OK, it’s a new bad habit I acquired, after years of struggling with trying to enjoy my french fries while I’m driving or riding as a passenger.
Since I tend to avoid fast food, I find myself doing it maybe 3 or 4 times a year now.
But there’s just no other way to conveniently enjoy the tangy taste of ketchup with a bite of hot, crispy fries while easing down the road!
It’s easy! Tear off a corner of the ketchup packet with one’s teeth, slurp up a dab onto one’s tongue, then jam 2 or 3 fries in your mouth, for chewy enjoyment. Repeat, toss ketchup packet when flattened (into the car’s trash receptable, of course), and move on to the next packet!
My preferred venue is heading out of town, with a 50 mile rural drive ahead of me where my biggest road hazard will be deer, turtles, and the occasional manure spreader. I lose my appetite in heavy traffic.
So far it’s the only packeted condiment I feel the need to do this with, and only for fries. I suppose it would work for onion rings, but I never saw that as car food anyway.
I may give this a try next time I’m behind the wheel with some fries. I’ve tried squirting the whole carton of fries with ketchup first, but that often results in soggy fries which is a real downer.
Question: Do you wash the outside of the ketchup package before putting it in your mouth? I ask because today I saw a clip on the news about an Arizona woman who got some parasite that the authorities believe was transmitted from uncooked meat or from someone who did not wash their hands after using the bathroom. The parasite got into her brain and on MRI they thought it was a tumor. Only when they were removing it did the surgeon realize it was a LIVE worm. Here’s the story with video
Thus, my only fear in trying out your new driving ketchup method is that the fast food employee who handled the ketchup packages might have parasites on his hands and I could end up with a worm in my brain. I realize there is a sign in the bathroom admonishing fast food employees that the law requires they wash their hands, but that doesn’t reassure me much.
When I was a pre-teen, some of my classmates and I would sneak across the street to a burger place and grab a bite. Often, I did not have money. I would occupy myself by sucking the ketchup out of packets while watching my mates eat real food. I was usually OK with this.
I have not done this in 20 years. But my memories are not unpleasant.
You poor, poor thing. Obviously you have only eaten supermarket tomatoes, which are bred for their ability to withstand rough handling, at the cost of flavor. Raw homegrown tomatoes are one of the reasons life is worth living. They do need a little salt, and occasionally some olive oil and vinegar, but homegrown tomatoes are absolutely wonderful.
To anwer the OP: No. I have to salt the fries anyway, so I’ll take a couple of seconds to properly accessorize them with ketchup, too. I almost never eat while I’m driving, so it rarely comes up.
You poor, poor thing. Obviously you have only eaten supermarket tomatoes, which are bred for their ability to withstand rough handling, at the cost of flavor. Raw homegrown tomatoes are one of the reasons life is worth living. They do need a little salt, and occasionally some olive oil and vinegar, but homegrown tomatoes are absolutely wonderful.
To anwer the OP: No. I have to salt the fries anyway, so I’ll take a couple of seconds to properly accessorize them with ketchup, too. I almost never eat while I’m driving, so it rarely comes up.
I do this with BBQ sauce packets, and very occasionally with ketchup. I always eat the cheese from the Parmesan Packets that come with delivery pizza right out of the packet.
Wait, what? Yes, everyone on Earth except you eats raw tomatoes, unless allergic (my cousin is). Raw tomatoes rule, not just in salads, but by themselves. Their power level is over 9000.
And we wouldn’t want leftover ketchup in the packets to ooze out and make a mess, now would we?
Washing packets??
Maybe I already have a worm in my brain, because I can’t envision how that would even happen. Ask the kid at the takeout window to wash them for you before tossing into the bag? Get a dozen packets from the bin and take them to…the bathroom? and wash them before leaving the Burger Place? Carry little wetwipes around, and clean every possible surface, including packets, before starting to eat?
Understand that I have a truly unnatural affinity for ketchup and have often sucked a handful of those packets dry just to get my ketchup fix. But, I have an issue with the concept of eating fries this way. I applaud your ingenuity and doggedness in getting your fries and ketchup on the road, however those of us who really take our fries seriously would never stoop to driving and eating them. Fries, properly dressed with a generous amount of ketchup, are one of the worlds transcendent experiences. They deserve the proper time and consideration that a sit down experience offers. Next time, pay them the respect they deserve.
