Ketchup in the House of Jazz
So I’ve been in Montreal for four days and on an eating marathon. Words about it tomorrow, but for now some fun facts about ketchup I’ve learned from the little packets placed on the table of where I was at last night: The House of Jazz.
Not that I’m reccommending this place—I’m here to work, not to eat—but it’s a fun detail in an otherwise tacky environment. Think Blues Brothers-type figurines on the ceiling and a dining room packed with more memorabilia than a Hard Rock Cafe. The food’s about the same.
But back to the ketchup. This is what Heinz is printing on their squirt packets:
- Psychologists say people who dunk food in ketchup are methodical and trustworthy.
- Richard Nixon used to put ketchup on his cottage cheese.
-Heinz is the largest purchaser of tomatoes on the globe.
Why this makes me smile? Being a ketchup dunker myself, I did some reading on it a couple of years ago. Two must-sees are Malcolm Gladwell’s and Steingaarten’s take on the world’s no. 1 condiment (ketchup chapter of The Man Who Ate Everything). They’re lengthy yes, but I promise you will never look at packaged food marketing and consumer habits the same way again.
(And don’t believe what they tell you about salsa. Jeffrey will tell you why. And give you a fabulous recipe for some catsup of your own.)
