Dear Lola,
I recently stumbled across an oddity while doing my weekly grocery shop. I was purchasing ketchup and as I was grabbing my usual bottle, I saw that the ketchup next to it was labeled fancy. My ketchup doesn’t say it is fancy. The colors looked the same. The ingredients looked the same. What makes some ketchup fancy while others are just plain?
Sincerely,
Keen for Ketchup
Dear Keen for Ketchup,
You and my Mommybeast would get along well. She also has a penchant for ketchup that sometimes results in her planning an entire dinner around items she can dip into the delicious sauce. I’ve looked in our refrigerator and discovered a shocking fact – we use ketchup. Not fancy ketchup! I must investigate this for a moment.
I’ve searched, and once again The Google has proved itself useless. Humans just don’t have the answers to these deep life questions. Thank goodness my bulldog brain came loaded with them!
Fancy ketchup is made with fancy tomatoes.
Not content to be grown in a dirt field, fancy tomatoes are cultivated in crystal vases. When it is time for their watering, an outdoor hose is turned away. Fancy tomatoes prefer only the purest of waters to touch their delicate skins. Water from Mount Haleakalā in Hawai’i is the most desired, but other mountain top water can be substituted during emergencies. Fancy tomatoes demand the very top accommodations and are never left exposed to the elements like wind – and that greenhouse glass they live behind is actually made of diamonds. To finish off the five-star life of a fancy tomato, they are pruned with shears made of 24 karat gold.
All that aside, I cannot find a single taste difference between ketchup and fancy ketchup. Still, I think I’ll have Mommybeast switch our brands so that I can dream of that wonderful tomato life.
♥Lola♥
Send Lola your questions in the comments, or by clicking one of my social media links below!
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“Fancy” or US Grade A is a USDA grade for tomato ketchup, which deals with the specific weight of the ketchup. That is, in order to qualify as fancy, ketchup must have a minimum of 33% tomato solids in the sauce, as well as meeting other criteria regarding color, consistency, and absence of defects. As you may guess, US Grade A/Fancy is the highest grade of tomato ketchup, followed by US Grade B/Extra Standard (29%) and US Grade C/Standard (25%).
Read more at http://www.brandeating.com/2015/06/explaining-fancy-in-ketchup.html#BVDXSi2Eaf0kjCzs.99
Lola, it took me one try to get the true answer. I hate to say it but this time bulldog may be giving us bull dodo
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As Lola’s meemaw, you should know she’s perfect in every way…including her wisdom! You have been brainwashed by The Google and are buying everything that they put out there. All of these percentages are just a smokescreen to stop us from hatching plans to steal the diamonds and gold involved with fancy tomato growing.
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This is Lola’s Mommybeast (your daughter) weighing in now. I would like to point out that brandeating. com, where you got your information from, is run by exactly two people. Not exactly a font of reliable information. I’ve got a person and a wise bulldog – infinitely more reliable than a mere two humans. And I think the gold shears are very plausible. So shush it before you get bulldog 💩 in your Mother’s Day package!
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Always happy to ketchup with the great Lola and get all those answers to the big questions no one else is asking. Lol Lola!
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Hahahahaha, I see what you did there 🤣
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Ooo I think I quite fancy life as a fancy tomato (apart from the shears bit at the end – eek!) Haha #blogcrush
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Tomatoes do seem to be living a pretty great life! 😉
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Sounds like the fancy tomatoes have an amazing life. How do I sign up? Are the shears optional? #dreamteam
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I think the shears are mandatory, but you could always hide behind the others!
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Who knew? Tomatoes living the high life! #dreamteam
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It is a pampered plant!
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Tomatoes live a better and luxurious life than me wish I was a tomato! #DreamTeam
Soffy // themumaffairs.blogspot.com
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They do live in luxury!
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Just popping back again from #dreamteam. Ketchup is a mealtime staple in our house so we’re definitely with Heather on this one 🙂 #dreamteam
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I could drink ketchup. I don’t, but only because I’m afraid of the slippery slope 🤣
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As someone who cannot stand ketchup, I was almost persuaded to give the fancy pants version a try – surely something bathed in the waters from Mount Haleakalā must be amazing, but alas, I cannot even contemplate letting ketchup in my house. So I will just have to trust Lola’s word that fancy pants ketchup is the way to go #dreamteam
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I don’t even know how to process this information… I’ve never known anyone who didn’t like ketchup.
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dare i even say i don’t like ketchup…. #dangerous words 😉
I do however love tomatoes. especially fancy ones x
#dreamteam
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Oh God, I just found out another person doesn’t like ketchup, the first person in my whole life who said that. And now number two is right here. What is happening?!
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I can’t imagine life without ketcup – fancy or not! 🙂 #dreamteam
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It truly is delicious!
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Fancy ketchup? Definitely the bottle to bring out when you are trying to impress your guests! Ha! #DreamTeam
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Sometimes I like to put ketchup in a little ceramic pot with a spoon. Makes it seem so fancy on the table.
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Haha this made me laugh! Where can I buy these fancy tomatoes grown in crystal vases?! 😆 #dreamteam
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Secret auctions held for the ketchup elitists!
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Hmm…I don’t trust this fancy ketchup. Don’t mess with the ketchup recipe. #DreamTeam
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Haha! Fancy ketchup. 🙂 Funny stuff. #dreamteam
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Ooh la la! Was it called Le Ketchup? #dreamteam
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Hi, I love my ketchup and can taste the difference between brands but not if it is necessarily posh. Love the idea of dedicated posh tomatoes for it 😊 #DreamTeam
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I love watching programmes where they switch the branded products for non-branded/cheaper alternatives and the family have no clue that they are eating something different! Goes to show really how easy it is to be conditioned. #DreamTeam
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Ketchup is something very personal. I love Heinz but will sometimes stray to alternatives or even… make my own! We often have too many tomatoes but I don’t have 24 carot secateurs! #dreamteam
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I love Heinz! I’m impressed that you know how to make your own ketchup!
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The best ketchup is ketchup with a side of mayo. Oooo I fancy some chips, ketchup and mayo right now. #DreamTeam
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We call that 1000 Island here, are ‘secret sauce’
I don’t know why they think it’s still a secret. But that’s what it’s called.
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Hubby has a big thing for ketchup and its only ever heinz so I dont even pay attention to anyother brands! #dreamteam
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Heinz is my favorite!!!
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popping back from #globalblogging
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I’m more of a brown sauce / barbeque sauce kinda guy. Enjoyed your post though.
#DreamTeam
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When Hubster visited Scotland he met the brown sauce and fell in love.
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That all sounds like rich folk trying to appropriate the food of us regular people. I, for one, won’t stand for it! #dreamteam
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I say let them waste their money on ridiculous sales tactics, it keeps the price of our ketchup lower.
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It reminds me of the phrase ‘You say tomato, I say tomaaato’.
Dream of that wonderful tomato life… lol!
#DreamTeam
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Sounds like some raw water. Or labeling things that have zero gluten in them to begin with “gluten free”. HAHA. Marketing ploy
#dreamteam
Katelynn, hampersandhiccups.com
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Haha, had a good giggle reading this 😊 #DreamTeam
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Lol. I always think the same whenever I’m shopping, what the hell is the difference?!
Truth is, i don’t care…im still buying the same brands i grew up eating.
#dreamteam
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Me too!
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Well when it comes to ketchup in my household – they are extremely fussy. They only have one particular brand and know the difference in texture and taste. PS! Lola you making me crave for ketchup and chips at the moment.#Dreamteam
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We live for ketchup here, only Heinz for Lola and I!
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Very funny read, need it on this wet day X #dreamteam
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This gave me a much needed giggle today! #dreamteam
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Popping back for #globalblogging
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I’ve not heard of Fancy ketchup but I only buy Heinz so I don’t actually look at the other brands on the shelf lol. I love Lola’s explanation though:) #dreamteam
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I don’t use ketchup as it’s full of sugar so haven’t noticed any fancy varieties #DreamTeam
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Fancy ketchup? Is that an actual thing in the States? We have loads of different types of ketchup here, but my heart is in Heinz (especially as they collected our home grown tomatoes and turned them into a unique batch of sauce for us as a very special treat – possibly fancy?) LOL. Love it. #DreamTeam xx
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Your own personal ketchup, from your own personal tomatoes, and made by Heinz… That definitely sounds like fancy ketchup!! And yes, we do have fancy ketchup here.
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Yup – it was very surreal! The photos are here: http://3littlebuttons.com/family-lifestyle/heinz-tomato-ketchup-grow-winners/. It was definitely a once in a lifetime moment lol. x
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That is amazing!!! I remember this now, I was impressed you got tomatoes to grow – I’ve killed everything I’ve tried to grow.
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I’m not a ketchup fan, but the Mrs. and the littles, they go through it with bravado! I’m really not a fan of the ketchup residue on the plates. Ugh. But oh to live life as well as the veggies we consume! xoxo #blogcrush
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Hubster eats ketchup, but on a burger. I’ve never seen him dip a french fry…which is for the best since I would hate to run out of ketchup!
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Not ever catsup though. I mean, cats 🐱 and all.
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I don’t touch the stuff. Too much sugar. #DreamTeam
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WHAT!!! How did this happen, how have I been denied this fancy sauce all my life, the injustice I MUST FIND THIS FANCY KETCHUP! #anythinggoes
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I’ve seen it in stores before but never bought it. I’m afraid they’ll ruin ketchup.
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I believe fancy is a state of mind! If you think you are fancy you are fancy! #anythinggoes
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I like your thinking!
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this was a good reminder to me that the next time I’m at the store to look for siracha ketchup. I can’t remember the last time we had that in the house. #anythinggoes
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Oh that is yummy!!!
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Fancy Ketchup. Can you believe it. What is next? I am guessing that the price for the fancy ketchup is way more than the regular… hmmm… that means less dog biscuits for Lola… 🙂 #globalblogging
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It is more expensive so we never buy it – Lola must have her biscuits! 😁
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I know people who will only eat the fancy stuff. I’m like ‘IT’S SAUCE, JUST EAT IT!’ #globalblogging
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I tasted them both – I couldn’t tell the difference. And I’m a kid food connoisseur!!!
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Popping back with #globalblogging
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Fancy is a state of mind! Not only ketchup! #globalblogging
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No truer word spoken!! #GlobalBlogging
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Lola seems to have all the answers 😀 #GlobalBlogging
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I’ll gladly add a fancy label to anything that needs a little sparkle…I just wont pay more for it!
Thanks for sharing!
#GlobalBlogging
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Fantastic idea!!! Unicorn stickers make everything look fancy!
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Dear Lola posts make my day! 😁 Your explanation of what makes fancy tomatoes fancy? Sounds legit to me. 😂 #globalblogging
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opps oh i do love a fancy ketchup! #globalblogging
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I couldn’t tell a taste difference. My tongue might have been napping.
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I’m not sure if I would be able to distinguish the difference either. That’s too funny! #globalblogging
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Very funny. Marketing people will write fancy in anything. Ketchup is delicious, that is all.
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Back from #dreamteam in January. #globalblogging
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Ha ha! And I thought I was doing well for skipping the kinds with high fructose corn syrup. Now I must get fancy. 🙂
#globalblogging
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And here’s me with my ‘Sainsbury’s own’… having some right now, in a bread along with mustard and a quorn sausage 😋👍x #GlobalBlogging
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Yummy!!!
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