Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! — Roy Choi (November 8, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! was recorded at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. Host Peter Sagal is joined by panelists Karen Chee, Tom Papa, and Negin Farsad. The highlight of the episode is a lively “Not My Job” interview with celebrity chef Roy Choi, the mastermind behind the Korean taco food truck phenomenon. As always, the show mixes news quizzes, sharp banter, and plenty of laughs with audience interactions and quirky headlines from the week.

Major Segments & Key Discussion Points

1. Panel Introductions & Opening Banter

• Panelists: Karen Chee, Tom Papa, Negin Farsad join Peter Sagal and guest scorekeeper Alzo Slade.
• Setting: The energy is high, with plenty of jokes about Orange County vs. LA and regional quirks.
  • Peter Sagal: “We are delighted to be here in Orange County…that beautiful part of Southern California where people are always quick to tell you that, no, no, no, this is not LA. Unless, of course, the Dodgers happen to win the World Series.” (00:38)

2. “Who’s Alzo This Time?” — News Quiz (with listener Tammy)

• Election Night in New York

  • Discussion of Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral win—youth, immigrant background, and jokes about familial expectations.
  • Negin Farsad: “But knowing a thing or two about immigrant parents from the east, they're probably still...disappointed that he's not a doctor.” (04:38)
  • Karen Chee on young politicians: “He's young enough that he met his partner on Hinge, who he's married to. Which is crazy… he's inspiring me to get back on the apps.” (04:49)

• Whole Foods Sells Junk Food

  • Whole Foods, famous for organic health food, now stocking Pepsi, Doritos, and Chips Ahoy.
  • Negin: “They sell junk food. It's just in packaging that looks like it has a master's degree.” (05:53)
  • Tom: “You need to stuff a whole can of Pringles down your throat in order to feel good in these dark times.” (06:22)

• Humanoid Chore Robot

  • Introduction of a $20,000 household robot—helpful, but slow and mostly remotely controlled by humans for now.
  • Tom: “I got that Roomba, that little vacuum thing… then it went over some cat crap and smeared it all across the rest of the place.” (08:09)
  • Negeen: “I swear to God, the spokesperson said he's still working out handles because he had a hard time getting his hand around the watering pot.” (08:31)
  • Discussion devolves with Peter Sagal warning: “Never to buy any used technology from Utah.” (09:25)

• Tammy goes 3-for-3 and wins the quiz.

3. Panel News Question: The Louvre Password Fiasco

• The password to the Louvre’s security camera system was simply "Louvre."
  • Peter Sagal: “They must have thought. Well, no one will ever be able to spell Louvre? That's such a weird word. They of course, now that it has been exposed, they quickly rectified the situation. The password is now Louvre1.” (11:05)
  • Negeen jokes about the jewel thieves being Ocean’s Eleven cast members. (11:46)

4. “Bluff the Listener” — The News Jobs of the Future (with listener Ian)

Panelists create imaginary jobs responding to AI and automation:

• Karen Chee: The “Universal Carny” — suspicious carnival workers added to all self-checkout experiences for a touch of “danger” and authenticity.
• Tom Papa: The “Cartender” — a bartender who rides with you in robo-taxis for company and refreshments.
• Negeen Farsad: The “Venting Specialist” — professionals paid to get yelled at by angry customers who can't reach a human agent.
• Winner: Tom’s “Cartender” story is the real concept floated by Lyft’s CEO.
  • Real bartender Griff Richards: “I don't know how you would stock a car for a full-service bartender, seems like a nightmare.” (20:19)

5. “Not My Job” Guest Interview — Roy Choi (Starts ~21:31)

Background & Upbringing

• Roy discusses growing up in LA, his mother’s home cooking, and helping her hustle kimchi out of their car trunk at stoplights from a very young age.
  • Roy Choi: "We would just roll up on the stop and I was the one. I was in shotgun, and…I would roll down my window and then we would just talk to the person at the stoplight and say, you want to buy some kimchi?" (23:41)
• Reflections on being fired from a big restaurant and the "spiritual" journey to launching the game-changing Kogi food truck.
  • "I had to fail. I had to have this amnesia and have no other opportunities out there.” (24:39)

On Food Trucks & Restaurant Life

• Roy downplays the scale, saying Kogi is a company that “looks bigger than we are”—just four trucks and three restaurants. (25:08)
• TV & Movies: Consultant on Chef (Jon Favreau film), more “Ratatouille” than “The Bear” for accuracy: "Ratatouille’s still the gold standard… no one has topped it." (26:01)

Food Philosophies & Viral Ramen Recipe

• Peter Sagal credits Roy for the popular “instant ramen with American cheese” recipe.
  • Roy demystifies: "It says it's from the land of processed… our whole life is healthy…so the ramyeon with cheese was like our lucky charms." (26:49, 27:23)
• Roy’s advice: everyone should try it!

Game Segment: Trucks Roy answers trivia about unusual trucks, including luxury SUVs upholstered with whale foreskin, baseball players obsessed with fire trucks, and real-world cargo accidents (liv eels, pancake syrup, millions of bees)—“The game is fixed. Sadly, in your favor, though.” (31:02-31:03)

6. Listener Limerick Challenge (with Danielle from Santa Barbara)

Fun, food-themed limericks about:

• Jimmy John’s Picklewich — a sandwich served in a hollowed-out pickle instead of bread.
• Thanksgiving Meal Oreos — multiple oreo flavors inspired by Thanksgiving dishes.
• Mismatched Tupperware — the adulting imperative to have matching food storage containers.
  • Negeen Farsad mourns the loss of container lids: “And I still think—it’s been 10 years and I still think about those lids.” (42:39)

Danielle aces the quiz 3 out of 3.

7. Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank

Rapid-fire news trivia among panelists, with Tom Papa taking the championship.

Notable moments:

• Discussion of Tom Brady cloning his pet dog. Tom Papa: “So it looks like your old dog, but at night it just growls in the corner at you, presumably.” (34:44)
• Ruling in Canada about deducting $4.60 from a security deposit over stolen candy (35:38)
• “Timothée Chalamet lookalikes” as a new source of gainful employment (45:32)

Best Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Roy Choi, on childhood kimchi sales:
  “We would just roll up...and say, you want to buy some kimchi?” (23:41)
• Negin Farsad, on immigrant parents:
  “They're probably still...disappointed that he's not a doctor.” (04:38)
• Karen Chee, on Whole Foods’ “healthy” junk food:
  “They sell junk food. It's just in packaging that looks like it has a master's degree.” (05:53)
• Tom Papa, on robot helpers:
  “I got that Roomba…then it went over some cat crap and smeared it all across the rest of the place.” (08:09)
• Roy Choi, about the ramen and cheese recipe:
  "It's the inverse of growing up in America... so the ramyeon with cheese was like our lucky charms." (27:23)
• Peter Sagal, on the Louvre’s password:
  “They must have thought. Well, no one will ever be able to spell Louvre? That's such a weird word.” (11:05)

Notable Timestamps

• [00:38] — Show beginning, regional jokes about Orange County vs. LA
• [03:44] — Panel banter about young politicians and immigrant parents
• [05:11] — Whole Foods to start selling junk food
• [07:10] — Humanoid robot helper discussion
• [21:31] — Roy Choi: “Not My Job” guest segment begins
• [23:41] — Roy Choi’s family kimchi hustle story
• [26:01] — Roy’s take on chef shows: “Ratatouille’s still the gold standard”
• [27:13] — Ramen with cheese: childhood context
• [34:49] — Dog cloning conversation
• [38:53] — Limerick challenge: Picklewich, Thanksgiving Oreos, Tupperware
• [42:39] — Negin Farsad’s tragic Tupperware lid loss anecdote

Tone & Style

• Fast-paced, witty, and irreverent—full of topical asides, absurd hypotheticals, and playful teasing among the panel.
• Roy Choi is humble, reflective, and wry, mixing nostalgia for his LA childhood with sharp observations on food culture.
• The panel is quick with both biting and self-deprecating humor, especially riffing on generational and cultural topics.
• Audience is engaged and responsive, adding to the live energy and laughter.

Takeaways

• Whole Foods has fully embraced junk food, for better or worse.
• Robots may soon help around the house, but not well (yet).
• Security in world-class museums can be shockingly naive.
• Food trucks and childhood car hustles can change the world (ask Roy Choi!)—and yes, ramen with cheese is legit.
• The real treasure: no one can match Roy Choi’s or the panel’s blend of heart, insight, and humor.

For Fans & Newcomers

If you missed the episode, you’ll want to catch Roy Choi reminiscing about his family’s kimchi “drive-bys,” the panel’s takes on AI-induced job changes, and the show’s signature blend of current events and comic invention. Plus, if you haven’t tried ramen with cheese—what are you waiting for?