Laughter is a good medicine, and is effective in driving away worries. Laugh with me. Food can be a good source of laughter.

I’m thinking of that old “cannibal” joke, of course, tweaked by your Uncle Ober.

Cannibal 1: Hmm, this food columnist tastes great.

Cannibal 2: It should. The guy’s stuffed with recipes.

Cannibal 3: But my dish tastes funny.

Cannibal 2: Well, what can you expect from clowns?

This week, I’d like to share with you recipes that combine humor.

Frankfurter. If a dockhand honestly tells you your luggage is too heavy to carry, is he a frank... porter?

Recipe: Fry five hotdogs, slice into rings and set aside. Saute minced onions and garlic. Add hotdogs.

Mix equal parts ketchup and oyster sauce (or to taste). Add to hotdog. Cook till bubbly. Remove from heat.

Turon. “Turon” is a fried snack made with bananas.

This is a simpler version of caramelized turon. Have on hand ripe cardaba (cooking banana), halved lengthwise, ripe jackfruit strings, lumpia wrappers, white sugar and oil. On a lumpia wrapper, place one-half banana and jackfruit strings, and roll sushi style. Seal edges with water. Deep-fry till golden, then roll in sugar.

Use turon in a sentence: When you join a marathon, you have to... run to the finish line no matter what.

Sandwich. Question: When is a sandwich not a sandwich?

Answer: When it’s a sand... witch. But you can really scare up a tasty filling for toasted bread with this:

Mix shredded chicken breast (leftover roasted chicken is also good) with mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, and a dash of lemonsito juice. Tweak this basic recipe with whatever you fancy.

Times are hard, but let’s choose to thank God for what we have. And remember to laugh.