Some Serious Thoughts on Ketchup

[dogriver]

Okay, I know I've been having a lot of fun lately with the whole ketchup
thing, and I plan to continue doing so. But I'd be interested in some
thoughts here.

Why do we, we being people in general, think some things enhance the
flavor of something, while other things mask the flavor or even yuckify
it?

Let's lok at the ketchup, for example. I truly, and in all honesty,
believe that ketchup enhances the flavor of chicken, steak, roast beef,
and so on. I'm not making that up. And other people truly feel that
ketchup masks the flavor of the food. Many of these same people will
say, sincerely and fervently, that a glass of wine enhances the flavor
of certain foods. I will contend, with equal sincerity, that there are
few more disgusting ways to wreck good meat than with a glass of wine.
And many of the ketchup detractors, who fervently believe that ketchup
masks or destroys flavor, believe that barbecue wsauce enhances it. So,
in all seriousness, is it a matter of personal preference, is it just a
matter of my being strange, is it a matter of people prejudging ketchup
on things without trying it, or is there something more to it?

Comments

[pawpower4me.livejournal.com]

actually my husband and I were having this same convo; only about salt. He eats salt on *everything*
salt, IMHO is the nastiest stuff evar... really. I don't add it to anything and it never would occur for me to do so. I can taste it in anything and to me it does not bring out the flavor of the food it just masks the taste with salt which is a horrible taste to me.

I do love barbecue sauce though and any meat is improved with the flavor added. I love that smokey sweetness... mmm
I think it's just personal preference.

I am going to give you the same advice that I gave to my husband, when he moved in with me I said
"wherever thou goest, bring thy own shaker of salt."
You need a special little non-leaking flask for your ketchup.
That way you'll never be without.

[amber-n-teal.livejournal.com]

I'm not a good person to judge this, but I *believe* it's a personal preferance. My daughter doesn't much like ketchup and would rather have bbq sauce, ranch or honey mustard on her food. My ex-husband and my boys could suck the ketchup out of the packets. They put it on almost every bite of food. I keep an inexaustable stock of ketchup in the pantry, just in case. And I don't even like it.
As for me and ketchup. When I was in 5th grade, at a brand new school, new kid at the lunch table. We had burgers for our school lunch. I put ketchup all over mine. Took a bite, and promptly barfed all over the table in front of me. Hitting other kids and their platers as well. Then other kids barfed. It was pretty damn humilitating.
The ketchup had gone BAD. Badbadbadbad. and the taste made me hurl. So no more ketchup for me. uck.

[kittytech.livejournal.com]

You asked for it. You're just crazy! SMILE! Seriously though, I do grudgingly have to admit that this is a rather interesting thing to think about. I think you like ketchup the same way I like mushrooms. The difference is, I will at least eat ketchup. GRIN!

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

I'll eat mushrooms too. Provided I'm in a coma and being force-fed.

[dahlia-and-balu.livejournal.com]

Barbeque sauce is just spiced up ketchup.

Beware: Fundamentalist Ketchupism!

[quirkofonic.livejournal.com]

Let me tell you a story that will lead to and illustrate my comment, so sit down and I shall tell you a tale. This was back in the bad old days when I used to correspond with some 30 or so people via cassette tapes, which was just a few years before my presence was known on ye olde interwebz! I used to correspond with a couple of sisters who were fans of a given pop vocal group. I don't know exactly what I said to one of these young women or what question I asked, but she made a very accurate observation about me. She said, "Chris, I guess you will never understand fandom." And believe me, from that day to this, that's been the truth. So therefore, I say unto you, that the reason why you feel the way you feel about ketchup is that you have taken a mere preference for a condiment and have turned it into sheer fandom or fanaticism. Your liking for the tomato-based substance has gone from a mere preference to an unreasoning unquestioning endless devotion. It doesn't matter that the poor ketchup is not animate and so does not take interest in your adoration, and yet adore it you do. Not sure where you would place it in your pantheon, but perhaps your motto might be, "God, ketchup, Coke and family" or something like that. Should something be done about this wild-eyed devotion, this fundamentalist Ketchupism? Only the Shadow knows!