# Why salt, and no ketchup. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443 "2005-07-14T01:28:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/21 "2005-07-14T20:31:53Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > 1. Ketchup is an abomination. This from a Canadian, where the ungodly French fry based meal Poutin was born. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/22 "2005-07-14T20:42:55Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Typically, I’m sick and tired of American fries anywhere in general. But man, those independant places in Germany that deep fried their fries in tallow – :eek: Isn’t that what candles are made from ?? I know there’s paraffin in soft ice cream, but still… I choose mayo but am also intrigued by the whole fries and gravy idea. Related to the OP, BK always asks if I want onion rings sauce ("zesty sauce"which may be something like tartar sauce??) with my o-rings; again, I am interested but always say no because of the coordination issues invoved in dipping on the highway. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/23 "2005-07-14T20:48:54Z")
Many places are not salting the fries, or using less than they used too. I think it’s all part of the healthier image they are trying to create for fast food. Plus, if they lower the standard amount of salt, the mandatory nutrition information for that product looks better. I have gotten fries that were almost inedible, because they did not salt them, and they forgot to add salt packs to the bag. Wendy’s is the worst for that, but the other places do it too. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/24 "2005-07-14T20:57:25Z")
My mom used to save up all our fast food ketchup packets, then snip open the corners and use them to refill our bottle at home. In college, most bachelors never buy their own condiments, relying instead on a steady supply of fast food condiment packets in a drawer or forgotten corner of the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/25 "2005-07-14T21:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > The best fries ever (double fried in peanut oil, lots of tasty sauces) are sold in Montreal at Tintin-tableclothed “Frites Alors!”. Frite Alors serves Belgian-style frites… they’re fried in horse fat, not peanut oil. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/26 "2005-07-14T21:43:07Z")
Ketchup is horrible, there is not a single item that is improved with ketchup and when I am lording over you all, ketchup will be outlawed and only outlaws will have ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/27 "2005-07-14T21:50:13Z")
And I’ll be an outlaw. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/28 "2005-07-14T23:34:51Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Try Wendy’s Frosty with fries. The fries have to be fresh, mind you. Use them as tho the Frosty were a dip and the fries chips. Pure savory delight! I’ll second this. The combo is surprisingly good. In high school, our swim team would stop at Wendy’s after our meets and that’s what I’d always get. ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/29 "2005-07-15T01:45:46Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Try Wendy’s Frosty with fries. The fries have to be fresh, mind you. Use them as tho the Frosty were a dip and the fries chips. Pure savory delight! I’ll third this. My wife rolls her eyes every time I do it though. Tallow is rendered beef fat. Yes, people used to make candles out of it, but it is the best tasting and least healthy way to make fries. McDonalds used to use it for their fries up until something like 10 years ago. Then health conscious people said “HOW much saturated fat is in these things? Holy cow!” and vegetarians said “My fries are covered in WHAT?” Americans eat enough really bad food, no need change our relatively benign ketchup for fat soaked mayo. Especially since mayo on fries is an abomination. Ketchup is needed on cold fries, but hot crisp fries only need salt. Enough salt so that you can see the individual crystals. Mmmm salt. I seem to have wandered away from factual answers, so I will stop now. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/30 "2005-07-15T03:43:46Z")
The best fries (this is so headed for cafe society): The place on the plaza by the Kapellekerk in Brussels. A place called Frituur Papegaai in Ghent. The dodgy place on the Vrijdagmarkt comes in third, but get extra points for the brilliant horse-garlic sausage. Best sauces: Samourai (kind of mayo with cayenne etc); Oorlog (mix of, like thai chili, peanut sauce, ketchup, onion?, curry and mayo and a couple of other things? I see it more in NL than BE). Tomato ketchup, IMO, is for children and other lovers of infantile sweets. I am a fry snob. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/31 "2005-07-15T04:56:58Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > In college, most bachelors never buy their own condiments, relying instead on a steady supply of fast food condiment packets in a drawer or forgotten corner of the fridge. If you change the words “in college” to “in my home” and “bachelors” to “people in my family”, you’re correct. We have a couple of large bags of condiments stashed away, so we don’t have to buy them as often. Taco sauce, tarter sauce, salt, ketchup, mustard, mayo, malt vinegar, etc. They always give us far more than we could use at one meal, so I just stash the extra. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/32 "2005-07-15T05:39:28Z")
> [@MC$E](#): > > Many places are not salting the fries, or using less than they used too. I think it’s all part of the healthier image they are trying to create for fast food. This is basically what I thought. Salt is usually expected to already be on the fries, not so with ketchup. One who forgets to ask for ketchup, has only themselves to blame, since it would be wastefull to include ketchup when it might not be used. A person that asks for fries and recieves them sans salt, might be more justifiably upset. Also, salt is cheap. I like ketchup with my fries, but often find it too inconvenient or time consuming to mess with it. Especially, if I’m in the car eating. My sister went to Amsterdam a few years ago and came back raving about (I know I’ll mispell this) frit saus. Fritte sauce? She said it’s similar to mayo, but much better. I’m sure somebody like **CKDexterhaven** will have a recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/33 "2005-07-15T20:31:33Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > But French fries exist solely as a vehicle for ketchup or other sauce! Your date will probably accept you eating ketchup with your fries but would walk out if you started sucking ketchup directly from the packet. I guess it depends on whether you date guys or girls. Because I, as a guy, would not walk out on a date who insisted on sucking viscous liquids out of things. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/34 "2005-07-15T20:36:50Z")
Something else bugs me on the opposite extreme. If I’m going to eat parked in my car because I have a few minutes to burn, then I’ll ask for ketchup like so: “Could I get two or three ketchups, please?” I seem to almost always get an _entire handful_ of ketchup. Wasteful as hell. ---
**Author:** ![jim\_marren\_yahoo.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@jim\_marren\_yahoo.com](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jim_marren_yahoo.com)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/35 "2005-07-15T20:43:35Z")
In and Out burger are great fries - and the only thing better are “wet fries” the fries with gravy mentioned above. Cuisine commentary from Canada… “America Lite” seems to have the answer for everything, just not a good way of implementing it. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/36 "2005-07-15T20:47:51Z")
> [@jim\_marren@yahoo.com](#): > > In and Out burger are great fries This is liable to send the thread _straight_ tino IMHO, but I can’t let this one slide. In-N-Out fries are bad, m’kay? I can’t abide soggy fries. You want _good_ fries? Go to Fatburger (who have better burgers as well, incidentally). ---
**Author:** ![jim\_marren\_yahoo.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@jim\_marren\_yahoo.com](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jim_marren_yahoo.com)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/37 "2005-07-15T20:54:31Z")
Where’s Fatburger? I have never had the pleasure… I agree that it is all opinion, but I think there is something to be said for fries that are made from potatoes, with remaining bits of skin on, but I don’t know if they are pre-frozen or not… ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/38 "2005-07-15T22:10:43Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > In-N-Out fries are bad, m’kay? I can’t abide soggy fries. You want _good_ fries? Go to Fatburger (who have better burgers as well, incidentally). This is tantamount to heresy to many a SoCal, but I agree 100%. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/39 "2005-07-16T00:46:25Z")
> [@jim\_marren@yahoo.com](#): > > Where’s Fatburger? I have never had the pleasure… Fatburger is mostly a SoCal thing, though there are a few in other states. I think there is even one in Washington, but too far south to do me any good. ☹ > [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > This is tantamount to heresy to many a SoCal, but I agree 100%. The contrary is also heresy to many. The battle between Fatburger and In-N-Out is an old one. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443/40 "2005-07-16T16:14:02Z")
There’s a Fatburger that just opened a little ways up the road from me, and I know they have one in New Orleans, so they seem to be expanding. I have to go there sometime, I have fond memories of them in LA. I hate ketchup and mayo. Now, that curry sauce stuff sounds interesting. Yum! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-salt-and-no-ketchup/312443.md?page=3)