Taylor Tomlinson is an American female comedian I occasionally look up on YouTube.

When watching American stand-up comedy, it's fascinating that some comedians can be understood even if you don't speak English well, while others leave you wondering why people are laughing.

In my view, Taylor Tomlinson is definitely in the latter category.

She speaks quickly, but it's not just because the words are difficult; it's often her tone, nuance, and timing that make it funny.

You also need to know a bit about American culture.

The audience bursts out laughing, and I find myself staring at the screen thinking, "Huh? What's so funny?" only to later understand and laugh by myself.

Every time this happens, I realize how far I still have to go with my English studies.

However, a recent performance I saw on YouTube was not just about understanding English.

Once I understood it, I was even more amazed.

The setting was Portland, Oregon. When you think of Portland, there's an image of free-spirited and quirky people, right?

During the show, a certain audience member shares a story about how he made a bong out of his father's ashes.

Oh dear, this is where my Korean mom brain starts to get confused.

It seems Taylor initially thought he meant he put his father's ashes inside a custom-made bong. So she asks again if he really put the ashes in the bong.

But that's not it.

He made the bong itself out of his father's ashes. Oh my goodness.

In Korea, even the direction you place fish on the ritual table can spark comments among the elders, and here he is making a marijuana device out of his father's ashes.

If a Confucian scholar from the Joseon Dynasty heard this story, he would surely sit up in his coffin.

At this point, I was already hit with a cultural shock.

But the reason behind it is even more impressive.

That father was someone who smoked marijuana his whole life.

He was a so-called lifetime stoner, but the daughter never got to smoke with him while he was alive.

So after he passed away, she wanted to smoke with him, which is why she made the bong from his ashes.

At this point, Taylor's expression is really funny.

She looks like she's thinking, "Wow, what a devoted daughter," and then says to the audience:

"If you don't like this story, you've had it too good."

If you don't like this story, it implies you've lived a life that's been too easy.

Then she goes even further, saying it sounds like a Pixar story.

Wow, she turns the story of making a bong from ashes into a touching animated film about the love between a father and daughter.

At this point, I finally burst out laughing.

When I think about it, it's not really something to laugh about. From a Korean perspective, it's a series of cultural shocks.

There's marijuana, there's the father's ashes, making a bong from those ashes, and then attributing meaning to it as if it's about smoking with the deceased father.

In the end, it even becomes a beautiful story of love between a father and daughter.

If you analyze it from a Korean emotional standpoint, from start to finish, you'd be saying, "Oh my, what on earth is going on?"

But what's even funnier is that I was chuckling while watching this video.

After living in America for about 20 years in LA, I guess I've changed more than I realized.

In the past, I would have ended with, "I really don't understand Americans," but now, the moment Taylor brings up the Pixar story, I understand why it's funny and laugh first.

Of course, that doesn't mean I would ever make a bong from my father's ashes. I don't think I could do that even if I lived in America for 200 years.

However, I've learned something from watching American comedy for a long time.

The laughter comes from pushing a story that is utterly unacceptable to the point where it feels completely normal and touching.

"You made that out of your father's ashes? Wow, you must be crazy."

If this is still the Korean mom inside me,

"But wait, thinking about it, she wanted to smoke one last joint with her dad. Oh my, what a devoted daughter."

This is how far I've come, getting used to American humor.

I thought living abroad would only improve my English. While my food and lifestyle have changed, I never expected my sense of humor would change little by little too.

After living in America for 20 years, I finally realize this.

People immigrate, but at some point, it seems that their sense of humor immigrates too.