I like to make lists of things I could never live without. I have a list of really big things like books and music and a really soft bed, soap and (let’s be honest) toilet paper. But there are small things like Q-tips, salt, sugar and toothpaste that are on the list too.
Most of these "necessities" came to light while packing for Africa. One of my African sisters brought along ketchup. She had found these little premeasured packages of Heinz ketchup she put in her purse. We all laughed but on more than one occasion we had to shyly ask her for some of her ketchup as we tried to chew our "American deep fried chicken" or to add taste to rice or fries. I realized then that ketchup should have been on my list of necessities the whole time.
My dad, a huge fan of ketchup, would tease me as a kid by stirring up everything from dinner on his plate and dousing it with a healthy dose of ketchup … then he’d eat it! Gross! I was the kid that nothing could touch (or even come close to touching) on my plate. He would laugh and say, "It all gets mixed up in your stomach anyway!" Ummmm no, it’s not about what happens in my stomach it’s how it tastes going down that I am most concerned.
We ate a lot of ketchup as kids. We liked in on meatloaf and roast but also on scrambled eggs. Even today scrambled eggs and ketchup is one of my comfort foods. Sometimes if we were out of Miracle Whip we’d even use ketchup on baloney sandwiches.
It’s funny that some people like my dad can’t eat a real tomato but they love ketchup. But if you think about it, it’s the difference between eating a lemon and enjoying a nice glass of lemonade. Everything is better with a little bit of sugar! Did you know that ketchup here in America is 30 percent sweeter than it is in Canada and it’s the same brand? Heinz knows we like everything a little sweeter and a lot saltier. At some point ketchup stopped looking like a tomato sauce and started looking like candy. I’ll admit I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
I recently tried "natural" ketchup and it wasn’t even close. I am trying this new rule that I cannot buy or consume any prepackaged food that has sugar in the first five ingredients. This also includes hidden sugars like high fructose corn syrup and let me tell you this is a hard challenge. Sugar is in almost all prepackaged foods, even ketchup! So in my effort to "Catch up with ketchup," I guess I have to stop eating the foods that I usually enjoy with ketchup, especially the American staple, burgers and fries. If I don’t, I’d just miss ketchup too much!
Peace.
"Blood may be thicker than water, but it’s certainly not as thick as ketchup. Nor does it go as well with French fries."
-Jarod Kintz
Sandy Holthaus of rural South Haven loves to cook. She and her husband, Michael, have a college-aged daughter and two sons in school. Holthaus is active in the community and has many interests and hobbies. She is originally from near Grand Marais. The Tastes Like Home column appears regularly.