Ketchup + Hot Dog = FAILURE?
 

I recently watched a Food Network program, I think it was "The Secret Life of..." and they happened to be featuring hot dogs. So far, so good.

The host went to some hot dog place in Chicago or New York or something, and at the end he went around asking people what condiments they liked to put on it. Everyone there answered "mustard," and again, so far so good. The host, though, was like "I like some ketchup on my hotdog" and the atmosphere suddenly changed. The employees and proprietors seemed to think putting ketchup on a hotdog was either very childish or completely tasteless, and they wouldn't even put any on the host's hot dog.

Now, this is troubling as I thought ketchup on hot dogs was NORMAL. Sure, mustard is great too or mayonnaise if you like that sort of thing, but I'll always go for ketchup if it's there.

Is ketchup on hot dogs a Bad Thing and I'm simply just out of the loop? Or did the host just happen to go to a really uptight place? What condiments do you typically prefer on your hot dog?

Chicago (as I understand it), is notorious for not putting ketchup on their hot dogs. It's like a regional faux pas or something.

Ketchup on hot dogs are awesome, I have no idea what they're smoking. I drown my hot dogs with sweet relish and ketchup.

It's a food network program, I'm sure they think weiners are childish and a true hotdog for them is tofu with mustard and caviar or something stupid like that.

Well french people don't like ketchup and everyone who thinks they know what tastes good think they're french.

I personally put Mexico's favorite condiment Tapatio on hot dogs. In fact I put that and Warshashire (sp) sauce on everything I eat.

Food Network is hardly in possession of what I'd call a snooty taste.

I think you need to read through my little anecdote again, maybe.

I'm just overexagerating, I just find that those food TV shows always like to make everything I don't like. They always take things I like and destroy it by mixing them, and adding odd things. TV network have completly oposite tastes in food so since I like ketchup on my hotdogs food shows automatically have to disagree.

I don't see why they don't think hotdogs are childish as a whole though, stupid ketchup hating chefs...

I didn't mean to give the impression that Food Network thought hotdogs were childish, I meant those guys who worked at the restaurant thought that putting ketchup on them was. Like, something a kid might do. Or, as kat said, I suppose it might just be some huge regional preference.

And in case it wasn't clear, the guy wasn't in some fancy pants restaurant, it was just a big local hot dog place. Casual stuff (BUT NO KETCHUP).

oh, I thought you were talking about one of those fancy type things with chefs wearing poofy white hats. It could have been just that one resteraunt was full of kechup hating cooks. Maybe if the host person just went down the street to another location he could get ketchup with it. I've run across a few cooks that won't allow you to "ruin" their food with something they don't like ex: fish and chips - VINEGAR NOT ALLOWED

Okay, now that one's just silly.

Malt Vinegar and Fish and Chips were MADE for each other. :(

I put ketchup on my hot dogs, but only if I don't have chili and cheese available. Chili Cheese Dogs = WIN!

But yeah, I think it's pretty stupid to try and say that ketchup is not a good thing to put on hot dogs. I'd put ketchup on my hot dog over mustard any day, and, in fact, I would never put just mustard by itself on a hotdog (I'd have to mix it with ketchup or something, because plain mustard by itself is just to tart for me).

We all know that mustard was actually developed by terrorists and that real americans put ketchup on their hot dogs.

Chiming in to confirm that chili cheese dogs are, in fact, far superior to ones with only ketchup. The Original Hotdog Shop here in Oakland makes them the best, too.

I despise ketchup in general; I actually prefer to dip my french fries in mustard.

I especially hate when a burger has both tomato and ketcup. Tomato-flavor overload, blegh.

That's interesting. I always put ketchup and sweet relish on my hotdogs since that's what my family has always used. I’m not too fond of mustard in general.

I don't use ketchup with fries though.

I am a big hotdog fan. I usually put relish, onions, tomatoes, mustard and ketchup on my dogs. They end up looking crazy.

As always, Wikipedia has the answer

I prefer my hotdogs without ketchup. I don't MIND ketchup, but mustard is clearly superior. Some onions on top just make it that much better. Rockgamer got it right with Chili Cheese Dogs though.

Mustard is just weird. I can't put mustard on anything, seriously. Hot dogs won't be my choice food, but I would put ketchup on it first. Mustard is probably an aquired taste.

I fricken love mustard, and almost don't like ketchup but I still put a small bit on my hotdog as long as I smother it in mustard

Ketchup is too sweet for me, and I never eat it. I don't like mustard, either, though, and I usually eat my hot dogs with nothing on them.

I eat my hotdogs in two ways, depending on mood:

either with ketchup, sweet relish, chili and cheese

OR

nothing at all.

- WraithTwo -

Bleh, I was raised around Chicago and I was taught to eat them with ketchup.
I prefer relish, onions, and mustard. Fuck everything else. Ketchup only if fries are there.
One time I put peanut butter on one. :(

I've never put peanut butter on a cooked hot dog, but I have made peanut butter sandwiches with two uncooked hot dogs sliced in half between them. I just had one a couple of days ago, in fact. That shit is delicious!

I love ketchup on my hot dogs, along with cheese, bacon, bbq sauce...lol.

but yeah, the food network rocks. kudos to them for showing iron chef

Ketchup pretty much ruins anything in comes in contact with. A ketchup-free hot dog is a happy hot dog.

Yuck. I hate mustard. I like ketchup on my hot dogs. It's a common thing, for pete's sake, like eggs and ham. I'm surprised that people might think it's a bad thing to put ketchup on hot dogs.

Maybe it's a region thing.