The condiment conspiracy

Sometimes I find it disturbing that there is an apparent monopoly in regards to restaurant condiments. Do you ever see ketchup that isn't Heinz? Probably not unless it's a house-made ketchup. Or when you ask for hot sauce, it's almost always Tabasco (or if it's a Vietnamese restaurant it's Sriracha or if its a Mexican restaurant it's Tapatio).

Why is there such a limited supply of these sauces into restaurants? I guess it's not that different than how restaurants serve almost all the same sodas - large distribution channels keep prices down.

The thing that really gets me about Heinz ketchup is that it contains high fructose corn syrup. The media may be obsessed with trans fat right now, but when that dies down most likely high fructose corn syrup will be the next big focus in regards to making American foods healthier. Plus, I personally don't think Heinz ketchup tastes as good as the alternatives you can get in a grocery store.

As for hot sauce, I'm not a hot sauce connoisseur. It wasn't until a few years ago that I started eating spicier foods. However, I am learning that there's a difference between "hot" and "spicy and flavorful". I actually like Tabasco on some foods, but when I was in Costa Rica last year I found a hot sauce I really liked - Lizano Chilero. I brought a bottle home with me and used it on a wide variety of things, and the flavor was great. I'm going to order some online now that a year has passed and see if I was just under the "everything is better when I'm on vacation" spell, or if it really is an excellent sauce.

At least when it comes to salsas, restaurants seem to be willing to offer varieties, many of them are house-made. In fact, many people go to specific Mexican restaurants simply because of their salsa alone.