hugo_schmidt•1mo agoProlific Poster

I heard a food writer say 'ketchup is for children' and nearly started a fight at the dinner table

My buddy's girlfriend is a food blogger and she said that anyone over 15 who puts ketchup on a burger is basically a child. I was putting ketchup on my fries at the time. She went on a whole rant about how it masks real flavor. But here's the thing - I make my own sauce with tomato paste, vinegar, and brown sugar from scratch. Does homemade count as different? Or is any tomato-based condiment just trashy? I feel like this is the dumbest thing to argue about but also I can't let it go. Which side are you on - ketchup lovers or haters?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly_nelson951mo ago

Hold on, I'm with the haters on this one. Ketchup is basically sugar and vinegar paste that numbs your taste buds to everything else. Homemade or not, you're still coating good food in sweet goo when you could taste the actual beef or potato.

mark_thomas1mo ago

Ketchup does have a lot of sugar, but the real issue is that it's been watered down for decades to cut costs. Most store brands use high fructose corn syrup instead of real tomatoes, and that's where the sweetness comes from. The reason people put it on everything isn't just habit - it's the salt and vinegar that wakes up tired taste buds, especially on bland fast food. A good homemade version with less sugar and more tomato paste actually lets the beef flavor come through better than the sugary stuff you buy in a bottle.