Ricesome
- Jun 23, 2023
- 4 min read
Comedy, huh? What does it have to do specifically with food? Well, comedy is a form of storytelling and I have already established that food plays a huge part in storytelling. Food acts as a vehicle to tell good stories and since it's something we see every day and is very important for our survival, there are bound to be good stories. Today I want to discuss some of those stories- of the comical variety. Specifically, the usage of food as storytelling in Standup comedy because.........why not.
I watch a lot of standup comedy and most of the time I watch the same old sets and comedy specials on repeat. If you are not a fan of standup comedy, maybe I will change your mind this week or at least I can give you some good recommendations. But before that, a little bit about standup and why I chose this topic for this week.
Standup comedy is a very intricate and nuanced art form. It is one of the complex forms of storytelling. It has many layers and the gist of the story is often times hidden. At the same time, it involves a simple medium of communicating with the audience, involving little interference between the speaker and the audience in the same environment. Comedians are often creatures of introspection, criticism, observation, exaggeration, truth, and sometimes.....offense. Comedians often speak of things that other people don't observe, realize, or don't like to talk about. They talk about both what is there and what is not there. They cater to and also oppose public opinion. This is the nature of a standup comedian and their art form. But, how does food play a role in this?
A sign of good storytelling is universality, being able to make the story relatable to everyone. Food fits this criterion perfectly. Relatability is a huge aspect of standup comedy, it is a way to connect with the audience. As I said in my earlier posts, we eat and we see food every day, regardless of whether we like it or not. Standup comedians often showcase minute observations that we encounter every day yet we don't ponder upon them.
(Disclaimer: The following stand-up sets may contain profanity and address sensitive topics. Viewer discretion is advised.)
Take Kenny Sebastian for example, a famous Standup comic in India. He was one of the first standup comedians I grew up watching. Of all the comics I have seen, Kenny has the highest number of sets on food-related topics. (A set is a standup show of any length) I often feel like I started watching him because of his food sets. He primarily does observational comedy, where he anthropomorphizes (big word alert) inanimate things and exaggerates their personalities.
His sets on food are including but are not limited to "Chai Time: Biscuit Review", "Why Dosa is Amazing", "Middle-class Restaurants", "Cooking troubles", "5 Kitchen Items", etc. He takes observations that we daily see in our lives and displays them to us in such a way that we would think we haven't noticed them before. In a standup set of his titled "Why I don't do jokes on politics in India", he explains how he doesn't like to talk about politics because it draws threats and danger to him and his family. He says that he jokes about biscuits because biscuits are non-violent. Similarly, another famous world-renowned comedian, Gabriel Iglesias said that he doesn't talk about sports, religion, or politics because they always divide people, but he talks about food because food brings people together......unless they're vegan.
On the other hand, Vir Das, another Indian Standup comic, talks about the cultural aspects surrounding food. Vir Das, unlike Kenny Sebastian, talks about political and cultural topics surrounding India. In his standup sets, he talks about "Why Indian food is the best", "Parle G biscuits", "Beef ban in India", etc. In his stand-up set about Indian food, he makes fun of Indian cuisine by saying how it's "not the best-looking cuisine on the planet, but it's the tastiest".
He makes fun of his own culture's cuisine and points out how it is not attractive to the foreign eye in general. He also talks about the beef ban surrounding the nation in his special "Losing It" on Netflix. The ban on beef in India is a very controversial topic and creates a lot of tension between people. Wherever there is tension, there exists humor.
Finally, coming to the piece de resistance.........Dave Chappelle. He is considered to be one of the best in the world of standup comedy. He has been awarded the Mark Twain Prize (A prize awarded to people who had a similar influence on American society as the famed novelist and writer, Mark Twain) for his contribution to his craft. It is also considered to be the highest award you can receive in comedy.
In his standup special "Killin' Them Softly", Chappelle talks about Fried Chicken, a dish that has a lot of history and culture behind it. He talks about how once he went to a restaurant in Mississippi to order some food and before he could say anything the guy behind the counter declares that he will have the chicken. Chappelle talks about one of the most controversial topics surrounding food in his special, that Black people are often stereotyped as people that only eat fried chicken and watermelon.
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This was one of the eye-revealing subjects for me in the world of food. Chappelle even says in his set and I quote, "All these years I thought I liked chicken cause it was delicious. Turns out, I am genetically pre-disposed to likin' chicken." Chappelle uses humor to critique racism and oftentimes makes fun of himself and his own culture to drive his point home. He spoke about food and the cultural context behind it as a way of making it relatable to his audience and also educating people who are not aware of this cultural phenomenon. (Although I doubt if the latter was intentional)
This is the purpose of food in the world of standup comedy. Although there are other comedians who might have different views and sets on it, I just chose the ones which I found interesting and that I thought would establish my point. This shows how food can play a dual role in storytelling, from having opinions that are conventional to opinions that change perceptions and sometimes, they define us. At the end of the day, if there is something that is considered bad or stereotypical..........it should be made fun of, as a way of laughing at our own adversities.
See you next week!
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