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In the English-dubbed versions of Iron Chef, the majority of the judge and contestant discussions begin or end with a phrase which sounds like the English words "shoes on", which my household has adapted for humorous purposes; "Shoes on, this tastes delicious", "We could use more carrots, shoes on", and "I am putting my shoes on, shoes on".

Sometimes it sounds like "squeeze on". 33 seconds into this clip.

What are the people in English-dubbed Iron Chef actually saying, and why?

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    If this is a Japanese phrase, it might be better to add 'Japanese' to the title. It might draw the attention of those who speak it. It might also help if you specify when it appears on the show exactly, or even add a clip if you can.
    – Walt
    Aug 21, 2016 at 8:09
  • I watched a random clip of Iron Chef judging on Youtube and didn't hear anything like this, so Walt's right that we're going to need a specific example before I can translate it for you.
    – Ixrec
    Aug 21, 2016 at 8:42
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    English dubbed versions. I will find a clip and time.
    – JoshDM
    Aug 21, 2016 at 18:30
  • So, is this the original Iron Chef or Iron Chef America?
    – steelersquirrel
    Aug 22, 2016 at 2:59
  • English dubbed original Iron Chef, not Iron Chef America.
    – JoshDM
    Aug 22, 2016 at 3:49

2 Answers 2

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I suppose you're referring to the phrase "Fukui-san", which is a polite way of addressing Kenji Fukui:

He's saying "Fukui-san." Because the guy who's attention he's getting is Fukui Kenji.

This is even mentioned on Shinichiro Ohta's Wikipedia page:

Ohta's character is perhaps best known for his line, "Fukui-san?" (Mr. Fukui), which he would say several times per episode, when interrupting Kenji Fukui's commentary with a report from the field.

As explained on Wikipedia, "San" is a honorific:

San, derived from sama (see below), is the most commonplace honorific and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age. Although the closest analog in English are the honorifics "Mr.", "Miss", "Ms.", or "Mrs.", -san is almost universally added to a person's name; "-san" can be used in formal and informal contexts and for any gender. Because it is the most common honorific, it is also the most often used to convert common nouns into proper ones, as seen below.

Kenji Fukui is of course:

the "play by play" announcer of Iron Chef

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    Those aren't the judges and contestants, though. That's the reporter in the arena addressing the announcer.
    – Walt
    Aug 21, 2016 at 8:07
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    Hence "I suppose". @JoshDM should have provided a clip.
    – BCdotWEB
    Aug 21, 2016 at 8:23
  • True. I added it to my comment above.
    – Walt
    Aug 21, 2016 at 8:38
  • I'll find a clip. It's very prominent in the English-dubbed versions.
    – JoshDM
    Aug 21, 2016 at 18:34
  • The first clip in this answer has examples.
    – JoshDM
    May 22 at 21:08
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Any chance you're mis-hearing "soupçon"? Or that it's a bad subtitle?

soupçon: a little bit of something

Like, they're getting a small taste of a dish?

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  • No. It's used frequently and not in the context where "soupçon" would be used.
    – JoshDM
    Sep 22, 2016 at 15:41

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