Ketchup

This is a stupid question, but I just have to know.

I dined at a french restaurant last night and ordered the steak and frites with béarnaise sauce. It was delicious, I might add.

Anyway, when I requested ketchup for my fries, the waiter looked at me like I had 3 heads. He said, basically, %26quot;ummm...sure. We have ketchup in the back somewhere. I could bring it to you, but...would you like to try it with our béarnaise sauce?%26quot;

Of course, I got the hint. I tried it and liked it. But I wondered why I received that sort of response for something I thought was pretty basic (french fries and ketchup).

Is this a cultural thing or an isolated incident at this particular restaurant. I don%26#39;t want to go to Paris and look like a fool ordering something they think is weird. LOL...

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While becoming more popular in France (along with fast food in general) neither ketchup nor mustard (US style) has wide acceptance.

If your restaurant was a particularly good one, the béarnaise sauce you were served may have been made in the kitchen, not poured from a bottle. Processed foods like ketchup are often consider an inferior product to those made fresh. French Chefs take great pride in their work including the sauces served with their food.

Many consider ketchup a fast food element , not a worthy product for discerning palates.

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OH! Thanks for the clarification, Sarastro. Cultural differences! It%26#39;s amazing how one thing can be smiled upon in one culture and frowned upon in another. Like tipping, for instance.

Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Thanks.

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hello,

in a good restaurant the sauces are home made, like your %26quot;bearnaise%26quot; and for the chief, ketchup, mustard or other industrial sauces are disgusting. This is why you had 3 heads in this restaurant : %26quot;how can he prefer ketchup rather than my lovely bearnaise sauce ?%26quot; . He would have the same reaction with french peole.

But if you come in my house, you will see my children eat fries with ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise (for mayonnaise especially in the north of France).

If you go in a lower class restaurant you will always have mustard on the table ; for ketchup you will ask for it and get it without any problem

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I feel like such an idiot, but that is why I visit this forum. At least I%26#39;m %26#39;smarter%26#39; today than I was yesterday.

And the sauce WAS delicious.

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In 1975 I was a young girl staying with her french grandmother, and yes, ketchup was a required part of my diet.

My grandmother had to take me into Paris, find a %26quot;foreign food%26quot; shop , so we could buy ketchup. It was a big deal, ketchup was not available anywhere else. The worst part is we found ketchup , but it was %26quot;Heinz Spicy Ketchup%26quot; it was all they had( I don%26#39;t even know if they make it anymore) and we bought it since I was so excited to see the word %26quot;Hienz%26quot; , but, I hated it, it was not like ketchup I was used to, I had to eat that stuff though, my grandmother had gone to so much trouble to please me, a foreigner , with %26quot;strange %26quot; tastes, ,LOL

I think ketchup is in fact much more available now, especially in cheaper places in the tourist areas.

PS, In the UK I saw alot of %26quot; brown sauce%26quot; , which I think is like generic HP sauce, that is common there, ,so it just goes to show, tastes really do vary from any country to any country.

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I%26#39;ve never had any problem getting ketchup any place in France. I always ask for it with fries. Many young people here use it now-either that or mayonaisse.

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Ketchup is available pretty much everywhere.... kids in the local schools even eat it with their rice. BUT no adult would EVER request ketchup if another sauce was already on the plate.

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Salt and pepper is another somewhat of %26#39;no no%26#39;. The food is prepared %26#39;properly%26#39; and there should be no need for %26#39;adjustments%26#39;.

Once, we bought premade salads with a chicken-salad mixture on it from a deli place. Hubby asked if he could have %26#39;des sel et poivre%26#39; for it. The lady looked him in the eye and said %26quot;non, eet%26#39;s eeen therrr%26quot;. I%26#39;ve used that line ever since!

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I just had the best pommes frites ever...in California. They came in a huge paper cone resting on a curled iron stand and were served with aiöli--absolutely fabulous. In France we%26#39;ve usually been offered mayonnaise for dipping.

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Re mayonnaise: ...and in Belgium, and in Holland, and in Denmark, and in Sweden, and in Germany, particularly in the paper cones from street carts.

I love joan1%26#39;s and travelnutty%26#39;s stories.