Can't Figure

Just got back from England and France and, boy, you'd think I was wearing sneakers and a pink running suit by the way they acted when I asked for catsup for my fish and chips. <BR> <BR>Why the attitude? What's wrong with catsup? (after all, they put on vinegar, or mayonnaise, etc.)

xxx

Clearly you should have asked for "ketchup".

WonderWhy

Why don't you ask for vinegar next time you order a hamburger and see what kind of treatment you get.

D.J.

Oh yes, I know what you mean.In Ireland I only got Heinz once and the other stuff was a bunch of crappy tomatoe paste.I was not always brought ketchup for fries, and had to buy packets for 10pence twice.For the record, I dont do mayo on anything and they put this on my food as a matter of coarse.When you order food here they ask you all kinds of questions about what kind of bread you want and what you want on your food, over there they just decide for you.

Troll Patrol

Troll alert! <BR>Let's see if I understand this: the Europeans are so stupid because they don't use ketchup (or don't use the correct American brand!!) on their fries.

Patrick

OK, I'll be the one to set myself up for slamming and being accused of being negative -- but why do you travel? The whole board is filled with such threads now about how they don't serve butter or oil with bread in France, the food is lousy all over Europe, and now this silly post about catsup/ketchup. If you want everything the way it is at home, then why not stay home? I have learned to love eating frites with mayonnaise in Belgium, but that doesn't mean I do it while at home. I enjoy trying things the way they are served in foreign places. If you just have to have ketchup on your fish and chips then either stay home and eat them that way or order something else. Why in the world should you expect foreign countries to try to please your American tastes?

D.J.

Noone said europeans are stupid for not having ketchup.As far as brands go its not the right brand its the quality of the brand.Who buys off-brand products at the grocery store when you know what is the best? I never expected the food to be served to my american taste buds, or I would have stayed home.I also never realized how good the food is in the States until I left.

Can't Figure

Geez, Louise, Patrick, calm down. I travel for many of the same reasons you do, I'm sure. And I have been in more than thirty countries, and in several many times. I have tried eating fish and chips with vinegar, but I don't like them that way. They have ketchup, many people like ketchup, they will serve it to you if you ask for it. I'm just wondering why the attitude? And, frankly, I, too, enjoy butter on my bread. Bread can be delicious, but it is even better with butter, in my opinion.

Wondering

So, is it catsup or ketchup?

elvira

Wondering, I don't have time to explain all of this, so you'll just have to ketchup.

Can't Figure

Wondering, you know, I think this is a case of you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. <BR> <BR>Catsup, ketchup--catsup, ketchup--the only thing I guess that really matters is whether or not they serve it sweetly or throw it at me. <BR> <BR>But, back to my original question, do you know why they have such an attitude about my using ketchup/catsup? I watch them eat fried bread or beans on toast and I don't have cop an attitude. Hey, if that's what you want, then go for it, right?

wrong

you didn´t ask properly. In France CATSUP is named LE CATSUPÉ and in England is THE CAT ´S UP

minbrooklyn

I got a giggle out of this thread (I'm a catsup/ketchup lover too, btw). I just envisioned asking someone in Manhattan or Brooklyn for mayonnaise to put on french fries. I'm sure that might raise an eyebrow or two. Ha.

Patrick

Calm down, you say? I didn't know I wasn't calm. But Can't Figure asked why the attitude and I told him. If you ask for ketchup and they understandingly give it to you (probably commenting in the kitchen that another yank is present) then that's fine. But if you are met with an "attitude" the answer is clear. You are asking for something that they don't do. If you want to ask for food to be served differently from the way they normally do it, then don't complain because you get "attitude". I once knew a travel agent (German, originally) who hated France because they always gave him such "attitude". It ends up he always asked for ice cubes in his red wine because "the French serve wine too warm." Geez, and he wonders why he got attitude.

Can't Figure

Yes, Patrick, but catsup/ketchup is not an unusual request and by now, they know that millions of people in the world prefer it over vinegar. I hardly think that if a European ordered fish and chips over here and asked for vinegar, that it would be met with a superior attitude. Surprise, maybe. I just don't understand why one's choice of condiment can put another's nose out of joint.

coco

They certainly have catsup/ketchup in France and England--Heinz brand at that. My French friends call it le sauce Américain! (Oh, they laugh, but they do have in their home!) I smell a troll.

D.J.

Mayo on fries is not unheard of in the states, I have seen it many times.

Patrick

No, I don't understand the attitude either, but I think you're missing my point. A Brit can usually ask and get vinegar in the US if he asks for it -- but if he asks and they don't have it, or act like they don't know what he's talking about -- then in my opinion, he has no right to go home and say, "Those stupid Americans wouldn't even give me vinegar for my fish and chips." There is nothing wrong with Can't Figure asking for ketchup, but once they acted like he was from Mars because they clearly don't serve it that way or for whatever other reason, why should he act like it's their fault that they don't serve things the way they do in the good ole US? And I guess my basic point is an old one -- "when in Rome do as the Romans." Why not do things the way the locals do since you are experiencing a different culture? Take a vacation from your daily routine while you are on vacation.

Mrs. Hopewell

I agree with Patrick. If you are going to another country, why do you expect it to be just like the US? Besides, there are cultural distinctions here in the US dictated by region. For example, Im sure citizens of Louisiana eat differently than the people of Pittsburg, PA. The thing I don't get is why Can't Figure is stating that he couldn't get ketchup in England. Having English relatives, I know this is untrue. Heinz Ketchup is sold in England's grocery stores, along with most other brand-name American products. You also have a whole generation of Europeans brought up on McDonald's. So please don't tell me that nobody knew what ketchup was, Can't Figure. Maybe they couldn't understand your English?

Barbara

Can't Figure: if you called it "catsup", they wouldn't know what you were talking about. They do have it, but it's called ketchup. Clearly, you had a language problem. <BR>Patrick: I completely agree with you! <BR>Elvira: nice to have you back! How was your trip?