Signs of Laughter.

Something I never quite managed to do while I was living in Italy was to get pictures of all the hilarious signs and business names that struck laughter into the heart of the middle-school aged part of my American brain.  I can’t remember them all, but 2 company names stand out: Assitalia and Lamecop.  Not particularly amusing to Italians (much like an Irish breakfast pack is not that amusing to Irish folks), but HI-larious if you look at it from an (immature) English-speaking perspective.

Not wanting to miss another opportunity to demonstrate why Americans should patent eye-rolling and charge for its use (we’d make tons of money!), I decided to grab pictures of everything remotely silly and yuk-worthy as soon as I could.  The only one I am missing is actually a deliberate omission on my part, a tiny exercise in restraint, lest I embarrass the adult part of my mind any further.

Those ubiquitous rental signs, found nearly everywhere in the world, are really quite harmless in Italy: affittasi.  Nothing particularly snort-worthy there.  In the US, it’s simply, “For Rent.”  In Ireland, however, it is, “TO LET.”

.   .   .

I’ll let you stew on that for a moment.  To add to the mental picture, I’ll pass you an imaginary brush and a bucket of paint.  You’re welcome.

And now, Signs of Laughter in Ireland: Part the First!

 

Shot this on 8 June 2010 while seeing the O, So Scenic coastline of Co. Cork.  I cannot remember if, earlier on the road, I actually saw a sign with a strategically missing letter or if memory is merely manufacturing that recollection in self-defense.  I do know that this caused me to snort and giggle in a most unseemly fashion.  (Apologies to the Irish.)

 

To be fair, this peanut butter was manufactured by a British company.  But COME ON!  ”Contains peanuts. May also contain traces of nuts.”  *facepalm*  More accurate, perhaps, would have been “…Label may have been written by a person who is nuts.”  Which leads us to the next sign…

 

Now really, would you trust food made by a looney?  Hmm, yes, perhaps they should be taken away.  To a nice place with soft walls.  (Do you think it would be possible to send part of my brain along with them?)

 

I would like to thank you for reading.  I will bring you more from the mind of a perpetual 7th grader in future installments.  (…huh uh.  Huh uh.  She said “wood.”)

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