Why is there such wide-spread hate for America's favorite condiment (with all respect to salsa, and yes, I've seen the numbers...) when it comes to applying it to hot dogs and bratwurst (and other 'wursts)?
For the life of me, I don't understand the ridicule ketchup (and ketchup-lovers) suffers in the fight to top the hot dog. And what's funny is that so many who persecute ketchup on its way to the top of the dog are the same people who pour half of a standard-size bottle on their burgers, fries... even eggs.
So why not top hot dogs, and other legendary links of the wurst family, with ketchup?
I am an equal opportunity hot dog topper. By that I mean that I do not ridicule anyone for his or her chosen toppings. Well, okay, I suppose marshmallows or chocolate syrup might be pushing it a bit, resulting in a lambasting for which I have become regionally ("regionally" = my street) known and feared.
(Also, come to think of it, such action might cause me to "accidentally" bump into said offensive hot dog devourer, causing the offensive hot dog to fall to its death on my weed-infested back yard.)
The battle lines are drawn thusly:
I and other ketchup-lovers, who enjoy it on burgers, fries, and wursts alike (at least... or for the purposes of this blog, at least on hot dogs).
Vs.
Those who use and praise the red stuff when it comes to burgers and fries, but who waffle when it comes to ketchup's application to wursts. If you try to get ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago, you will immediately know of whom I speak.
I'll give a slight break to those who universally revile ketchup. Mostly I am disgusted with the two-facedness of the ketchup-on-burgers-but-not-on-dogs group. That said, this is ketchup vs. mustard, so... all ketchup-on-hot-dog haters, this is your tent.
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Ketchup is sweet, while mustard is bitter/sour/icky (hehe).
Some say that ketchup overpowers the hot dog's taste.
SAY WHAT?
Mustard, by volume, is far stronger-tasting than ketchup. The bitterness of mustard overpowers the sweet tomatoey goodness of ketchup when the two are paired in like amounts. If you think that ketchup overpowers the hot dog's taste, try eating one with only mustard. Ick. Hack. Spit. Blow chunks.
Advantage, ketchup.
Okay, that's a start.
Let me know what you think concerning the merits of ketchup as a topping for wursts, namely hot dogs and bratwurst ("brats" to native Wisconsinites like me).
Sincerely,
T.S.
P.S. - I admit to having nearly no idea how this works. Feel free to post random stuff on here as well. Please refrain from swear words worse than, oh, the "s-word" or the "b-word". In other words, try to keep it PG-13, so that everyone can read the words of wisdom deposited here.
3 comments:
This is a test.
Tom, as a ketchup protagonist, I heartily agree with your disdain for those who would seek to segregate ketchup from those meats which are tightly packed into tube form.
HURRAH!
Glad to have you aboard the USS Ketchup, Greg.
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