# So, is there anything we're allowed to put ketchup on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636 "2016-03-01T15:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/61 "2016-03-01T23:06:06Z")
Put it on anything you want. Just don’t put it on anything you’re going to give to me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/62 "2016-03-01T23:06:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > . . . I back criminal penalties for it’s use on anything else. And I back criminal penalties for misuse of apostrophes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/63 "2016-03-01T23:46:20Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And I back criminal penalties for misuse of apostrophes. See, youre 😛 fine with judging people just for “misuse of apostrophes”, which in this case was irrelevant, and even meaningless (no’one 😛 was confused about the meaning). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/64 "2016-03-02T00:07:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There is one city on the planet where ketchup on a hot dog is considered verboten. Why do we let them tell the rest of us we’re all doing it wrong? It’s the one they got right, might as well play along before they ruin any other food. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/65 "2016-03-02T00:46:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Wire however you want Couldn’t that lead to fire hazards, though? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/66 "2016-03-02T01:35:14Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > While not expressly forbidden, however, putting ketchup on a hot dog in New York would get you shot as a dork. This is true. I put ketchup on a hot dog once in a blue moon, but I make sure I’m firmly on the other side of the Hudson River. And I make sure my brother never finds out, 'cause if he does, I’m dead meat. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/67 "2016-03-02T02:07:33Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > We ain’t got no ketchup, Lenny. Until I went back and checked the reference I totally thought that was from _Of Mice And Men_. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/68 "2016-03-02T02:09:18Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Now pardon me while I enjoy some deep-fried filet minion chunks in mayo. 😛 And I’m making that this weekend. Oh yeah!!! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/69 "2016-03-02T02:14:35Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > Until I went back and checked the reference I totally thought that was from _Of Mice And Men_. Um, yeah, it was. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/70 "2016-03-02T02:24:51Z")
Passing through Sheboygan last summer, we stopped at our favorite roadhouse and ordered a bunch of double brats “with everything” to go. The Asian-American teens currently running the place figured that meant ketchup as well as the traditional mustard, raw onion, and sliced dill pickles. The tang of tomatoey sweetness was completely unwelcome in the Upper Midwest’s Signature Sandwich. I’ve also tasted “currywurst” in Berlin, which is sliced grilled bratwurst served with ketchup mixed with commercial curry powder. Native Germans seem to enjoy this. Most non-German sausage lovers consider it a waste of delicious bratwurst. Mothers, don’t let your babies grow up to put ketchup on bratwurst. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/71 "2016-03-02T02:25:41Z")
Well, what better place to post this [nice ketchup story](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/bye-bye-heinz-frenchs-ketchup-sells-out-after-online-post-praising-it-and-its-ontario-grown-tomatoes): > [@](#): > > He thought he’d do some Internet research before picking which one to buy, but the first article that came up was not what he’d expected to see: Heinz pulling out of Leamington; 740 jobs gone; plant to close. > > “I didn’t even know there was a town called Leamington,” he said. He was shocked such a big company could stop using Canadian ingredients and he hadn’t heard about it. > > The next day, he picked up French’s ketchup — made from tomatoes grown in Leamington and processed into tomato paste in the same plant Heinz (now Kraft Heinz) once operated. > > Highbury Canco Corp. took over the plant in June 2014 and later signed a contract with French’s. And no corn syrup PSXer. ---
**Author:** ![danhanegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@danhanegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danhanegan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/72 "2016-03-02T04:11:58Z")
When I make sweet and sour chicken or pork, I put ketchup in the sauce, more for the color than the flavor. That and guests are the only reason I keep the stuff in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/73 "2016-03-02T04:43:02Z")
Nixon used to put ketchup on cottage cheese. As if Watergate and invading Cambodia weren’t bad enough…! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/74 "2016-03-02T05:17:15Z")
A long time ago there was an article in _Mad_ that carried the sentence: “Do you like ketchup on your meat, French fries, Jello?” 😃 (I often use Worcestershire sauce on hamburgers instead of ketchup.) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/75 "2016-03-02T07:27:50Z")
I always put ketchup on hot dogs\*. The sweetness and tomato-ness counteracts the over-saltiness of the hot dog and rounds out the flavor. I also add a lot of grainy mustard, a little relish, and sauerkraut if available. Personal preference. If I’m making hot dogs or other sausages at home, I may also add grilled pasilla peppers. Yum! Other than that, I use ketchup on French fries, maybe hash browns, and chicken-fried steak. A very little bit of ketchup on a French dip sandwich adds a lot of depth to the sandwich (again, the sweetness counteracting the saltiness and rounding out the flavor). I’d use the word “umami”, but I hate the word “umami”. But ketchup has a lot of it. \*Who cares whether Chicago-style hotdogs aren’t supposed to have ketchup on them? McDonalds is the most popular American hamburger. Does that make it the best? Sheesh. If you like food a certain way, enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/76 "2016-03-02T07:33:47Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I like ketchup on every manifestation of the potato except mashed. Try the Heinz jalapeno ketchup with mash and Milanesa the little bit of bite of the spice with the acidity of the ketchup goes well with the buttery starch of the mash and the crunch of the Milanesa ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/77 "2016-03-02T07:36:29Z")
Boullabaisse. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/78 "2016-03-02T08:01:36Z")
Put it on whatever the fuck you want – as long as it’s Heinz. Any other brand is an abomination. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/79 "2016-03-02T11:43:03Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > Try the Heinz jalapeno ketchup with mash and Milanesa > > the little bit of bite of the spice with the acidity of the ketchup goes well with the buttery starch of the mash and the crunch of the Milanesa OK, I looked up “Milanesa”. Kind of like chicken fried steak? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636/80 "2016-03-02T13:19:28Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Put it on whatever the fuck you want – as long as it’s Heinz. Any other brand is an abomination. Yet Hunts wins blind taste tests hands-down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-is-there-anything-were-allowed-to-put-ketchup-on/747636.md?page=5)