# Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723 "2007-11-08T22:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/61 "2007-11-09T18:21:28Z")
[QUOTE=muldoonthief] Did you know that the silly Indian boy in Van Wilder and Kumar are the [same person](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0671980/)? [/QUOTE] Vaguely. I’m horrible at identifying actors. Unless you look like Pierce Brosnan or Jude Law, I’m probably not going to remember you unless I’ve seen you in tons of movies. > [@](#): > > Is there a gender issue here? I loved H&K; even watched the final trailer at the end that went on for about 15 minutes of nothing. Mrs. Piper got up to do the dishes and couldn’t believe I watched it. I’s a girl-type. I loved it. Wasn’t really aware there was a “genre” of stoner flicks, either, or that this fit it! I haven’t seen any of the stoner flicks referenced in this thread, and have never smoked pot, but I still liked it. So I guess it stands on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/62 "2007-11-09T18:23:50Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I’m not gay or anything but John Cho is totally yummy. [/QUOTE] My wife thinks so too. Like you, she’s not gay. Also like you, she likes to have sex with men. Because you have the gay. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/63 "2007-11-09T18:24:24Z")
Kumar (Kal Penn) was also in the movie “The Namesake.” I think he’s on “House” but I haven’t seen that in a while, so I’m not sure if his character made the cut. He’s impressed me–he can make me laugh, cry, feel like I’m climbing the ropes in gym class…😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/64 "2007-11-09T18:29:21Z")
So now y’all made me go and look him up. Kal Penn’s real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi. He’s born 1977 which makes him only 2 years younger than me, and I love seeing Indians in the arts instead of in MEDICINE all the freakin’ time. Born in NJ no less. From Wiki: “Penn says that he chose the stage name Kal Penn (from Kalpen Suresh Modi) as a lark: “Almost as a joke to prove friends wrong, and half as an attempt to see if what I was told would work (that anglicized names appeal more to a white-dominated industry), I put ‘Kal Penn’ on my resume and photos.” His audition callbacks rose by 50%. Penn has stated that he prefers his birth name and uses “Kal Penn” only for professional purposes." "In January 2007, Penn appeared in the first four episodes of the sixth season of 24 as Ahmed Amar, a villain. Penn says he nearly turned down the role due to personal ethics, stating, “I have a huge political problem with the role. It was essentially accepting a form of racial profiling. I think it’s repulsive. But it was the first time I had a chance to blow stuff up and take a family hostage. As an actor, why shouldn’t I have that opportunity? Because I’m brown and I should be scared about the connection between media images and people’s thought processes?” “In May 2007, Penn received the Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Actor for his performance in The Namesake.” “In spring 2008, Penn will serve as visiting professor of Asian American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.[6] He will teach two courses: “Images of Asian Americans in the Media,” and “Contemporary American Teen Films.”” Interesting! ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/65 "2007-11-09T18:29:25Z")
[QUOTE=Zoggie] Kumar (Kal Penn) was also in the movie “The Namesake.” I think he’s on “House” but I haven’t seen that in a while, so I’m not sure if his character made the cut. He’s impressed me–he can make me laugh, cry, feel like I’m climbing the ropes in gym class…😉 [/QUOTE] When I first saw him on House, I swear I yelled “IT’S KUMAR!” out loud. He’s still on the “team,” but House is still cutting people. (They’re dragging this hiring process out over the whole goddamn season, aren’t they?) Oh, and I’m a pro-H&K female too. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/66 "2007-11-09T18:43:07Z")
[QUOTE=Dante] My wife thinks so too. Like you, she’s not gay. Also like you, she likes to have sex with men. Because you have the gay. [/QUOTE] [Sigh]Why is it that just because you’re a man who is secure enough in his masculinity to be able to admit another man is attractive, and that, yes, you wouldn’t mind having sex with him, and just because you’re not sexually interested in women, people automatically assume you’re gay? ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/67 "2007-11-09T18:50:37Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] [Sigh]Why is it that just because you’re a man who is secure enough in his masculinity to be able to admit another man is attractive, and that, yes, you wouldn’t mind having sex with him, and just because you’re not sexually interested in women, people automatically assume you’re gay? [/QUOTE] It’s probably just fear. Fear and ignorance. Fear, ignorance, ruthless efficiency and a fanatical devotion to the arts. I’ll come in again. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/68 "2007-11-09T20:51:23Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] Actually, my favorite lines are the ones directly following, where one of the boys says something along the lines of, “You came on the seats?” And Doogie gives him a totally Barney dismissal look, “That’s what the extra twenty is for. A\*\*hole.” [/QUOTE] I liked the lines just before that. Kumar: Do you know what the hell we had to go through after you took the car? Neil Patrick Harris: Yeah, it was a dick move on my part. That’s why I’m paying for your meal. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/69 "2007-11-09T21:31:16Z")
I quite liked the movie, but to be honest, the book was better. …what? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/70 "2007-11-09T22:50:56Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] I quite liked the movie, but to be honest, the book was better. …what? [/QUOTE] That might be an interesting thread: Harold and Kumar as written by \_\_\_\_\_\_ Tolkien would give the history of Indian rivers and a family tree of the marijuana in the bag while Harold is now an elf, Anne Rice would have them biting each other under a willow while the cicadas chirped (and now it’s blood rather than burgers), William S. Burroughs would have the entire thing a delusion of Neil Patrick Harris going through smack withdrawal. Shakespeare’s take would be intriguing. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/71 "2007-11-10T03:16:55Z")
The movie was sheer genius and anyone who says otherwise is no longer a friend of mine. “Laaaaaaap daaaaance…” ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/72 "2007-11-10T04:05:47Z")
I always find myself watching the movie when it’s on cable; think I’ll just go ahead and buy it. If only there were a version that skipped the Diarrhea Twins. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/73 "2007-11-10T04:21:26Z")
[QUOTE=Millit the Frail] When I first saw him on House, I swear I yelled “IT’S KUMAR!” out loud. He’s still on the “team,” but House is still cutting people. (They’re dragging this hiring process out over the whole goddamn season, aren’t they?) [/QUOTE] I don’t follow “House” too closely, but I hope Kal Penn’s character makes the cut. He always just seems so immensely likable. I haven’t seen…ah…Harold in any other movies, although I have been meaning to rent Better Luck Tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/74 "2007-11-10T04:50:33Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] I always find myself watching the movie when it’s on cable; think I’ll just go ahead and buy it. If only there were a version that skipped the Diarrhea Twins. [/QUOTE] I’ve only ever seen the movie on DVD or cable, and I’ve muted the audio at that scene every time. ---
**Author:** ![tonedef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@tonedef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonedef)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/75 "2007-11-10T05:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=Cat Fight] IIRC, the script was written with another fast food joint in mind (Burger King?) but the place wouldn’t sign on. However, White Castle didn’t pay a cent for the mention. They did do some cross promotion (sort of risqué for an R-rated flick), but it wasn’t required. [/QUOTE] Where is it rated R? The uncut version here I’m pretty sure is only MA 15+. I’m going to be very disappointed if i find out the version available here is missing stuff! [QUOTE=Zoggie] Harold and Kumar go to Burger King? Eh. Doesn’t work for me. Harold and Kumar go to McDonald’s? Too obvious? Harold and Kumar go to Wendy’s? Maybe. But Harold and Kumar go to White Castle? Brilliant! The food there may suck but the cadence, the tone…ahh. [/QUOTE] I think one thing that really makes it work is the fact know one i know has had ever heard of white castle entill this movie. There really only 2 major fastfood burger joints in aus. (maccas & hungry jacks) So it made most people think “white castle” was something more than a burger joint entill they watched the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/76 "2007-11-10T05:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=Zoggie] Harold and Kumar go to Burger King? Eh. Doesn’t work for me. Harold and Kumar go to McDonald’s? Too obvious? Harold and Kumar go to Wendy’s? Maybe. But Harold and Kumar go to White Castle? Brilliant! The food there may suck but the cadence, the tone…ahh. [/QUOTE] As an Aggie, I want to throw in a vote for “Harold and Kumar go to Freebirds” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/77 "2007-11-10T05:54:02Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] As an Aggie, I want to throw in a vote for “Harold and Kumar go to Freebirds” 😃 [/QUOTE] how about “Harold and Kumar go to In-N-Out burger”? Something for the West Coasters. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/78 "2007-11-10T05:59:58Z")
Hmmm. “Harold and Kumar Go to Taco Bell”? That works for me, too. “Harold and Kumar Go to Hardee’s” has a nice ring to it, too. I think it should have three syllabes, though. And two words. White Castle, Taco Bell. I remember that when I saw it, it was in college at the student center. I went with a couple of my friends and right afterwards, the group that was showing the movie arranged for free white castle burgers for everyone. We had to wait around for a while to get one. It was super small and I was starving, so it tasted okay. A year or so later when I tried it again, it was not so good. I’ve always loved the idea of White Castle–getting stoned, eating hundreds of tiny burgers–but the execution was baaaaaaaaaaad. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/79 "2007-11-10T06:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] Well, if I needed any proof that drugs are bad and cloud one’s judgement, I have it now. [/QUOTE] H&K IMDB rating 7.1. Half Baked IMDB rating 6.2. “Dude, Where’s My Car?” IMDB rating? _ **4.8** _, based on 24,000 votes. 'nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723/80 "2007-11-10T20:07:29Z")
[QUOTE=Zoggie] A year or so later when I tried it again, it was not so good. [/QUOTE] Well, you should have made sure you were stoned! DUH! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/425723.md?page=5)