🚀 go-pugleaf

     Since I submitted the hot dog joke, I feel I should defend myself.
(I won't repeat it; it was posted last week, though.)  I myself heard it
told by a woman from the Dominican Republic living in New York.  She told
it on two Dominicanos.  Since I'm living in California now I changed the
nationality.  Of course almost all non-English speakers by now know what
an American hot dog is.  The joke depends on a certain suspension of
disbelief--you have to imagine someone who *doesn't* understand "hot dog."
>From my point of view it's a joke about linguistic ambiguity, not a joke
directed at any one ethnic group.  It could be two Frenchmen or two
Finns.
     Personally, I enjoy hearing stories about mishaps Americans have
had due to lack of familiarity with another language.  I heard some wild
ones in France.  The implication is not that all Americans are too dumb
to learn foreign languages, just that many tourists don't bother, which
is perfectly true.