Oh well, you can’t win ’em all
As many of you already know, I did not win the New Yorker Caption Contest this week, though I did get many e-mails from folks saying they thought I should have. But the winning caption was very funny and I figured it might very well win when I first saw it in the finals, and it did. Was it because the author had more Twitter followers or Facebook fans than me? I don’t know, but I bear him no malice because, well, his caption was quite brilliant and mine was, well, it’s not for me to say, though I liked it. I can’t recreate the actual cartoon drawing here — it belongs to the New Yorker and they, naturally, want you to visit it on their site (I gave the link in my previous Peter’s Blog a few weeks ago). But, for those who are wondering, it was a drawing of man in a restaurant, with a plate of fish in front of him, a whole fish, head on, mouth open, looking at him. My caption was: “Or, I could teach you how to fish.”
The winning caption was, “Just water for me, thanks.”
I hate losing at anything but, in this case, I can live with it because that other caption made me laugh out loud. And, hey, there’s a new caption contest every week so I’ll try again — when the muse delivers something witty. But, next time, I’ll try to make it something that causes me — and everyone else — to laugh out loud. Till then, I will take solace in the old balm, “It was such an honor just to be a nominee….”
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Your humorous caption quest is one worthy of a bodhisattva, i.e., or you could teach them to laugh.
Peter, I voted for your caption. But, as we all know, the winner isn’t always the funniest. I have entered a couple hundred times and often think mine is at least worthy of the top three (I made it once, in the food issue last year). I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of your baking classes at Sur La Table in Southern California, any plans for future classes out this way?
Hi Steve and Ric, Thanks so much for your comments. Steve, it’s been a long time since you and I were in high school together and even then you were our resident Buddha — great line, but here’s a question for you: what is the sound of one fish clapping?.
Ric, can you send us your finalist caption and a description of the drawing? And also the other two finalist’s caption?
We should start a club.
Sorry, no classes currently scheduled for California, as I’m on a tight deadline for a new book, so I’ve been cutting back. But, when the new one comes out next fall I hope to do a tour again.