---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?'…"
description: "\"I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass.'\" — Phyllis Diller"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png"
---

#  I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady…

![“I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass.'” quote by Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png)

> “I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass.'”

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The joke exaggerates the absurdity of questioning freshness, highlighting how some claims are obviously outdated.

**In simple terms:** Exaggerated humor shows how obvious some things are.

Key Takeaway

Question claims, but recognize obvious absurdities.

Themes

humor absurdity communication

Mood

playful sarcastic

Type

comedic observational

When to use this quote

- restaurant ordering
- food safety discussions
- marketing claims
- daily conversations

Key Concepts

comedy exaggeration social commentary

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it okay to use humor to point out a problem?
- How does exaggeration affect credibility?

A Different Perspective

Humor may mask serious concerns about food safety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Waiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiter/)

## Related quotes

> [A Guy Went To a Restaurant, He Wanted To See the Menu But He Forgot What It Is Called; He Asked Waiter, Bring The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troublemaker/a-guy-went-to-a-restaurant-he-wanted-to-see-the-menu-but-he-forgot/)

Troublemaker

> [I went into a French restaraunt and asked the waiter, 'Have you got frog's legs?' He said, 'Yes,' so I said, 'Well hop into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-cooper/i-went-into-a-french-restaraunt-and-asked-the-waiter-have-you-got/)

[Tommy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-cooper/)

> [Side effect of excess study :p A Guy Went To A Restaurant, He Wanted To See The Menu But He Forgot WhAt It Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock4u/side-effect-of-excess-study-p-a-guy-went-to-a-restaurant-he-wanted-to/)

[Rock4u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock4u/)

> [“We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/we-left-in-pretty-good-time-and-came-after-nightfall-to-klausenburgh/)

[Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/)

> [Yesterday, at a restaurant, I asked the waiter how he prepared the chicken. He replied, "We don't...we just tell it straight that it's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-shroff/yesterday-at-a-restaurant-i-asked-the-waiter-how-he-prepared-the/)

Mahesh Shroff

> [Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/hold-the-newsreader-s-nose-squarely-waiter-or-friendly-milk-will/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [“Less than twenty-four hours ago, I had a family and a home and a dreamworld I thought was as close to heaven as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-cameron/less-than-twenty-four-hours-ago-i-had-a-family-and-a-home-and-a/)

[Erica Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-cameron/)

> [“When did you last see her?” “Twenty-four hours ago.” Kenny’s pretend frown barely hid the beginning of a sarcastic grin. “That’s a really long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-reed/when-did-you-last-see-her-twenty-four-hours-ago-kenny-s-pretend-frown/)

[J.C. Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-reed/)

> [“He had seen her just hours ago, goddamn it, and he couldn't wait to fight with her again, to talk with and hear what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/he-had-seen-her-just-hours-ago-goddamn-it-and-he-couldn-t-wait-to/)

[Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/)

> [“The other members of your party got here a few hours ago, but they weren’t sure if you had made it,” she says.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-other-members-of-your-party-got-here-a-few-hours-ago-but-they/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [“A billion hours ago, modern Homo sapiens emerged. A billion minutes ago, Christianity began. A billion seconds ago, the IBM personal computer was released.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/a-billion-hours-ago-modern-homo-sapiens-emerged-a-billion-minutes-ago/)

[Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/)

> [I like to dissociate myself from the person I was even three hours ago. It's a natural requirement to be a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-grover/i-like-to-dissociate-myself-from-the-person-i-was-even-three-hours/)

[Varun Grover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-grover/)

> [“everything I understood seven hours ago has already changed, and that I have to learn everything again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/everything-i-understood-seven-hours-ago-has-already-changed-and-that/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [“I’d had him inside me barely a few hours ago and that later he had come all over my chest, because he said he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-d-had-him-inside-me-barely-a-few-hours-ago-and-that-later-he-had/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“The people hustling by her would never have guessed that less than twelve hours ago she'd looked like a cross between Carrie and Mrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-thompson/the-people-hustling-by-her-would-never-have-guessed-that-less-than/)

[Mia Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-thompson/)

## More by Phyllis Diller

> [My mother-in-law must be the probation officer I got for the crime I committed of marrying my husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/my-mother-in-law-must-be-the-probation-officer-i-got-for-the-crime-i/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [I don't know how you feel about old age... but in my case I didn't even see it coming. It hit me from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-don-t-know-how-you-feel-about-old-age-but-in-my-case-i-didn-t-even/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [If it weren't for baseball, many kids wouldn't know what a millionaire looked like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/if-it-weren-t-for-baseball-many-kids-wouldn-t-know-what-a-millionaire/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [I'm the only woman who can walk in Central Park at night... and reduce the crime rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-m-the-only-woman-who-can-walk-in-central-park-at-night-and-reduce/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [I was the world's ugliest baby. When I was born, the doctor slapped everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-was-the-world-s-ugliest-baby-when-i-was-born-the-doctor-slapped/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [By far the most common craving of pregnant women is not to be pregnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/by-far-the-most-common-craving-of-pregnant-women-is-not-to-be-pregnant/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [For Fang, getting out of bed in the morning is a career move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/for-fang-getting-out-of-bed-in-the-morning-is-a-career-move/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [Women want men, careers, money, children, friends, luxury, comfort, independence, freedom, respect, love, and a three-dollar pantyhose that won't run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/women-want-men-careers-money-children-friends-luxury-comfort/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [I admit, I have a tremendous sex drive. My boyfriend lives forty miles away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-admit-i-have-a-tremendous-sex-drive-my-boyfriend-lives-forty-miles/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [The reason women don't play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/the-reason-women-don-t-play-football-is-because-11-of-them-would/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [If you don't have wrinkles, you haven't laughed enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/if-you-don-t-have-wrinkles-you-haven-t-laughed-enough/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [“A smile is a curve that sets things right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-things-right/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [Every time I go near the stove, the dog howls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/every-time-i-go-near-the-stove-the-dog-howls/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [Some wives have model husbands, I got one that needed remodeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/some-wives-have-model-husbands-i-got-one-that-needed-remodeling/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

> [My idea of exercise is a good brisk sit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/my-idea-of-exercise-is-a-good-brisk-sit/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

[Explore all 222 Phyllis Diller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

## More Grass quotes

> [I can play on grass - when I won Junior Wimbledon, that was an unbelievable feeling, I could not believe that I had won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/i-can-play-on-grass-when-i-won-junior-wimbledon-that-was-an/)

[Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [I've never been one to stay in a complacent place where I just let the grass grow around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-lawrence/i-ve-never-been-one-to-stay-in-a-complacent-place-where-i-just-let/)

[Tracy Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-lawrence/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [He will hear the rain before he feels it, a clicking on the dry grass, on the olive leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/he-will-hear-the-rain-before-he-feels-it-a-clicking-on-the-dry-grass/)

[Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/)

> [My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk and on your head a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-featherbed-is-deep-and-soft-and-there-i-ll-lay-you-down-i-ll-dress/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/there-is-sweet-music-here-that-softer-falls-than-petals-from-blown/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/pay-no-heed-to-the-passing-religious-vogue-go-back-to-the-grass-roots/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [The art music of the West has developed through out its history by means of individual geniuses, and out of the soil supporting them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toru-takemitsu/the-art-music-of-the-west-has-developed-through-out-its-history-by/)

[Toru Takemitsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toru-takemitsu/)

> [When you're winning the grass is greener, the cigars are sweeter and the girls are better looking!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-grace/when-you-re-winning-the-grass-is-greener-the-cigars-are-sweeter-and/)

Mark Grace

> [I just can't recruit where there's grass around. You gotta have a concrete lawn before I feel comfortable enough to go in and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-mcguire/i-just-can-t-recruit-where-there-s-grass-around-you-gotta-have-a/)

[Al McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-mcguire/)

> [The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/the-whole-moon-and-the-entire-sky-are-reflected-in-one-dewdrop-on-the/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [A strengthened national spirit can provide the motive power to rise our people from the depths and... pour new life and vigor in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-p-romulo/a-strengthened-national-spirit-can-provide-the-motive-power-to-rise/)

[Carlos P. Romulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-p-romulo/)

> [In this light, my spirit saw through all things and into all creatures and I recognized God in grass and plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/in-this-light-my-spirit-saw-through-all-things-and-into-all-creatures/)

[Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/)

Browse all 1,650 Grass quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Phyllis Diller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he-said-lady-three-hours-ago-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grass"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he-said-lady-three-hours-ago-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/phyllis-diller-1622_grass_i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he_2691191.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I asked the waiter, 'Is this milk fresh?' He said, 'Lady, three hours ago it was grass.'” — Phyllis Diller",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Phyllis Diller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I asked the waiter, 'Is this...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he-said-lady-three-hours-ago-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/i-asked-the-waiter-is-this-milk-fresh-he-said-lady-three-hours-ago-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
