[LAUGHING THROUGH HISTORY 31] 'I'm the One Who Farted'
A common subject in older Korean humor is women who fart. The humorous folk tale called “The Farting Daughter-in-Law” has been translated and retold many times: the gist is that a young girl who farts a lot gets married, then tries to hold her farts in order not to offend her in-laws, which makes her sick, and when she finally lets loose, the blast of flatus blows their whole house down. Luckily,…
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In older Korean humor, the act of women farting has been a recurring theme. One well-known folk tale, "The Farting Daughter-in-Law," has been retold numerous times, sharing its premise. A young woman who farts frequently gets married and attempts to control her flatulence to avoid offending her in-laws. This struggle leads to her being ill, and when she finally releases her gas, the force of it destroys their home. However, there is a happy ending in the tale.
Despite this being a common trope in older Korean humor, I haven't observed farting men being treated humorously in the same manner. This discrepancy might be due to men's flatulence being considered normal or because for men, farting is not seen as a humorous breach of social norms. The joke I'm translating today centers on a woman in a significant, formal social setting who unintentionally farts.
In her effort to preserve her dignity and social standing, she blames the accident on her son. The humor lies in watching these two characters strive to adhere to social norms and uphold their dignity, yet both ultimately fail in their attempts.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- [LAUGHING THROUGH HISTORY 31] 'I'm the One Who Farted' koreatimes.co.kr
