# What's the joke on this Korean Taco Bell hot sauce packet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094 "2012-04-17T22:57:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/1 "2012-04-17T22:57:17Z")
My wife and I went to Taco Bell in Seoul, which apparently is the only Taco Bell in Asia right now. Anyway, we brought home a hot sauce pack, mostly because they were a lot bigger and we thought it’d be neat. If you are familiar with the US ones, the Korean ones were the same. They had a little message that(we assume) is some kind of joke or something. [Here is the one we kept.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/14728857@N05/6942639688/) It says: 6 x 3 = KOREAN 2 x 9 = MORE KOREAN 2 x 4 = ?? What is the joke? What do the Korean words say? [Here is the one we were in, by the way.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOnOP7erwIk) ---
**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:** [April 17, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/2 "2012-04-17T23:27:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > My wife and I went to Taco Bell in Seoul, which apparently is the only Taco Bell in Asia right now. Nitpick: This is absolutely not true. I ate at Taco Bell in Bangalore last month. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/3 "2012-04-17T23:44:14Z")
So, how’s the food at Korean Taco Bell? The same? Different? More spicy? Less spicy? Do they have kimchee tacos? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/4 "2012-04-17T23:50:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > It says: > > 6 x 3 = KOREAN > > 2 x 9 = MORE KOREAN > > 2 x 4 = ?? Are you sure about that? ETA: Oh, wait, you meant that the words are _ **in** _ Korean. I see it as “building” and “Ana.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/5 "2012-04-17T23:51:31Z")
I don’t know Korean, but what happens if you pronounce the “equations” in Korean? Could it be a pun of some type? Or, possibly, do the English numbers sound vaguely Korean in a way that it could be interpreted as punnily saying something in Korean? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/6 "2012-04-17T23:57:16Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I don’t know Korean, but what happens if you pronounce the “equations” in Korean? Could it be a pun of some type? Yeah, you posted after my edit. I’ll run it by the girls at the Korean school, and see if they can get it. I think you’re right, in that it’s probably some kind play on the phonetics of either Korean or English. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/7 "2012-04-18T00:01:17Z")
I’m surprised it’s still called “Border Sauce.” Does the phrase “South of the border” have any meaning outside the US? I mean, do they understand what it means to us (WRT food anyways)? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/8 "2012-04-18T00:16:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m surprised it’s still called “Border Sauce.” Does the phrase “South of the border” have any meaning outside the US? I mean, do they understand what it means to us (WRT food anyways)? The stuff in Korean under the white box reads “Taco Bell Mild Sauce” but written phonetically in Korean. I imagine they mostly don’t pay attention to the bits in English. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/9 "2012-04-18T00:28:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m surprised it’s still called “Border Sauce.” Does the phrase “South of the border” have any meaning outside the US? I mean, do they understand what it means to us (WRT food anyways)? They certainly have a border… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/10 "2012-04-18T00:30:31Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Does the phrase “South of the border” have any meaning outside the US? If it does have meaning anywhere else, I expect it would in Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/11 "2012-04-18T00:45:59Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Nitpick: This is absolutely not true. I ate at Taco Bell in Bangalore last month. Ah, my bad. [Here is where I read that.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092402715.html) > [@Smapti](#): > > So, how’s the food at Korean Taco Bell? The same? Different? More spicy? Less spicy? Do they have kimchee tacos? Same. Nothing Korean that I saw at all. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/12 "2012-04-18T00:51:47Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > If it does have meaning anywhere else, I expect it would in Korea. Taco Bell- Run for the Border! Um, no, I think I’ll stay here in Seoul, thx. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/13 "2012-04-18T02:16:29Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 6 x 3 = KOREAN > > 2 x 9 = MORE KOREAN > > 2 x 4 = ?? 2 x 4 = Profit? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/14 "2012-04-18T02:43:18Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > They certainly have a border… 'cept I don’t think you can get burritos and chalupas from the sea. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/15 "2012-04-18T04:55:09Z")
All you get from the sea is fish tacos. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/16 "2012-04-18T06:00:24Z")
Okay, we figured out that this is just a play on the Korean-Chinese pronunciations of the numbers (to the left of the equals sign), put together with another word or sound (to the right of the equals sign) to make up new, arbitrary words. The first line, when using the Chinese-Korean pronunciation system, (“yok” – 6, plus “sam” – 3) together with the “product,” which here is the Korean word for “building,” is how they call a famous building in Seoul–the [so-called 63 Builidng (육삼 빌딩)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/63_Building). The second line: 2 (이) pronounced “ee” with 9 (구) pronounced (“gu”) followed by the product (=) “ana” … Put the three sounds together and it makes the Korean word for “iguana.” So: Tall buildings and iguanas makes for wacky times at the Taco Bell in Seoul. However, we can’t figure out the third line. Some word that begins as “isa-“ Maybe Cecil can crack it. This is not very amusing, IMO, and really, and it’s not even clever. It’s kind of like those [Lucky Beer bottle caps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lager#Bottles), with the [rebuses](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=luck%20beer%20bottle%20caps&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=8FWOT4DvCIqU2wWkj63_Cw&biw=1280&bih=685&sei=9VWOT5LHMaTO2AXOrLn2DA#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=lucky+beer+bottle+caps&oq=lucky+beer+bottle+caps&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=img.12...16069l16069l0l17391l1l1l0l0l0l0l103l103l0j1l1l0.&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=3c49ef253dfb336&biw=1280&bih=685) on the inside. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/17 "2012-04-18T08:10:50Z")
Could be anything. I-sa in Korean means to move (as in, to move to another house). Apparently it’s a thing that the Korean Taco Bell does - print silly stuff on their hot sauce packets. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/18 "2012-04-18T12:22:23Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > So, how’s the food at Korean Taco Bell? The same? Different? More spicy? Less spicy? Do they have kimchee tacos? Well, you know, the best taco truck in L.A. is Korean: [Kogi BBQ](http://kogibbq.com/). (I think we had a thread about it here once.) [QUOTE=Mahaloth] Same. Nothing Korean that I saw at all. [/quote] Maybe it’s better to bring Korea to the taco, than to bring the taco to Korea. But IANA philosopher or anything. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/19 "2012-04-18T14:13:19Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Could be anything. I-sa in Korean means to move (as in, to move to another house). Apparently it’s a thing that the Korean Taco Bell does - print silly stuff on their hot sauce packets. Taco Bell has humourous comments on their hot sauce packets in North America, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/20 "2012-04-18T16:27:15Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Apparently it’s a thing that the Korean Taco Bell does - print silly stuff on their hot sauce packets. Those wacky Koreans! Wait, we’ve been doing this for years. 😕 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094.md?page=2)