Alan Park

Vegan comedian Alan Park acted as Master of Ceremonies during the opening ceremony and plenary, telling veg-centered jokes, at the 34th World Vegetarian Congress in Toronto. His act culminated in a call to a local franchise of the Canadian fast food chain Swiss Chalet, whose mascot is Woody Woodpecker.

As the audience struggled to stifle their laughter, Park asked to reserve a table for himself, his wife, and his children. He then expressed to the Swiss Chalet representative his children's concern that they might be eating Woody Woodpecker and asked if there was some way they could assure his children that the bird they were eating wasn't Woody -- for example, a blow-up doll so they could see he was still alive. She admitted she could see the confusion but said there was no blow-up doll. Finally, when he asked the flustered Swiss Chalet representative if she could impersonate Woody, she said, "You'd have to ask your server about that." Mr. Park asked her to put a server on the phone, but the call was mysteriously ended at that point.

Photo ©2000 by Tiffany Refior.