village fisherman

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An American businessman was at the pier JETÉE of a small coastal Mexican village, when a small boat with just one fisherman docked AMARRÉ . Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna THON ALBACORE .

The American complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied that it only took a little while. The American then asked why the man didn't stay out longer and catch more fish. The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, have a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll ME PROMÈNE into the village each evening where I sip SIROTE wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor."

The American scoffed L'AMÉRICAIN SE MOQUA . "I am a Princeton MBA. I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds LES RECETTES , buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually FINALEMENT (attn: faux ami) , you would have a fleet FLOTTE of fishing boats. And instead of selling your catch PRISE to a middleperson INTERMEDIAIRE , you would sell directly to the processing plant, eventually opening your own cannery CONSERVERIE . You would control the product, the processing and the distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then San Francisco, and eventually New York City, where you will run your growing enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "Fifteen or twenty years."

"Then what?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO INTRODUCTION EN BOURSE and sell your company stock LES ACTIONS to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions? Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends."

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🔍 Vocabulary

In this joke, let’s look at these: scoffed, proceeds, and fleet. Scoffed means mocked or laughed at something with disbelief or sarcasm. Proceeds are the money earned from a sale or business activity. A fleet is a group of ships or boats under the same ownership or control.

• He scoffed when I told him my idea.
• They used the proceeds to build a school.
• The company owns a fleet of delivery trucks.

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📘 Grammar

This joke uses past simple for narration, and includes direct speech to enhance storytelling. The humour comes from the ironic contrast between a long plan and the fact that the fisherman already lives the “dream” outcome.

• The fisherman replied calmly.
• He asked, “Then what?”
• The American said, “You’d retire.”

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🔄 Synonyms & Alternatives

Scoffed: mocked, sneered, ridiculed
Proceeds: earnings, revenue, income
Fleet: armada, group of vessels, squadron

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💬 Mini Dialogue

Fisherman: What would I do after making millions?
American: Retire, relax, fish a little, sip wine with friends.
Fisherman: Isn’t that what I already do?

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