I used to mix it in with fried rice that’d been left sitting out for too long and turned really dry. Gives it some moisture and a vinegary edge, but probably not for everyone, since ketchup’s trademark is stomping all over the subtle flavors of a dish.
When I was in elementary school, I’d dip my pizza crusts in ketchup at lunchtime. I still do that every now and then with Sriracha ketchup
Also, same elementary school lunch: on pizza days, they also used to give us a side of tricolor fusilli straight-up. Just plain pasta without even so much as a little olive oil. So, fuck it. It got blasted with 'chup.
Chicago dogs are their own thing, though. The rest of the ingredients other than the mustard have a combined flavor profile similar to ketchup: ketchup is basically a poor man Chicago dog.
Also, their poppy sees hot dog buns are a weird pick.
Sometimes! I make mine with onions, peppers, and carrots. My favorite diner doesn’t shred them, just slices them thin. Some places bake them instead of frying them, too. There’s a hashbrown for every occasion, they’re not just tinier french fries.
Also, okay, I know it’s relatively rare to french your fries these days, but it’s even more unheard of to french a hashbrown. (I’d totally eat a frenched hashbrown, though.)