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.

[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

[oxysback]

Relish on good sausage is an abomination.

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

[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

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

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;

[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.