Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Ketchup


A papa tomato, mama tomato, and a baby tomato were walking down the street. Baby tomato was a little slow and kept falling behind. Finally Papa tomato couldn't take it anymore, walked back to Baby tomato, and stomped on him squishing him completely. Papa tomato said, "Ketchup!"

It's true. I have not written here in a month. But here is my short, ketchup. I have been building a puppet set, remodeling a bathroom (completely), taking an online class (history and polity of the Church of the Nazarene), trying to keep from slumping into a deep depression, writing some poetry, maintaining a love affair with my wife, working fifty to sixty hour work weeks, and much more.

There you have it. Ketchup.

Did you ever wonder who invented/discovered ketchup? Do you know the difference between ketchup, catsup, and fancy ketchup or catsup? Ketchup was originally the word used for sauces in general. Typically a mushroom sauce or fish sauce. In the 1800s ketchup referred to any sauce using vinegar, but as the century progressed, along with the increasing obsession Americans had with tomatoes, ketchup became a tomato based sauce. In the 20th Century, modern ketchup took off in popularity. Due to an argument with the food and drug administration over the use of sodium benzoate as a preservative in condiments, Henry J. Heinz began working on a recipe that didn't include sodium benzoate. Now, ketchup is used everywhere to cover the taste of crappy fast food. As for the difference between ketchup and catsup? I don't know.