Chicagoan insisting ketchup doesn't belong on hot dogs also has strong opinions on chicken nuggets, PB&J sandwiches

There are some regional culinary preferences which locals insist on as fact. With states like Texas, Missouri, and the Carolinas arguing over the "correct" way to barbecue while New York and Chicago debate what constitutes a proper slice, Chicago has another hard stance heard by anyone who's willing to listen — the belief that ketchup does not belong on hot dogs.

Unlike preparing a cut of meat or pizza with searingly high temperatures and blazing flames, a hot dog can be prepared with just 45 seconds and a microwave. This means that everyone from a toddler to an elder can hold an equally nuanced take on the topic — such is the case with 5-year-old Henry Carlson.

"I will never, ever, ever put ketchup on a hot dog — that's for little babies," began the kindergartner. "Mustard is all you need, but a Chicago dog is the best-est thing. Tomatoes are a little icky and my daddy says that sport peppers are for big boys, but I still pick them off instead of asking my mommy to order them without."

A relatively poor grasp on grammar won't stop the Avalon Park Elementary student — he also has equally strong opinions on chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the former of which may be surprising given his feelings on the iconic street cart food.

"Chicken nuggets should be dipped in ketchup, but only the kind of ketchup from home. If we go to McDonald's and they have the wrong kind, I will throw a fit back there," said Carlson, referring to the backseat of his parents' Toyota Sienna minivan. "Barbecue sauce is gross — I haven't tried it, but it smells like eating smoke from a fire. My crazy older brother eats it so much that I asked my teacher if his lungs will go bad before he gets to middle school. She laughed, but I'm really worried."

And don't even get the kid started on good ol' PB&Js.

"I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but if there's still crust, it's one of my least favorite foods in the whole entire world. Also, one time my mom put way too much peanut butter on it and I could barely even open my mouth for, like, eight whole days," said Carlson, not yet grasping that nobody likes a drama queen.

The middle child also has a preference as far as the jelly itself.

"The jelly needs to be grape. Otherwise, the seeds get stuck in my teeth. I had one with strawberry jelly at my grandma's house and then my tooth fell out that exact same night — it was one of the worse-est, most scariest moments of my life."

The budding Chicagoan is well on his way to becoming a full-fledged member of the city's society. But while Carlson currently receives the comfort of having the same opinion as almost all the Windy City's natives, he'll soon have to fight his own once he starts having thoughts on the best place to get an Italian beef.

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Photo courtesy of BOBXNC via CC BY-NC 2.0