As someone from the South, I started to wonder about where exactly the bias against ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago came from after receiving weird looks when I asked for "just ketchup" like it was controversial. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, that's a thing), declared that it is unacceptable for anyone over the age of 18 to order ketchup on a hot dog because it is considered immature. Even Former President Barack Obama stated that "ketchup doesn't belong on a hot dog" when you're older than 8.

There's no definite reason behind the "ban of ketchup", but there are a couple of theories. It was said that in the early age of baseball parks, they offered no ketchup because it attracted many flies. Jimmy Faruggia, the owner of Jimmy's Red Hots, which opened in 1954 in the west side of Chicago, has told customers to not even bother asking for ketchup. Faruggia believed that ketchup was made to disguise the taste of rotten meat and basically thought it was an insult because the meat was always fresh.

A funny joke was played on Chicagoans who follow this strict "prohibition" by Heinz who merged with Kraft in 2015. Heinz came out with a "Chicago Dog Sauce" for National Hot Dog Day, but the catch was that it was just ketchup. Some Chicagoans were actually offended by this practical joke.

I say, get whatever your heart desires as a topping for a hot dog. There are no rules!