Chicago is an amazing city full of traditions. One of them, as well known, is never putting ketchup on your Chicago Dog unless you're 10 years old or younger.
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H.J. Heinz Company and Kraft Foods Group, Inc. announced on March 25, 2015, an agreement to merge. The merger was completed on July 2, 2015, creating The Kraft Heinz Company.
Heinz, the Pennsylvania-based condiment company that merged with Chicago-based Kraft in 2015, tried to convince people to test its new "Chicago Dog Sauce" for National Hot Dog Day to help ketchup-loving Chicagoans save face. The new condiment looks like ketchup, tastes like ketchup and turns out to be ketchup. It's an insult to Chicagoans.
While Heinz claims to respect this time-honored Chicago tradition, the brand hopes Chicagoans will reconsider their anti-ketchup stance. Heinz's new "Chicago Dog Sauce was a limited-time marketing ploy that disguises the company's regular ketchup with a new label.
Grilled, instead of raw onions, may be optional. The famous Fluky's "5¢ Depression dog," an all-beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, neon green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt is a masterpiece.
You wouldn't put lipstick on the Mona Lisa!
By the way, Fluky's "2¢ Garden on a Bun" was the Depression dog without the hot dog. It's estimated that Abe "Fluky" Drexler saved thousands of depression-era people from starving to death.
This Heinz TV commercial showed gobsmacked Chicagoans purportedly trying the ketchup Chicago Dog Sauce and, to the great betrayal of their forefathers, liking it.
Heinz Unveils Chicago Dog Sauce
for National Hot Dog Day.
One person's Tweet: "Never in a million years will you find such a condiment on my hot dog. Nice try, Heinz, but it's a huge NO for me."
Ketchup is for french fries and for the enjoyment of children in Chicago.
Obviously, the entire thing was intended to be good fun. Heinz even set up a website where people could order "limited edition 14oz glass bottles of Heinz Chicago Dog Sauce" featuring the Chicago Dog Sauce label designed just for this ad campaign.
Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
