I have no fucking clue where the no ketchup thing came from, but it’s always been dumb.

Now, if you slap ketchup on a Chicago dog, it ceases to be the same thing, just like putting poster peanut butter on a Reuben Hayes makes it something other than Reuben, but it’s your fucking dog, you eat it however you want.

Like, I do steak and cheese sandwiches for my kid’s birthday because that’s their favorite, but I do them with extras that aren’t typical up north, and use different cheese, so I don’t call them a Philly because they aren’t a Philly. No fucking whiz kinda breaks one of the two standard forms of a Philly anyway.

It’s okay to have specific ingredients define a dish, and not change that standard and call or the same thing. But it’s also okay to eat whatever you want.

Myself? Can’t stand that shitty relish that’s on Chicago dogs. I’d use a southern style relish if I was making a dog that was similar. Maybe chowchow, which is amazing on a hotdog.

Our standard dog in my area is “all the way”, which is chili sauce, onion, slaw, and mustard. Ketchup is optional, as is relish, which is weird considering that you order them as a hot dog, all the way. You’d think that would mean everything, but that’s a hot dog with everything.

Also, chili sauce isn’t what people outside of the region think it is.