Help me understand this joke

[HarryTiger]

This joke was told on Letterman. I found it on the internet and this reads exactly as it was told on Letterman. I don't get it.

They were discussing a book "The Great Jewish Joke Book", but I'm not sure if this is meant to be a jewish joke, I wasn't following that closely at the time.

A guy goes into a bakery and asks for a cake in the shape of a letter B. He comes back to pick it up the next day, and says, “Oh, I’m sorry, I totally forgot to tell you I wanted it to be a lower case B. I’ll pay for this one, but could you redo it as a lower-case?” The baker says, “Hey, that’s okay, no problem, I’ll redo it, and I won’t charge you.” So the guy comes back the next day to pick up the cake, and says, “Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this, but I wanted it to be a cursive lower-case B.” “The baker says, “Well, this time I’m going to have to charge you for this one, but come back tomorrow and we’ll have a cursive lower-case B for you.” So the guy comes back the next day, inspects the cake, and pronounces it perfect. The baker says, “Would you like me to wrap that up for you?” and the guy answers, “No, that’s okay, I’ll just eat it here.”

He was trying to get cakes for free?

He's eating a cursive B, that means something?

It's just a shit joke?

(http://myimaginaryblog.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/b-j-novaks-favorite-joke/)

 

[Kahuna]

I don't get it either.

 

[Niximus]

I think the point is that he's being really particular about what the cake looks like as if there is some important reason for it to look a particular way.

Eating it there means that no one would see it and so why should it matter it it is a B, b or b.

Not overly funny though.

 

[HarryTiger]

Now I just laughed at it because of how lame it is

 

[Jabso]

It's either anti-humour or "you can't have your cake and eat it too".

On second thoughts it's just a lame joke. It may be funny as a kind of physical gag on a TV show or stage but it doesn't read well as a flat out joke.

 

[lewigie]

Hahah, wrap it up for you! As in wrap up the joke. That's very clever.

 

[Ed_Gein]

sounds like something typical of american chat show humour.

extremely lame joke by the way.

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

sounds like something typical of american chat show humour.

extremely lame joke by the way.

Close. It's probably a just a good example of typical of american humour.

 

[Muffo]

One word on why it isnt funny.... Letterman.

 

[DanceSalsa]

i think it's about how customers sometimes behave insisting for perfection when the thing was fine anyway