Hot Dogs: Ketchup or No.

Everyone has an opinion. Do you put the red stuff on a hot dog? There's a part of me that says it's America. You can eat whatever you want. Who am I to tell you what to eat? The rest of me says I grew up in the Chicago area so that's weird to me.

So the answer to the million dollar question? Mine is no. I had a dog with ketchup ONCE and didn't like it. It REALLY tasted strange to me because it took a lot of flavor from the dog itself. Some may reply that if I'm so concerned about texture, why do Chicagoans like me "run it though the garden" (put on as much as we do)? I don't always drag it. Many days, I'll take mustard, onion, & tomato then add cheese. Some days I'm not in the mood for relish or sport peppers (I normally have access to some habanero sauce so that's where I get my heat). I'll get a pickle on the side.

Now, notice how I mentioned adding tomato and not ketchup? I feel the texture of the tomato provide a nice compliment to the texture of the hot dog. I say tomato- wedge, sliced, and even chopped. You can still taste the natural flavor of the tomatoes along with the other ingredients. Even a thick salsa works for me. Chance are you already have some of the basic ingredients in salsa that you may put on the dog itself. For me, ketchup impairs the flavor. I don't think it works like say a meatball and marinara. With the meatball sandwich, the meatball was cooked in the marinara (duh). Ketchup on a hot dog just doesn't play nice with my palate... not at all.

Sure I prefer Vienna or Daisy brand hot dogs (those are made locally and have enjoyed them my entire life). Call me a little bit of a hot dog snob. Best Kosher was also very good but seemed to have fallen off once Sara Lee bought them (and have since stopped making). It's almost like Nathan's for an east coaster. The jokes locally are many. Like you can add ketchup until you're 12 years old (as I said, it was never appealing to me). Or if you want ketchup on your hot dog (especially as an adult) they'll tell YOU where the ketchup dispenser is. So bottom line. I don't care as strange as I might think it is. Then again, I'm not the one eating the dog. That's on you. One day, I think some of you might come to my way of thinking. I might do a local hot dog tour or even include dogs from all around America. It will be hard to top Chicago's very own though.