ketchup, hot dogs and the French

If there is one thing that I have learned in my four years living in Chicago - is to never, ever, and I mean ever, put ketchup on a hot dog.

The heavens tremble, the earth shakes, perhaps even hell itself opens up when someone does so.

The late great Pulitzer Prize winning Chicago columnist Mike Royko said it better than anyone in a column on November 21, 1995:

"No, I won't condemn anyone for putting ketchup on a hot dog. This is the land of the free. And if someone wants to put ketchup on a hot dog and actually eat the awful thing, that is their right. It is also their right to put mayo or chocolate syrup or toenail clippings or cat hair on a hot dog. Sure, it would be disgusting and perverted, and they would be shaming themselves and their loved ones. But under our system of government, it is their right to be barbarians."

Perhaps we are more French than we let on.

In and effort to fight against obesity and to keep the French youth, well French, France's government has essentially banned ketchup from primary and secondary school cafeterias.

Ketchup will only be served with - what do you think - of course - fries.

Apparently, ketchup is being rationed in order to "ensure that French children remain French."

French fires and other fried food like chicken nuggets will be served (in France) only once a week, but France's famous crusty baguettes will be available daily.

I'm not quite sure what all this means.  Does it mean the end of time as we know it?

Does it mean that we are coming to the "end of the age"?

Are we more "French" than we let on?

Important questions for our day.

Who needs to wrestle with war in the Middle East, the economy or who is going to be the next president of the United States?  The important question is:  Ketchup, yes or no?

And BTW, nothing has been said yet in France about mayonnaise. 

Just a thought for a Tuesday.  :)