Why Some Adults Over 18 Enjoy Ketchup On A Hot Dog

Today is National Hot Dog Day and while millions of Americans celebrate this holiday by enjoying a good frankfurter, the bigger issue involves a condiment that some adults insist on using. Specifically ketchup.

My family moved to El Paso from New York and I was raised at a very early age to eat a hot dog with mustard. I remember going to a friend's house and he would put ketchup on a hot dog. Later that week, my dad had a barbecue and I tried it. Before I could take a bite, he looked at me and asked if I was crazy. Before I could utter a word, he said that no person should ever eat a hot dog with ketchup. Apparently all New Yorkers and those from Chicago would concur. From that point on, I have been a mustard guy when it comes to a good frank. As I have gotten older, I enjoy relish, onions, kraut, and especially chili on a hot dog.

When my family and I got to the ballpark, it is a given that we will all eat hot dogs. My 9-year old will only eat it with ketchup while my wife likes both ketchup and mustard. As much as this infuriates me, I have always wanted to know the fascination of why Americans enjoy ketchup with their wieners. The easiest answer is that ketchup contains sugar and our country cannot get enough sugar on all of their food.

I asked five of my co-workers about why they eat ketchup on a hot dog and here is what I found:
Adrian Broaddus - "I am a big ketchup guy and I love to put ketchup on everything. I love sauce."
Lisa Sanchez - "The same reason I love pineapple on my pizza. I love sweet and savory."
Joana Barba - "I like ketchup and mustard because they go great together."
Monika - "I used to eat ketchup with my hot dogs growing up and I never knew it was a cardinal sin."
Veronica Gonzalez - "I was brought up that way and didn't realize that it is bad."

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, people should not use ketchup on a hot dog after the age of 18. They say that mustard, relish, onions, chili, and cheese are acceptable. I also discovered while researching this story that some people also enjoy mayonnaise on their hot dogs. That is another story entirely.

Even Clint Eastwood brought this argument to the big screen back in 1983, yet the disgust rages on: