Ketchup

In the 1946 film noir classic, The Killers, Nick Adams (Phil Brown), a customer at Henry's Diner, asks counterman George (Harry Hayden) for, "ketchup."  It's the film's first line of dialogue.  Like Nick, I have asked for ketchup thousands of times in my life. 

Ketchup or Tomato Ketchup dates back to the early 18th Century.  During my lifetime, ketchup has been a mixture of tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, onions and a variety of other spices.  The market leader in the USA (60%) and Brazil (50%) is Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

Growing up in Oswego in my mother's household, we had Heinz.  It's the best ketchup and it saved my life.  

We basically had the same meal every day of the year: meat and potatoes.  And my mother cooked the meat (unseasoned) the same way for every meal:  well-done or black, which meant it lacked flavor and moisture.  

How am I supposed to eat this dry, well-done piece of meat?  Will I starve to death?  

The answer is with plenty of ketchup.  Every morsel of meat was dipped into the puddle of ketchup I put on my plate.  Delicious!

Did I say everyday of the year?  Excuse me.  On Thanksgiving we had turkey, also cooked well-done, lacking in flavor and moisture.  I hated turkey.  But ketchup saved the holiday.  By the way, today I love turkey (served flavorful and moist).  

When I first came to Brazil 25 years ago, Heinz Tomato Ketchup was hard to find and, if you could, it was expensive compared to the inferior domestic brands.

However, in 2013, the H. J. Heinz Company (founded in Pennsylvania in 1869) agreed to be acquired by two investment groups, one of which was Brazilian, 3G Capital, for a total of 23 billion dollars.

A coincidence or not, ever since, Heinz Tomato Ketchup has been easily available in Brazil at a reasonable price.  I know it's in our refrigerator.  But, I don't use it as much as I did when I was growing up.  Don't have to because the food I eat doesn't lack for flavor and moisture.  But, it's nice to know Heinz Tomato Ketchup is in there if I need it.