Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Brazilian Pavê Joke

Explain the Brazilian “pavê” joke.

"Pavê" is a traditional dessert in Brazil, which consists of a layered cake usually made with cookies, cream, and chocolate.

The Brazilian "Pavê" joke stems from a pun in Portuguese. When someone presents this dessert during a meal, especially during holiday gatherings, it's quite common for someone to make a pun saying: "É pavê ou pra comer?" This phrase translates to "Is it 'pavê' or to eat?"

This joke is funny because "pavê" sounds like "pra ver", which means "to see" in Portuguese. So the phrase sounds like "Is it to see or to eat?" The humor comes from the fact that "pavê" is obviously something to eat, not just to see.

It has become a running gag in Brazil, especially during Christmas time, almost to the point of being an inside joke for the whole country. While it might be considered corny or a "dad joke", it's part of the holiday tradition for many families.

This actually took three tries to get an accurate answer. After explaining that “pavê” sounds like “pra ver”, it twice incorrectly rendered the joke question as “É pavê ou pra ver?”, which is simply not how it’s said. I’ll add that “pra” is a common informal corruption of the word usually written as “para”, and that in the context of this joke, “pra comer” is often similarly corrupted as “pacumê”.

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