Fancy That

I recently discovered that I’ve been using normal ketchup for years while all along I could have been using Fancy ketchup.

Knowing that Fancy ketchup exists, I started wondering about it, because wondering about stuff is what I do these days.

First, I wondered if Fancy ketchup looks any different from Normal ketchup. So I squirted a little Fancy ketchup from its fast-food packet onto a plate, then beside it I squirted a little Normal ketchup from a bottle in the fridge, and I made a visual comparison. They were both the same shade of dark red.

The Normal ketchup appeared a little bit watery. The Fancy did not appear separated. Good thing, too. Who wants to squirt colored water onto their french fries?

Then I wondered if Fancy ketchup was a real thing, or just a marketing ploy. Thanks to the Internet, I quickly found that Fancy ketchup is indeed a real thing. It is an official USDA grade of ketchup that indicates the best quality of ketchup. Ketchup can be grade A (US Fancy), grade B (US Extra Standard), or grade C (US Standard).

So there; one small mystery is solved. In my next post, I may tell you why Swiss cheese is called that, even though it’s not made in Switzerland. Or perhaps I won’t tell you. Life should have a little mystery.