workplaceBBQ --without ketchup, relish

[shootingstar]

Yesterday at work late afternoon, there was an outdoor BBQ that was catered for the employees....at our construction site/main office building. Tent was up, etc.

Afterwards, I realized that there was no ketchup nor relish served. I think it was deliberate... we had grilled chicken breasts (brushed with a light sauce), sausages that didn't taste too greasy plus choice of some salad, small pickled gherkins, etc.

Instead we had a choice of regular mustard or Dijon mustard.

Hm...there were 80-100 employees that showed up (out of 200) and yes many are guys. Maybe things do change...slowly, in small ways. I know the head honcho of our organization genuinely lives a healthy life..he jogs regularily, looks slim/fit and via his secretary, he strongly prefers catering of healthy sandwiches for biz meetings.

[SadieKate]

Um, I'm not following your chain of thought. :confused:

[Trek420]

That ketchup and relish are evil? But ketchup is a vegetable. ;)

[boy in a kilt]

Did he get a bunch of rocks thrown at him?

Given the menu, the lack of ketchup may not have been a faux pas. Good sausages only need a little bit of mustard to complete them. Relish on good sausage is an abomination.

[Trek420]

Amen! Relish on sausage is indeed an abomination. Some chefs consider even salting their food an insult. "I seasoned it perfectly, what are you doing?"

The caterer may have chosen condiments based on the flavors, the marinade of the chicken, even the wood used on the BBQ.

I'm not a fan of the stuff in the jars, most are too sweet but I've had some great homemade relishes.

[Tuckervill]

Chicken and sausages do not call for ketchup or relish.

Ketchup is mostly corn syrup these days anyway.

Karen

[Irulan]

Chicken and sausages do not call for ketchup or relish.

Ketchup is mostly corn syrup these days anyway.

Karen

LOL, HFCS is the devil, isn't it!!!

One grocery splurge I do is Annie's Ketchup. The organic part I don't care about so much, but it is NOT sweetened with corn syrup. It does cost 2-3x more that the usual stuff... but omg, the flavor is something else, utterly fantastic. Yes, I am just talking about ketchup.:)

[smilingcat]

:confused::confused:

why does ketchup get such a bad wrap? I use it on a meat loaf, I use it on my western style omlett, Huevos rancheros no caso(sp). fries, even on fish and chips okay so I do use malted vinegar sometime... some chinese style dishes.

OMG its use is endless... but I do agree on one thing no on HFCS.

Sausage for me is with real sauerkraut... Sausage cooked with cabbage and seasoned with fennel (dry riesling goes well) and on and on. I'll pass on the hot dogs though blach!!!

OH HFCS, I even found it in Campbell's tomato soup grrr... (I have chicken noodle soup when I'm sick. I also have tomato soup with crackers when I'm sick but no more...)

Annie's ketchup. Will be looking for it.

Smilingcat

[kelownagirl]

I only like ketchup on fries and KD. And since I don't eat either one anymore, I don't eat ketchup. I only put relish on hot dogs and those are very rare also.

BUT sticking to the topic of healthier eating in the workplace, our teaching staff has a Friday lunch signup. About 20 of us sign in groups of 4 to make lunch for the rest of the group. In the past, it has often included fattening goods and a decadent dessert so, although I enjoy it and love that I don't have to make lunches that day, I did not join in the last round. This round, quite a few people have been talking about doing more exercise and losing weight so I suggested we try to lean towards a healthy Friday lunch instead. Everyone thought it was a great idea and we had our first stab at it on Friday. Instead of tacos, we had taco salad, instead of fancy dessert, we had angel food cake with strawberries and light cool whip. Little changes can make a big difference.

[Zen]

Maybe things do change...slowly, in small ways. I know the head honcho of our organization genuinely lives a healthy life....he strongly prefers catering of healthy sandwiches for biz meetings.

Truly good food doesn't need much embellishment.
Yes, things change but usually when leadership sets an example as is the case here.
It would be great if school cafeterias followed suit.

[kelownagirl]

Truly good food doesn't need much embellishment.
Yes, things change but usually when leadership sets and example as is the case here.
It would be great if school cafeterias followed suit.

Our provincial government recently implemented huge changes in what is allowed to be sold in schools. They created a food list as 'choose often', 'choose sometimes', and 'choose least' and then limited the amount of lowest choice food allowed. For example, we still get hot dogs for the lunch program but they have to be on whole wheat buns. No pop or drinks containing sugar can be sold in vending machines, including fruit juice with sugar added. I think it's all a great idea.

[LBTC]

I still use ketchup on burgers and fries, which I usually have at home maybe once a week. I checked the labels on my heinz bottles and, while liquid sugar is an ingredient, there is no HFCS. Is that the difference between the American and Canadian product? I couldn't check Campbells soup as I stopped buying that because of some other ingredient....wheat or dairy, can't remember which.

Personally, I can't handle sausages or hot dogs. Never could. But a good burger, piled high with raw mushrooms, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and some ketchup and relish (on a half a gluten free bun with sliced veggie cheese) is a very nice treat. yum!

Taco salad? That's considered healthy? hmmmmmm

H&B
~T~

[Trek420]

Many schools here struggle with decreased funding, high class size, rising fuel, energy and food costs. Unfortunately some may choose to cut costs by reverting to lunches with cheaper ingredients, often that evil incarnate HFCS :o

Fortunately even some urban schools are bringing back farm/agricultural programs. This can teach so many subjects including nutrition, science, horticulture and the enviornment and potentially even cut rising school lunch costs at the same time :)

www.edibleschoolyard.org

[kelownagirl]

Many schools here struggle with decreased funding, high class size, rising fuel, energy and food costs. Unfortunately some may choose to cut costs by reverting to lunches with cheaper ingredients, often that evil incarnate HFCS :o

Fortunately even some urban schools are bringing back farm/agricultural programs. This can teach so many subjects including nutrition, science, horticulture and the enviornment and potentially even cut rising school lunch costs at the same time :)

www.edibleschoolyard.org

We don't have lunch programs in most of our schools. We have parents who organize a weekly hot lunch program that is paid for my students. The MUST follow the guidelines set out by the govt. In low SES schools, there are daily lunch programs, but I believe these are paid for my the govt and are not part of the school district budget.

Oh, and the edible school yard is an awesome idea!!!

[sgtiger]

My son's school usually has at least a couple of choices for the main entree, and one of them is always meat free. They also have a salad bar with a variety of fresh fruits and veggies so that the children can choose what they want. The idea being that if they are given a choice, they are more likely to eat what they choose.

[Zen]

Two sample menus from our county school website.
Horrid.

BREAKFAST
Cinnamon or Cream Cheese Bagler;
Chilled Apple Juice; Cold Milk
LUNCH
Baked Scoops Tortilla Taco w/Cheese & Rice (Lettuce),
Fresh Pizzeria Pizza;
Scrumptious Golden Corn;
Choice of Chilled Fruit;
Cold Milk


BREAKFAST
Breakfast Pizza;
Chilled Orange Juice; Cold Milk
LUNCH
Chicken Patty on Bun, Fresh Wheat Pizzeria Pizza,
PB&J Uncrustable;
Crispy Tator Tots;
Choice of Chilled Fruit;

[oxysback]

Relish on good sausage is an abomination.

Relish on ANYTHING is an abomination! (except in tuna...and only if it's dill relish)

[shootingstar]

Just returned from a 50th birthday dinner...am happy to report..that there was no ketchup nor relish. However other decadent food..some sort of grilled chicken rolled with bacon, chips, pop, etc. The birthday boy is a cyclist and so is his wife...but not everyone else at party.

I only like ketchup for fries...fries I have um..5 times annually. Always outside of home. If given a choice of relish or ketchup for a hamburger, I will tend take relish (and hope mustard pot was around). But then I have a hamburger....um..maybe once annually.

Neither he nor I have bought ketchup nor relish for home ..probably over past 15 yrs. He would have bought for his children. I grew up on diet where ketchup ...really was considered as cheapening..the taste of dish. Yea, sweet'n sour chicken chinese style made with ketchup..is awful. Better to use a small glob for a huge vat of homemade sauce for perkiness. Same for his mother who...is formally trained at college in fine German cooking and baking. His mother shudders at the thought of ketchup. Now, be nice...this woman bakes multi-layer fine cake tortes, chicken with wine sauces and white asparagus, traditional style.

Ooooooh I love mustard, all varieties --plain and gourmet. It was not always like this. I didn't acquire a taste for mustard until my late 20's. But a quality peameal bacon sandwich deserves....lots of mustard! One of my sisters had a passion for mustard and so easy to buy her one of her birthday gifts a gourmet pot of mustard.

I work for a German firm...so the ketchup absence probably was not a big deal. yea..too bad, the sauerkraut wasn't there. That's delicious with weisswurst (a German veal, light sausage). And yea, ketchup on buffalo sausage or rosemary-pork-blueberry-venison (they do sell that in our area) whatever gourmet sausage would be a big mistake. :)

[uforgot]

I'm in the midwest and school food is awful! Exactly like the menu Zen put up. We have a soda machine, but rumor is that it's going next year. Last year the Student Council put up a "healthy" snack machine. I was really looking forward to it. When they first cranked it up, it had Oreos, Chips Ahoy cookies and Lays chips along with string cheese and yogurt. I asked the sponsor what was so healthy about their stuff, especially the cookies and he replied, "they are in 100 calorie packs and the Lays are baked". I told him that it was still 100 calories worth of crap. Now keep in mind, this guy chained smoked and had a gut a mile wide, so he probably really thought it was healthy.

We now have a new juice machine and I noticed that the tomato juice/v8 juice row goes rather quickly. I think if all of the soda and junk were taken out of the machines and lunches, the students would develop healthier eating habits and their behavior and ability to stay on task would improve! There has also been a movement among the students to stop drinking soda which is kind of cool.

[SadieKate]

Pardon my iggerance, but I'm still not getting why ketchup is an abomination or unhealthy. It's chutney without the lumps. It's lowfat. Yes, you may pick up some sugar but how would you make cocktail sauce without it? Or baked beans? OK, make either one from scratch with the same ingredients and say you haven't used ketchup. Yeah, it'll be so much healthier for you.:confused:

Cocktail sauce made with a ton of horseradish and lemon juice with fresh cracked crab. Ooh boy, better put that on my "do not eat list" as unhealthy and "cheapened" by the ketchup. I'm still not getting it.

Pickle relish has no fat. Tuna salad without it is weird. A homemade low fat hamburger with tomato and lettuce and relish at the end of a summer ride? Yum. And I don't feel guilty. Fries and chips = guilt. Low fat burger with veggies = no guilt.

This ketchup recipe sounds fabulous and I'm going to find the Annie's ketchup.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/109037
http://www.pickleking.com/pps/0pickling.shtml#relish

Ketchup and piggle relish each have their place in particular cuisines.

[Deborajen]

Isn't ketchup sky high in sodium? Pretty much any canned vegetable (or bottled) gets a bad name for having too much sodium.

Deb

[SadieKate]

Let's not confuse the recipe with the item. Not all cyclists run red lights . . . .

And not all people need to worry about sodium intake. I know a little extra sodium during and at the end of a hot summer's ride for my hubby is like a magic pill.

[crazycanuck]

Mmmmm..chutney...mmmmm

[bmccasland]

Mmmmm..chutney...mmmmm

And I couldn't find ANY in my local grocery store yesterday. Will either have to look at Whole Foods, World Market, or break down and make my own. Had saffron rice and chicken, and NO chutney. I haven't bought any since I moved here (made my own), and I thought southeners ate chutney. Apparently it's a "seasonal" item, like currants. What I want to know is, what's the season?

Oh and IMHO tomato ketchup is yucky. Haven't bought any more since I cleaned out my refrigerator post Katrina. I don't like anything but salt on my french fries - which I happen to eat rarely, but when I do, I want them hot and crispy.

[crazycanuck]

BM..i'd love to send you some yummy chutney from Western Australia but i don't know if it would be confiscated by US customs..

[bmccasland]

BM..i'd love to send you some yummy chutney from Western Australia but i don't know if it would be confiscated by US customs..

ooh yummy! In your suitcase when you come on vacation? As for what you can or can't bring into the US - you might want to check the US State Department's web site
http://www.state.gov/travelandbusiness/

To my knowledge there aren't blocks to bring in commercially prepared food, except meats and cheeses. Can't bring in plants in dirt (soil transports bugs and bacteria), some flower bulbs are illegal. Years ago I was able to bring cut flowers from Paris, but the Agriculture inspection agent removed the seed pods that were part of the decoration. No endangered species (on the international list), or products made from endangered species (so leave the ivory at home).
Here's the US Agriculture Dept web site with more travel info http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navtype=SU&navid=TRAVEL_RECREATION

Hope this helps. So long answer to a short question - I'd love some Aussie chutney, and I highly doubt it'll be confiscated by customs. Just so the jar doesn't break in your suitcase. That would be an icky mess.

[mimitabby]

I wouldn't put Ketchup or Relish on those things either. but as "food groups"
there are worse things. They have their place!
And what's wrong with sodium when you've been riding your bike all day?

For my semi annual hotdog, relish is my favorite topping.

and when i make oven roasted potatoes, i am not offended when people want to put catsup on it (two spellings, never could decide which i liked better)

but I've heard of people making SPAGHETTI with KETCHUP sauce. :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

[smilingcat]

I wouldn't put Ketchup or Relish on those things either. but as "food groups"
there are worse things. They have their place!
And what's wrong with sodium when you've been riding your bike all day?

For my semi annual hotdog, relish is my favorite topping.

and when i make oven roasted potatoes, i am not offended when people want to put catsup on it (two spellings, never could decide which i liked better)

but I've heard of people making SPAGHETTI with KETCHUP sauce. :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

tomato sauce out of ketchup. ewwwwWWW!!! And I'm not even remotely Itallian.

Burger, yes. hot dogs yes, bratwurst NO, corn dog yes, fries occasionally, tater tots sometimes, western style omlette absolutely yes, fish and chips on a rare blue moon, spaghetti ewww!!!

smilingcat

[SadieKate]

but I've heard of people making SPAGHETTI with KETCHUP sauce. :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:Eh, it's probably because they are too lazy to add the ingredients separately. Whatever. You just have to balance out the other ingredients. For a forum obsessed with each and every item in sport drinks, we seem to be losing sight of the trees for the forest.

I do draw the line at fudge made with Velveeta.:eek:

[Tokie]

For research on why some of us find red gloppy sweet ketchup so irresistible, even on delicately seasoned foods, read this article from the Wall Street Journal on "Umami". http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119706514515417586.html Very interesting! Tokie

[SadieKate]

Tokie, I remember that article now! Thanks! I know my baked beans "relish" the ketchup in the base.

And for those who like Thousand Island dressing, ketchup is frequently an ingredient.

[Eden]

Very interesting article. Explains why some very deceptively simple dishes I know taste so good

Sounds like portabello mushroom pasta has quite the punch of those ingredients - portabellos, parmesean or romano cheese, garlic - yum
so easy to make too - just grate the mushrooms into a pan, sautee them down in a bit of olive oil, add chicken stock, a little red pepper flakes and garlic cloves and simmer it down again, add some chopped parsley at the end toss it with pasta and some grated cheese - heavenly!

and roasted tomato soup - so simple soooooo good, just tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and slow heat, but enough to make a person melt