# What is the most divisive physical thing that individuals can make? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200 "2024-08-03T17:38:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/221 "2024-08-07T21:02:13Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Does the prohibition on ketchup on hot dogs also apply to ketchup on hamburgers? Just ketchup is too sweet, but that and mustard can be good. > [@Jasmine](#): > > It does because of the way it is used. It is a very sweet and powerful taste, so it basically covers up the true taste of the food one is eating. People who put ketchup on a variety of different foods are pretty much showing that their taste in food is mostly just the taste of ketchup. They say they can’t wait to try a Chicago hot dog, but then they slather it in that stuff, and it tastes like ketchup, not anything else. Right, the sweet overcomes all the flavors. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > t’s a HOT DOG. Pig snouts ground into mush with beef by-products and stuffed in a casing. Hebrew National- \* Kosher beef: Hebrew National uses premium cuts of beef from the front half of the cow, exclusively from North America - Water - 2% or less of the following: - Salt - Spice - Sodium lactate - Paprika - Hydrolyzed soy protein - Garlic powder - Sodium diacetate - Sodium erythorbate - Flavoring - Sodium nitrite > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > The corollary to “no ketchup on hot dogs” is “no mustard on hamburgers.” The best things on burgers are A1 or H57, or 1000 island. But mustard and catsup are not a bad combo. > [@scabpicker](#): > > (you’re likely to get mayo, which will ruin my wife’s day) Mayo is nasty, unless there the other two are there, and just a little mayo. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/222 "2024-08-07T21:07:42Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > I’m sorry you don’t get offered anything but cream of wheat. Maybe it’s the geography, Naw, the kitchen cooks one hot cereal a day. It’s different from day to day. But in days when it’s cream of wheat, that’s the only hot cereal. You probably wouldn’t like wheatena. It has some of the bran still attached, and has much more texture (grittiness) than cream of wheat. But i like both the flavor and the texture of it. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/223 "2024-08-07T21:24:13Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I’ve never had “grits”, but imagine it’s somewhat similar. > > This was in Ohio. Cornbread was also a staple. If you overcook grits, you get cornbread. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/224 "2024-08-07T21:31:36Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > If you overcook grits, you get cornbread. Grits has baking powder and eggs? ---
**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:** [August 7, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/225 "2024-08-07T21:47:26Z")
You get bad polenta. Unless it’s not really overcooked, then it’s just bland polenta. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2024, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/226 "2024-08-07T22:06:37Z")
Mayo, or Miracle Whip? And we thought chili was divisive. Hahaahah. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/227 "2024-08-08T00:15:53Z")
Miracle Whip on my burger with tomato onion and a bit of ketchup. If I have no tomato a bit more ketchup. I’m 65, I like ketchup on hot dogs, steak, and hamburgers, oh and tater tots/hashbrowns. I don’t like it on just about anything else. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/228 "2024-08-08T02:21:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I bought a bottle of Stokes brown sauce recently and I like it better than HP. Stokes you say, eh? Well, in the cart it goes, ordered for $20 a 320g bottle. A bit hefty, but I’m intrigued. Is this a new brand or something classic that I just haven’t come across before? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/229 "2024-08-08T03:08:06Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > It is a very sweet and powerful taste, so it basically covers up the true taste of the food one is eating. People who put ketchup on a variety of different foods are pretty much showing that their taste in food is mostly just the taste of ketchup. This seems like such a bizarre statement to me. To me, ketchup is one of the mildest condiments that’s typically put on a hot dog. Mustard is a much stronger flavor. So is pepperoncini and other peppers. So is raw onion. I grew up in Chicago but I’ve never understood the antipathy people have for ketchup on hot dogs, and the fact that they try to justify it with obviously bogus reasoning is baffling. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/230 "2024-08-08T03:10:57Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Mayo, or Miracle Whip? Hellman’s or Dukes? Them there’s fighting words. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/231 "2024-08-08T05:15:23Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Hellman’s or Dukes? Them there’s fighting words. I mean, _obviously_ Duke’s. But we’re pretty far afield from the OP, unless we squint and declare that Miracle Whip is the most divisive thing a person can make, because no matter how you make it, it’s nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/232 "2024-08-08T06:22:19Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I’ve never understood the antipathy people have for ketchup on hot dogs, and the fact that they try to justify it with obviously bogus reasoning is baffling. Interesting observation and I think I concur - the antipathy does seem to come before the justification. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/233 "2024-08-08T06:26:15Z")
I hope it works for you. For myself, I feel that HP sauce has lost its way - the last few bottles I’ve bought seemed like they were somehow watery and dilute, only working as a sauce on account of the thickeners. The Stokes sauce has substance (probably just from tomato pulp) and is robustly flavoured both in acidity and the balance of spices. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/234 "2024-08-08T07:26:08Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Grits has baking powder and eggs? Hey - grits ain’t groceries! ---
**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:** [August 8, 2024, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/235 "2024-08-08T10:33:58Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Mayo, or Miracle Whip? We have Dukes, but I really prefer to make my own mayonnaise, which might put me in the snob thread. I taught my kids about emulsions by having them help me make mayonnaise. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/236 "2024-08-08T11:42:40Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Mustard is a much stronger flavor. So is pepperoncini and other peppers. So is raw onion. I would feel the same way about those if a person felt compelled to use them on almost everything they eat. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/237 "2024-08-08T11:52:53Z")
I don’t put ketchup on many foods. But i do sometimes put it on hotdogs. (I prefer sweet pickle relish, which is disgusting, but i like it on hotdogs somehow. If relish isn’t available, I’ll use ketchup.) And i use it on… French fries, if they aren’t perfectly fresh and crisp. And hamburgers, if they aren’t homemade. And… I can’t think of anything else. I eat ketchup less than one a week. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/238 "2024-08-08T11:56:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And i use it on… French fries, if they aren’t perfectly fresh and crisp. I do, too. I don’t hate ketchup, I just disdain those who feel they have to put it on almost everything because, in reality, that is the only taste they want. That is the basis for the Chicago dog lovers antipathy. When you serve someone a perfect “Chicago hot dog” and, suddenly, there is a river of red completely covering all the other ingredients, it is very irksome. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/239 "2024-08-08T12:10:47Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I do, too. I don’t hate ketchup, I just disdain those who feel they have to put it on almost everything because, in reality, that is the only taste they want. I tease about bbq and sweet grits and the like, but it’s like team-sport trash-talking. Seriously, why would I feel disdain for someone eating the tastes they want? We’re all jumped-up monkeys wearing clothes and trying to hoot and scamper our way through a confusing, brutal world. If another monkey finds a way to make the world a little nicer for them without hurting anyone else, I’m 100% there for it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200/240 "2024-08-08T14:08:11Z")
Well, i wouldn’t eat a perfect Chicago hot dog, because it includes all kinds of stuff i don’t like. But if i had to choke one down to be polite, maybe ketchup would help? Honestly, just because someone adds ketchup to their hot dog, why do you think they use it on anything else? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-divisive-physical-thing-that-individuals-can-make/1005200.md?page=13)