Would You Like Any Food With That Ketchup?

Out of the plethora of tastes I have experienced in my life thus far, there is one in particular that sits with my palette more satisfactorily than the rest. It’s actually composed of a mixture of ingredients: the sweet blend of tomato concentrate from “red ripe tomatoes,” distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, “spice,” onion powder, and “natural flavoring.”

You guessed it-I’m talking about ketchup, and more specifically, the precise concoction of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

As I step through the beautiful glass doors of Crossroads Dining Hall, naturally I glance down at my peers’ plates to see what delectable foods the dining hall is serving. It’s always quite a variety-a colorful curry on one plate, a well-decorated burger on another.  Yet, amongst the wide selection, one component puts all of these plates on the same playing field-an inundation of condiments. Ketchup and mustard everywhere. A sea of Heinz red and yellow.

If you take a mere five minutes to stand next to the condiment station in any dining hall, cafe, or restaurant, I can virtually guarantee that you will be appalled by the drastic amount of condiments with which people drown their food. Obviously, people love ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. I’m not one to pull people away from the things they love, but recently I have begun to wonder what it is about condiments that the human race just cannot resist.

According to the health website, Raw Food Explained, “Salt spices and seasonings are used to re-add ‘flavor’ that might have disappeared when cooked. The condiments substitute for the natural flavors present in wholesome foods.” This seems logical. Most individuals will choose foods rich in flavor over bland ones. Therefore when bland flavors are the only option, people add familiarly tasty condiments to their meal in order to overcome the boredom of plain baked chicken, boiled potatoes, and the like.

In addition to the subjective personal satisfaction that condiments provide, the popularity of condiments could also be due to nurture, not nature. Stefanie Senior, a registered dietitian privately practicing at Athletic Edge Sports Medicine based in Toronto, said, “If you always grew up with grilled cheese with ketchup, you continue to eat it.” My craving for ketchup could very well have been ingrained into my psyche as a budding infant raised in an American household. Thank you American childhood. Thank you.

Despite the clear enjoyment of condiments in our culture, many health experts do not support society’s love for these products. In his book, Human Life: Its Philosophy and Laws, Dr. Herbert M. Shelton states, “Among the unwholesome substances demanded by perverted taste are the condiments and ‘relishes.’ These things possess little or no food value and there does not exist a single excuse for their use.”

In addition to harsh scholarly advice about condiments such as Dr. Shelton’s, a satirical stigma about condiments associates them with unhealthy eating habits. Articles such as a 2013 Buzzfeed article titled, “24 Reasons Mayonnaise is the Devil’s Condiment,” popularize the notion that the consumption of condiments such as mayonnaise is negative. These types of sources frequent social media feeds, perpetuating the idea that condiments should be viewed as unappealing.

What confused me most as I researched this topic further was that each new piece of evidence I found was completely contradictory to the previous piece. Although many health websites attempt to deter readers from consuming condiments, other fitness websites actually encourage it. One bodybuilding website encouraged adding “MSG, tabasco/hot sauces, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauces, mayonnaise, and artificial sweeteners” to meals in order to make protein-rich diets more appetizing.

Even after reading extensively about condiments, I am still perplexed by the sheer amount of ketchup, mustard, and the like consumed by the public. I may be perpetually perplexed. With all of these perspectives in mind, it comes down to the basic claim that everything is okay in moderation. Whether we should ardently despise condiments or eat them on a daily basis remains a personal judgment call, despite conflicting opinions that float around the Internet.

But at least now I know what I’m getting myself into when I inhale a plate of fries loaded with sweet, sweet Heinz tomato ketchup.

Image Source: www.dailytech.com