Food Etiquette & Taboos

[DokiDokiTsuna]

So apparently you're not supposed to put ketchup on a hot dog, because all the sugar overpowers the taste of the meat and "ruins the experience".

Of course, I doubt anyone would have a problem with me using my favorite sweet relish.
Or honey mustard.
Or barbecue sauce.
Or sweet onion slaw.

But somehow ketchup is unacceptable. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

...For the record, I don't much care for this kind of thing. I love food, and I believe it's meant to be enjoyed, not policed. And yes, I DO like pineapples on pizza; I would eat STRAWBERRIES on pizza if you offered it to me. I'm not picky. ^^

[ZoeBlessing]

Where in the world did you hear this nonsense? In the United States at least, you're considered weird if you DON'T put ketchup on hot dogs. (I am apparently weird because I don't like ketchup at all.)

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I'm in the U.S., too! Maybe it's a demographic thing? After all, the denigrators usually say that "putting ketchup on hotdogs is for kids"...

[joannekwan]

Gee, are you in like Chicago where they're sticklers about hot dogs? LOL

As far as I know the only real etiquette that's common between all demographics and cultures is taste the food before you season it at the table, particularly if you're eating with others and one of the others prepared that food.

[qwerty]

I'm in the U.S. and I've never heard of this. I've always been under the impression that ketchup is the most common thing to put on a hot dog.

Anyway, people say weird / dumb stuff every now and then - not a big deal, just ignore : )

[ar-ninetysix]

It's more of a childish thing in the sense that ketchup is the most basic ingredient added. Like just having pepporoni pizza instead of a supreme with everything. Or going to a fast food place and ordering chicken nuggets instead of a burger. Not so much that it's unacceptable or even debatable, just so basic that it's like it's meant for introducing a young child to the food

[ZoeBlessing]

Huh, never heard that phrase. I have heard "like putting ketchup on a steak", which is basically saying that person has a very primitive palate, destroying something as good as steak with something as "low class" as ketchup (which belongs on hot dogs). You're probably right. Must be a demographic thing.

That said, eat whatever the heck you want! If you want to put ketchup on your steak and strawberries on your pizza then do it! Etiquette is more about manners, like using a fork instead of your hands to eat pasta .

[DiegoPalacios]

Hot dogs are not meant to have a set of rules aside from having a sausage in a long bread (and you can choose whatever kind of bread and sausage you want)

"Pour whatever your heat desires. You should be free to have whatever you like in it without the fear of judgement and discrimination. Hot dogs are about enjoying yourself, hot dogs are freedom!!!!"

[Jenny-Toons]

From Chicago -- and yeah, no ketchup on the hotdog.

It really does have to do with the taste and how the meat is prepared (hotdog/kielbasa meat vs hamburger meat). Ketchup, I feel, goes better with a hamburger than a hotdog. It's just too sweet. Honey Mustard and relish are kinda sweet, I know, but they also have other flavors combined (like sweet N tangy or sweet N smokey), so it works better.

Course, I don't care if you do put ketchup on it. Just be aware if you go to places around here.

A lot of places don't carry ketchup for hotdogs when it comes to Chicago. What can I say -- it's a social tradition.

They're not really rules, but more or less social customs. Like, if you go to certain places where you "shouldn't" be dunking your food into certain sauces or you "should" taste the broth before anything else. It's just a social thing.

[racarter]

I’m from the US and anyone who tells me I can’t put something on what I eat will have to watch me put an excessive amount of that thing on my food then watch me eat it while I hide my regret because I put so much on that I just ruined it.

Also I put pork n beans on my hot dogs. On top of that I only eat cheese dogs, which are hot dogs with cheese mixed in. I can’t even eat normal hot dogs, they’re just not up to par. I can tolerate them with ketchup tho.

That said I used to put slightly undercooked chocolate chip cookies on my hamburger in Jr High and it was delicious. But only the school cookies with the school burgers. I would have done it in hs too but I survived on pizza crust alone cuz the main food line was always too long and the extra lines only had salad or pizza.

I also love black cherry ice cream with gummy bears mixed in. Only had it once, since they got rid of black cherry at that shop, but it was good.

I’m actually really picky cuz there’s a lot I can’t stand (like crust, or edges, I pick off the edges of buns and meat, also I need my orange rolls cut up so I can remove the outside parts and also it cooks better so it’s mushier). Also most spicy foods.

And I also put too much sugar in my Kool-Aide. It’s more like I want a little fluid with my sugar.

But mostly people hate the way I eat things. I rarely just pop stuff in my mouth, I have to smell it and then lick it, sometimes break it apart.

Basically the way I do anything with food is usually in a way people find weird or offputting.

[shazzbaa]

oh man, when others are chill about it, it's always fun to learn what food traditions are less universal than you thought they were!

A few months ago I was talking about tv dinners in a discord server and two of our international members -- one from the netherlands, one from australia -- asked what on earth I was talking about. "Oh!" I said, "that's probably a US phrase -- it's those little frozen dinners you put in the microwave"

".....What?" they asked. So I googled a picture of what I was talking about, assuming I just didn't know what they were called outside the US, and posted in the chat.

And neither of them had ever seen anything like that.

The next day I went grocery shopping and took photos of the frozen food aisle to show them just how pervasive frozen dinners are here. They were flabbergasted. They'd never heard of these before. How can you eat something like that???

The discovery that Frozen TV Dinners is not a universal food was a fascinatingly weird experience for all involved xD

--

anyway I don't like ketchup or hotdogs so I can't really contribute on that front, but putting ketchup and mustard on a hotdog is pretty standard in my neck of the woods!

[DasIstWunderblyat]

From my taste (as a foreigner) ketchup is disgusting on its own, I prefer it to be mixed with chili sauce
Most of the people who exclusively use ketchup as condiment are children who can't hold their chili sauce yet (and some adult who can't eat spicy)

But yeah, as it's more available and cheaper condiment than mustard, we frequently use it on "Western food" (hot dog, burger, grilled sausage, etc.) along with mayo and chili sauce.

I think your people obsession to ketchup is comparable to our obsession of chili sauce. I even heard my friend eating in expensive sushi restaurant, then whipped out sachets of chili sauce to eat the sushi with. Blasphemous.

[Kann]

I'm not a big fan of ketchup in general, but if you think a hotdog tastes better with ketchup, then put on it as much ketchup as you'd like. People really like to make a big deal out of food to the point where you're being called a monster because you pour milk first, when you make cereal.

Food is food and it's meant to be tasty, not eaten in a very specific way.

By the way, I've never heard about strawberries on pizza, but I've been to a place that had pizza with peaches and raisins in their menu though I'm not brave enough to try that. xD

[indagold]

I'll eat anything as long as its edible and considered food. I bought a cactus and ate it with eggs, I ate jellyfish, organ meats and pineapple on pizza. Planning on making rabbit stew soon and I wanna try cooked bugs next since I heard they were tasty and full of protein. People look at me gross but I don't give two damns, I eat what I want as long as its healthy I don't care :b

[kytri]

Personally I'm not a big fan of ketchup, it's too sweet for most things imho. I like it on omurice and that's about it.

I try not to police other people's food choices, but I can understand arguments for leaving condiments off foods that are very high quality (e.g. if it's really fresh produce or a better cut of meat) if the condiment will cover the subtleties that make the high quality food different from a lower quality version of the same thing. I used to work at a coffee shop and often had to warn customers to taste the coffee before adding sugar because our coffee wasn't as bitter as what you'd normally get at starbucks. I had people ignore me, add like 8 sugars, and then complain that it was too sweet. I guess for me it's more about wanting people to be able to appreciate when something is special. So it's not 'don't use sugar' it's 'be sure you actually want that much sugar'

I don't really know how fancy you can get with a hot dog though? Hot dogs are supposed to be trash food.

[Shanny8]

When I was a kid, yeah I'd eat ketchup on hot dogs...now that I'm an...adult-ish(lol) I only eat mustard on my hot dog(and/or chili or cheese; sweet relish is ok- be truthful I dont eat regular hot dogs unless I stop off at the local Quik Trip gas station or at a sporting event or function. I prefer turkey dogs). And then- only baked hot dogs; NO boiled in water hot dogs.

I am PICKY and finicky af when it comes to certain foods.

@racarter nah...cant f**k with pork n beans- diff flavored baked beans, yeah.

Like just having pepporoni pizza instead of a supreme with everything. Or going to a fast food place and ordering chicken nuggets instead of a burger.

Or eating a plain cheese pizza instead of a pizza with toppings...and yeah, the "chicken nuggets" analogy- that's all that kids eat/want to eat...

[MK_Wizard]

I understand many food taboos like not talking with your mouth full, slowing down when you eat and not making sounds, but when it comes to toppings, that's all up to you. It isn't rude or wrong. It's kind of like folding a pizza or cutting it. Technically, they fold it up in Italy, but some people prefer not to dirty their hands.

[lunaartemisasama]

In my country we like to eat french fries with mayonnaise and when some Americans (from USA) , see that are like WTF?? But we love it lol.

Mayonnaise with hamburgers, with hot dog, with... pizza! (Only in some parts but I have seen that lol).

[Shanny8]

@lunaartemisasama mayonaisse is an abomination...lol

[Heliox14]

From the Philippines here.
Down here, we put mayonnaise and ketchup together on hotdogs.
It's either a new culinary experience or a complete disrespect to haute cuisine...