He's here....but he's not sure why...The Gouty Weasel

I hold a position that is fairly unpopular amongst my friends, but I stick by it all the same. There is no need for ketchup in our society. This isn't to say that it doesn't taste good, that it doesn't look good, and that it doesn't serve the all-important function of adding lubrication to food items that would otherwise be hopelessly dry and tasteless....but I've read the ingredients list on a bottle of ketchup (or catsup, if you prefer), and it just doesn't seem right to me. The product manufactured by H J Heinz Company contains the following:

	Tomato concentrate made from red ripe tomatoes
	Distilled vinegar
	High fructose corn syrup
	Corn syrup (presumably with less fructose)
	Salt
	Onion powder
	Spice
	Natural flavoring

Ignoring for the moment the concept of "natural flavoring" (what is that stuff, anyway?), let's just focus on the items at the top of the list. Tomatoes with a lot of adjectives...sounds good. Vinegar...sounds tangy. But High fructose corn syrup? And lesser fructose corn syrup? I must admit I am puzzled as to the role of these sweeteners in the product. I've noticed that other brands will actually list the corn syrup (or some other sweetener, like sugar) before the vinegar, which implies that the product contains more sugar than anything else except tomatoes...

I cannot reconcile such a condiment with my basic understanding of food. I've always been given to believe that foods with larger amounts of sugar (ice cream, cake, fruit) are given a place at the end of the meal, but are seldom if ever combined with the meal. Somehow the idea of ketchup (or catsup) on a burger is like the idea of hot fudge on a steak. Or marmalade on fish-sticks. Perhaps a tasty combo, but basically NOT RIGHT.

Now this is not the first time that I've come to an understanding of food that is at odds with the conventional wisdom (please peruse The Happy Fat Diet), but I'm going to have to stick by my guns here. There is something that is philosphically unsound about the very existence of ketchup.

And I still have no idea what's in that "natural flavoring" stuff...

Go see the other faces of the CyberPhilosopher...