Why do earthlings keep saying that about Taco Bell?
Taffy
It’s just a meme, from what I can tell. Possibly with racist undertones, but I might only think that because I’m from a rural area, where most things have those.
“Racism is like the corn-syrup of American society. It’s in EVERYTHING.”
— Trevor Noahs
Miri
I assumed it was that spicy, high fibre, plausibly high fat (don’t think I’ve ever eaten there but a lot of fast food is) food would make a reasonably high percentage of people poop… But arbitrarily ruling out racism, given that it is Tex Mex food I think? Seems like a good way to allow systemic racism to continue to flow unchecked through the veins of society…
Rose by Any Other Name
I’m betting a blend of racism, good memetic potential, and a small grain of truth given that most fast food gives you digestive distress, but people only make jokes about Mexican fast food doing so.
See also Chipotle.
YUUUUUUUUP. See also, MSG in Chinese Food being supposedly “toxic”, in actuality it’s everywhere and 5x less toxic than table salt.
Psychie
I don’t *think* the “Taco Bell gives you diarrhea” meme is actually racist. As some have pointed out spicy food has that effect on some people, additionally IIRC Taco Bell has had a number of scandals over the years regarding the quality and freshness standards of their meat. I figure if enough people get food poisoning from a well known fast food chain that also happens to specialize in spicy foods having a meme about getting the runs from that fast food chain is inevitable. I’m not sure how that could be racist since I haven’t heard similar jokes about literally any other Mexican food establishment, I have heard some about Indian food, but that was definitely a reference to the spice levels.
I mean, if anything these jokes are about how white people can’t handle their capsaicin properly, which from what I hear is a pretty common stereotype amongst people from cultures that heavily feature spicy foods, like India and Korea. Granted, I’m a white guy who hasn’t left the US, so I’m pretty far from an expert regarding other cultures’ stereotypes regarding mine, so, grain of salt and all that.
Dr. Sharks
What? I don’t think it’s a race thing. Maybe it’s a race thing if you live in a part of the country where it’s the only representation of “Mexican” food? But I live in Texas where Taco Bell is considered about as Mexican as Olive Garden, I love actual Mexican food, and I legitimately and empirically observe a correlation between Taco Bell and intestinal distress.
Mark
I was mildly amused to see so many playing the racism card. I think the last few strips must have people primed for it.
I haven’t been to southern IN in a while, but in central IN there are almost more Mexican restaurants than burger joints. And I don’t mean Chi Chi’s. Also a few Salvadoran, Honduran, and Peruvian.
Taffy
The only cards I play are produced by Konami, and I don’t think Racism is a Yu-Gi-Oh! card.
Also the recent Supreme Court Decisions, also we’re nearing an election cycle.
Taffy
Nobody I know is delusional enough to think Taco Bell is actually Mexican food. Not a single person. That doesn’t stop people from making racist remarks about Mexicans, for some reason.
Mark
Being snarky, I guess. There’s a real phenomenon in which a traveller’s gut microbiome is not adapted to the local food and said traveller gets a brief case of dysentery. See “Montezuma’s Revenge”. I’ve been told that emigres from India report getting this when they go back to visit, because their guts have adapted to their new home’s foods.
Oddly enough, when I asked Google for “Montezuma’s Revenge” the first hit was at the IU Student Health Service site.
USians tend to get this from actual Mexican food, so Taco Bell should be safe — there’s none of that there.
There are many subsets of Mexican food, Taco Bell is an example of Cali-Mex, the Mexican food from the SoCal area.
Marisa Mockery
I only have gotten diarrhea from Del Taco, and that’s mostly because they use mayonnaise in….EVERYTHING. MAYONNAISE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN MEXICAN FOOD FUCKIN FIGHT ME
But seriously, I don’t think it’s racism so much as it’s really bad Mexican food. Although I live near the border and am spoiled for choice, so I know what it’s supposed to taste like and Del Taco/Taco Bell ain’t it.
Dana
Of the Taco isn’t supposed to taste like Mexican, it’s supposed to taste like Of the Taco!
Just wait until we get to the future in Demolition Man, and they win the Franchise Wars.
Taffy
Or, as I’ve recently learned, Pizza Hut may win, depending on how Bri’ish the viewer is.
Tan
They’re the same company. They’ve been the same company since 1978.
Taffy
Sounds like somebody else’s problem. ?
Michael Lanting
Wait, in the US version of the movie it doesn’t say Pizza Hut? I never knew that. (Not British, but European.)
Abel Undercity
Nope, it says Taco Bell. I’m old enough to remember when it came out, and Taco Bell even ran commercials using the clip where Sandra Bullock tells Stallone that all restaurants are Taco Bell now.
When I bought my house, my realtor sent me a survey to fill out that they used to make a gift bag for me. It was super thoughtful of them, and they got really nice things for it.
“What’s your favorite restaurant?” “Don’t judge me, but Taco Bell”
The poor assistant called me and was like “Are you…are you sure?”
yes, julia. yes, I would rather have a giftcard to taco bell than almost any other restaurant. i am a simple man with simple needs.
(not to diss food courts, it’s just, you don’t have an isolated “this is the restaurant” area so much, if I’m making any sense, it’s like indoor food trucks)
I was going to say I would totally go to a restaurant where they treat you like this, but isn’t that an actual thing in Japan? Cafés where the gimmick is that the staff is super rude to you?
Not quite the same, but a Galasso’s would clean up there. He should consider franchising.
I’ve never been to one, but there’s a chain in the U.S. called “Dick’s Last Resort” that I believe is essentially the concept you’re describing. Wanna say there’s a Shortpacked! strip about it somewhere? …ah, here it is.
If you need to be insulted to properly digest your meal, Chicago’s got you covered: both Ed Debevic’s and The Weiner Circle are there for you!
Lori
My school once brought us to Ed Debevic’s on a trip, except no one explained the gimmick to us ahead of time. The experience was… baffling and memorable. The waitress seemed to be having a great time!
It’s not quite the same thing, but there’s a cliche for the waitstaff in very fancy restaurants to be all “You clearly do not deserve to be here and won’t appreciate what you’re eating, but I will begrudgingly not have you summarily thrown out, this time.”
oh, gosh darn it my cute text emoji got turned into one of those yellow ones goddamn. anyways i always have a soft spot for shortpacked original characters super glad to see galasso out here living his best life
Got here as soon as I could so I’m not tempted to plough through hundreds of… oh wait, these guys, oh this should be much more pleasant. Hi gang, how are you all?
Splendid! Arm hurting, but at least i finished a game commission before that happened, taking and edible for it which means I’ll get stoned in time for Dr Stone on TV, LOL.
There’s also “Dicks” where awiters are paid to be assholes to you tho idk if it’s some performing arts stuff because hard to stay in chara unless ur last job was shitty enough to where you’d be able to be snarky enough to every enwc oustomer
192 thoughts on “Domain”
Ana Chronistic
I feel like there are three restaurants in Bloomington: Galasso’s, Taco Bell, and the Noodles & Company once
(and I guess wherever Team Snob went for brunch, I don’t know that chain)
Nono
Wasn’t there also McAwesome’s for sushi?
Thag Simmons
Yeah.
Incidentally this the best tagged webcomic I’ve ever read, it makes looking things up in the archive so easy.
Nono
GWS has good tags too, I just wish it had a random button.
A_Lad_Insane
Oh man, I miss that strip… but going back just now has served to inform me Danielle has a newer strip! https://www.elephant.town
Decidedly Orthogonal
Thank youuuuuuuu!
Proxiehunter
And where ever Walky gets chicken nuggets. I don’t think any of those places serves nuggets. He probably gets them at WcDonalds or something.
neeks
There’s a chik-fil-a in the food court
Azhrei Vep
Probably McDonalds. I seem to remember him being very excited that he could get 50 mcnuggets at some point.
Kyrik Michalowski
Isn’t that all you really need?
Hell, we could just have Taco Bell, and it would be all we need.
Chaucer59
If you’re short on laxatives.
NGPZ
Why do earthlings keep saying that about Taco Bell?
Taffy
It’s just a meme, from what I can tell. Possibly with racist undertones, but I might only think that because I’m from a rural area, where most things have those.
NGPZ
Possibly? I say really likely. This the USA and the cup runneth over. -_-
Marianne
Here I was thinking it was as innocent as “spicy food makes some people poop” ☹️ Why do racists have to ruin everything?
NGPZ
“Racism is like the corn-syrup of American society. It’s in EVERYTHING.”
— Trevor Noahs
Miri
I assumed it was that spicy, high fibre, plausibly high fat (don’t think I’ve ever eaten there but a lot of fast food is) food would make a reasonably high percentage of people poop… But arbitrarily ruling out racism, given that it is Tex Mex food I think? Seems like a good way to allow systemic racism to continue to flow unchecked through the veins of society…
Rose by Any Other Name
I’m betting a blend of racism, good memetic potential, and a small grain of truth given that most fast food gives you digestive distress, but people only make jokes about Mexican fast food doing so.
See also Chipotle.
NGPZ
YUUUUUUUUP. See also, MSG in Chinese Food being supposedly “toxic”, in actuality it’s everywhere and 5x less toxic than table salt.
Psychie
I don’t *think* the “Taco Bell gives you diarrhea” meme is actually racist. As some have pointed out spicy food has that effect on some people, additionally IIRC Taco Bell has had a number of scandals over the years regarding the quality and freshness standards of their meat. I figure if enough people get food poisoning from a well known fast food chain that also happens to specialize in spicy foods having a meme about getting the runs from that fast food chain is inevitable. I’m not sure how that could be racist since I haven’t heard similar jokes about literally any other Mexican food establishment, I have heard some about Indian food, but that was definitely a reference to the spice levels.
I mean, if anything these jokes are about how white people can’t handle their capsaicin properly, which from what I hear is a pretty common stereotype amongst people from cultures that heavily feature spicy foods, like India and Korea. Granted, I’m a white guy who hasn’t left the US, so I’m pretty far from an expert regarding other cultures’ stereotypes regarding mine, so, grain of salt and all that.
Dr. Sharks
What? I don’t think it’s a race thing. Maybe it’s a race thing if you live in a part of the country where it’s the only representation of “Mexican” food? But I live in Texas where Taco Bell is considered about as Mexican as Olive Garden, I love actual Mexican food, and I legitimately and empirically observe a correlation between Taco Bell and intestinal distress.
Mark
I was mildly amused to see so many playing the racism card. I think the last few strips must have people primed for it.
I haven’t been to southern IN in a while, but in central IN there are almost more Mexican restaurants than burger joints. And I don’t mean Chi Chi’s. Also a few Salvadoran, Honduran, and Peruvian.
Taffy
The only cards I play are produced by Konami, and I don’t think Racism is a Yu-Gi-Oh! card.
NGPZ
Also the recent Supreme Court Decisions, also we’re nearing an election cycle.
Taffy
Nobody I know is delusional enough to think Taco Bell is actually Mexican food. Not a single person. That doesn’t stop people from making racist remarks about Mexicans, for some reason.
Mark
Being snarky, I guess. There’s a real phenomenon in which a traveller’s gut microbiome is not adapted to the local food and said traveller gets a brief case of dysentery. See “Montezuma’s Revenge”. I’ve been told that emigres from India report getting this when they go back to visit, because their guts have adapted to their new home’s foods.
Oddly enough, when I asked Google for “Montezuma’s Revenge” the first hit was at the IU Student Health Service site.
USians tend to get this from actual Mexican food, so Taco Bell should be safe — there’s none of that there.
Opus the Poet
There are many subsets of Mexican food, Taco Bell is an example of Cali-Mex, the Mexican food from the SoCal area.
Marisa Mockery
I only have gotten diarrhea from Del Taco, and that’s mostly because they use mayonnaise in….EVERYTHING. MAYONNAISE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN MEXICAN FOOD FUCKIN FIGHT ME
But seriously, I don’t think it’s racism so much as it’s really bad Mexican food. Although I live near the border and am spoiled for choice, so I know what it’s supposed to taste like and Del Taco/Taco Bell ain’t it.
Dana
Of the Taco isn’t supposed to taste like Mexican, it’s supposed to taste like Of the Taco!
Doctor_Who
Just wait until we get to the future in Demolition Man, and they win the Franchise Wars.
Taffy
Or, as I’ve recently learned, Pizza Hut may win, depending on how Bri’ish the viewer is.
Tan
They’re the same company. They’ve been the same company since 1978.
Taffy
Sounds like somebody else’s problem. ?
Michael Lanting
Wait, in the US version of the movie it doesn’t say Pizza Hut? I never knew that. (Not British, but European.)
Abel Undercity
Nope, it says Taco Bell. I’m old enough to remember when it came out, and Taco Bell even ran commercials using the clip where Sandra Bullock tells Stallone that all restaurants are Taco Bell now.
SDRainbow
When I bought my house, my realtor sent me a survey to fill out that they used to make a gift bag for me. It was super thoughtful of them, and they got really nice things for it.
“What’s your favorite restaurant?” “Don’t judge me, but Taco Bell”
The poor assistant called me and was like “Are you…are you sure?”
yes, julia. yes, I would rather have a giftcard to taco bell than almost any other restaurant. i am a simple man with simple needs.
HueSatLight
Farm
We’d see the 24 hour diner, but that’s where Guns and Bloodrose hang out at 2 am.
Carla's #2 Fan
Unfortunately also a Chick-fil-A kiosk on the school’s campus
Ana Chronistic
I don’t count food courts as “restaurants”
Ana Chronistic
(not to diss food courts, it’s just, you don’t have an isolated “this is the restaurant” area so much, if I’m making any sense, it’s like indoor food trucks)
Tawdry Quirks
Also Sweetgrass from the ill-fated Leslie and Mindy date. And which Google tells me might have changed names since that strip.
Needfuldoer
There’s also the sports bar Jennifer and Ruth went to that one time.
Mr. Random
It’s a very memorable dining experience.
Doctor_Who
I was going to say I would totally go to a restaurant where they treat you like this, but isn’t that an actual thing in Japan? Cafés where the gimmick is that the staff is super rude to you?
Not quite the same, but a Galasso’s would clean up there. He should consider franchising.
RassilonTDavros
I’ve never been to one, but there’s a chain in the U.S. called “Dick’s Last Resort” that I believe is essentially the concept you’re describing. Wanna say there’s a Shortpacked! strip about it somewhere? …ah, here it is.
Cholma
If you need to be insulted to properly digest your meal, Chicago’s got you covered: both Ed Debevic’s and The Weiner Circle are there for you!
Lori
My school once brought us to Ed Debevic’s on a trip, except no one explained the gimmick to us ahead of time. The experience was… baffling and memorable. The waitress seemed to be having a great time!
I can confirm they are very rude to you!
Nono
Definitely not Japan-exclusive, there are several places where the whole atmosphere is being treated rudely.
HueSatLight
There’s some bbq joints where they aren’t what I’d call rude, but they are not there to make conversation or put up with you wasting their time.
Daibhid C
It’s not quite the same thing, but there’s a cliche for the waitstaff in very fancy restaurants to be all “You clearly do not deserve to be here and won’t appreciate what you’re eating, but I will begrudgingly not have you summarily thrown out, this time.”
Angel
i wouldn’t be surprised if galasso was in some viral vid/had a reputation as a bold yet harmless loud owner or so
Animedingo
Yeah that would be walkys dad if there was any doubt
cbwroses
Beat me to it.
Walky didn’t get it from nowhere.
Nono
Well now I need Charles in a butt-taco shirt. He can be broclones with Asher!
RowenMorland
Charles, Asher, Walky for a cursed thruple* list now that Walky is into polycules?
*Or perhaps just the thruple he brings to dinner so Linda will prefer Walky/Lucy/Amber
DailyBrad
Not going to lie, I’d be a bit tempted, myself.
Clif
Not me. On the other hand a “CONSUME EACH PIZZA AS IF IT MIGHT BE YOUR LAST! ” on a T-shirt would be nigh irresistible.
I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams
Galasso 😀
I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams
oh, gosh darn it my cute text emoji got turned into one of those yellow ones goddamn. anyways i always have a soft spot for shortpacked original characters super glad to see galasso out here living his best life
Aura
Eugh it’s the worst when that happens, right!? 😐
Aura
^Wow, legit thought that one would be safe 😛 (<- Not this one though)
Doctor_Who
Panel 4: Michelangelo if he discovers Existentialism.
PirateTawnee
Got here as soon as I could so I’m not tempted to plough through hundreds of… oh wait, these guys, oh this should be much more pleasant. Hi gang, how are you all?
Laura
Having fun! How about you?
NGPZ
Splendid! Arm hurting, but at least i finished a game commission before that happened, taking and edible for it which means I’ll get stoned in time for Dr Stone on TV, LOL.
Tan
Yes hello we are perfectly normal and reasonable people who do not wish to murder one another over the goings-on of fictional teenage drama.
Today.
Normal greeting to you, friend.
Daibhid C
I’m great, thanks; I’ve just been skipping the comments for the past few days!
Yotomoe
It’s a theme restaurant and the theme is “We hate you please die”
Doctor_Who
For certain demographics, that’s just Chic-Fil-A.
NGPZ
BASED
Thag Simmons
Sweet! Love this one.
Angel
There’s also “Dicks” where awiters are paid to be assholes to you tho idk if it’s some performing arts stuff because hard to stay in chara unless ur last job was shitty enough to where you’d be able to be snarky enough to every enwc oustomer
PirateTawnee