# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/21 "2012-04-18T16:32:25Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > So, how’s the food at Korean Taco Bell? The same? Different? More spicy? Less spicy? Do they have kimchee tacos? Well, you can bet the chihuahua’s not just on the billboard 😉 ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/22 "2012-04-18T16:55:34Z")
That reminds me, many years ago a coworker had a can of green tea that had a couple of Chinese characters on it. We puzzled over them for awhile, waiting for another coworker, who had been born in Taiwan, to return from lunch. We expectantly asked her what the characters said. She looked at us funny, then translated the mystery characters as “green tea”. ---
**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, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/23 "2012-04-18T23:37:32Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Could be anything. I-sa in Korean means to move (as in, to move to another house). … How about 이사센터 (Moving Center)? One of the students says that’s part of this joke, which she has known since an early age. [QUOTE=hogarth] Taco Bell has humourous comments on their hot sauce packets in North America, as well. [/quote] I’m also told by friends here that the “humorous” comments on North American Taco Bell packets are of the same degree of hilarity. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/24 "2012-04-19T00:58:18Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I’m also told by friends here that the “humorous” comments on North American Taco Bell packets are of the same degree of hilarity. You’re told correctly. I recall that some simply said “Booyah!” on them. I would have trouble explaining to another native English speaker what made that one worth putting on a packet. If anything, it was humorous precisely because I can’t figure out why it’s worth putting there. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/25 "2012-04-19T03:19:51Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > How about 이사센터 (Moving Center)? One of the students says that’s part of this joke, which she has known since an early age.I’m also told by friends here that the “humorous” comments on North American Taco Bell packets are of the same degree of hilarity. Seems accurate based on [this site](http://tbell.bfxmedia.com/), although I kind of like this one: > [@](#): > > Does the Spork go on the right or left? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/26 "2012-04-19T03:54:18Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Does the phrase “South of the border” have any meaning outside the US? Well, here in Canada, “south of the border” generally _means_ the US. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/27 "2012-04-19T03:56:54Z")
There is taco bell in the philippines too. What made you think it was the only one in asia? For some weird reason, its the most expensive fast food chain there as opposed to here where its one of the cheapest. ---
**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 19, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/28 "2012-04-19T14:25:53Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > How about 이사센터 (Moving Center)? One of the students says that’s part of this joke, which she has known since an early age.I’m also told by friends here that the “humorous” comments on North American Taco Bell packets are of the same degree of hilarity. Yeah, they are pretty lame. > [@rogerbox](#): > > There is taco bell in the philippines too. What made you think it was the only one in asia? \*\*AHEM!!! \*\* 😃 [I already posted my link to the Washington post article that stated such, but here it is again.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092402715.html) 🙂 I even said, “My bad.” ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/29 "2012-04-19T16:21:00Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco_Bell) lists all the countries with Taco Bell, if anyone’s interested. A cursory look shows 6 in Asia by my count. (India, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, UAR, Guam). NB Make that 5, Taco has now pulled out of Singapore. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/30 "2012-04-20T00:01:00Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > \ 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. I remember those, and miss them! Gosh, that was SO long ago. My Dad drank Lucky beer and we used to save the caps. Especially the ones we couldn’t figure out, hoping that somebody else, ---
**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 20, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/31 "2012-04-20T04:53:35Z")
> [@kath94](#): > > I remember those, and miss them! Gosh, that was SO long ago. My Dad drank Lucky beer and we used to save the caps. Especially the ones we couldn’t figure out, hoping that somebody else, Wow–your dad, too? I still have some of those caps, believe it or not. I remember pretending that they were the funniest things ever, as if that would make me seem more adult and worldly. After all, it was on the inside of a beer bottle cap, right? It must be very sophisticated humor, right? Kind of like the humor you find on a hot sauce packet at Taco Bell. In Seoul, no less. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ! ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/32 "2012-04-21T03:35:57Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Those wacky Koreans! Wait, we’ve been doing this for years. 😕 Sorry, I’ve never been to a Taco Bell, so I thought it was unique to the ones in Seoul. 🙂 ---
**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 25, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/33 "2012-04-25T02:37:16Z")
**BUMP** You gotta love this, you just gotta love this. I was showing my daughter pictures on my Ipod touch and it turns out, I have…get ready for it…another picture of a different Taco Bell Hot Sauce packet! [Anyone wanna take a shot and explain the joke on this one?](http://www.flickr.com/photos/14728857@N05/7111464049/) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/34 "2012-04-25T05:05:47Z")
It seems to be a bit of Konglish that’s sometimes popular here. In this case, it’s merely the English expression _Oh, no!_ transliterated (not translated) into the Korean alphabet. ---
**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 25, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/35 "2012-04-25T16:24:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > . . .it turns out, I have…get ready for it…another picture of a different Taco Bell Hot Sauce packet! So, what, you’re collecting these things in your sleep? ---
**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 25, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094/36 "2012-04-25T17:43:51Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > So, what, you’re collecting these things in your sleep? My wife and I were in Korea adopting a son. I took many quick pictures on my Ipod…enough to forget some of the boring ones(like that one). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-joke-on-this-korean-taco-bell-hot-sauce-packet/619094.md?page=1)