I'm another Chicagoan who considers the no-ketchup rule a silly control freak thing. As I think Miss Manners said, it's not polite to comment on what other people eat or how they eat it.

I am happy with a hot dog with just ketchup and mustard, but I like a good Chicago "garden-style" dog too. I just don't buy that when you're putting about six other things on a hot dog, there's one particular evil seventh thing that if added will ruin the whole taste.

What I don't like on my hot dog--and this is very popular in Chicago--is French fries. I mean, French fries, fried, crispy, and then wrapped up in paper with a steamy hot dog so the fries turn limp and soggy. I try to get the fries kept separate from the hot dog, but some well-known places won't bother to comply with such a request.

The other annoying thing about the no-ketchup ordinance is that often there's then no ketchup available for the French fries. Kids **love** :rolleyes: that. So then you got to keep ketchup packets in your car.

Inspector Harry Callahan is not from Chicago!

:D You really have it rough. BTW, I've never been to a place that won't give you ketchup if you ask for it.

Cant go wrong with the Chicago dog. Don't mind a chili dog with a squirt of mustard if I'm going to A&W with a tall cold root beer off 94 in Kenosha if im going up to Wisconsin for the weekend. But the best dogs out there are at Comiskey with the grilled onions. A must eat if going to a Sox game in the summer. NO ketchup on dogs ever, I don't even allow ketchup in the house :cool:

No, WRIGLEY with the grilled onions (and Comiskey doesn't exist)! ;)

BTW, I've lived in Chicago for decades and only once in all that time, when I asked for ketchup for my fries, did anyone ever question whether it was for my hot dog. The discussion is fun, but ultimately pretty silly. People don't really pay much attention. :)

Hot mustard, chopped onion and cucumber relish. Franks boiled with whole black peppers.

In the US, also like the southern chili dogs.

In this specific order:

Yellow's Mustard
Ketchup (must be applied sparingly, should be more mustard than ketchup for me)
Relish

Nothing else

This is a timely thread... I will be going to a baseball game at Petco Park. What should I be asking for on my hot dog for a true baseball experience. ?

Well, a west coast ball game is different. Petco serves the Sonoran Hot Dog -
it is wrapped in bacon, stuffed with onions, tomatoes, and pinto beans, and served on a potato bun, then topped with mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and of course – jalapeno sauce. ;)

I can go with just about anything on a hot dog, depending upon how I want it at a given time, including ketchup...on occasion, but the most important thing to me is the hot dog itself. It needs to be a quality product and, for my money, I've never had one better than the ones made by Vienna.

Vienna has a cafe at the factory in Chicago, where you can have lunch. While I love their hot dogs, it's very difficult to go there and not have a corned beef on rye (with mustard - no ketchup)! ;)

If someone asks for ketchup on their corned beef on rye, I would expect whoever was behind the deli counter to tell them to "go get bent". ;)

Here in PIT, there really isn't a 'traditional' hotdog condiment. However, if anything, there are spots around the 'burgh that feature chili/cheese dogs. These are amazingly spectacular, imo. Just had a couple on my way home yesterday, as a matter of fact.

And yes.... ketchup ruins a hot dog (among most anything else, for that matter)

Thankfully, they have pump dispensers. No one need be embarrassed. :)

I wonder if pump dispensers are cleaned out properly on a regular basis. Plus, if condiments aren't refrigerated, could cause sickness.

What is protocol of restaurants to handle condiment dispensers. I probably trust packaged condiments more. Some establishments may mean well putting out condiment dispensers, but when left out 12 hours at a time, or even days (7-Eleven), I wonder if condiment dispensers are safe?