THE HEINZ KETCHUP CAPER

It’s a funny thing how as one grows older the things of our youth come back to mind. I was reminiscing about the summer of 1961 just a few days ago. I remember my old friend Skip Chaddock, and how his father Clyde had a Saturday dinner tradition. Skip was also named Clyde but he just dispised that name and he would fight anyone who called him Clyde. He even went wild at the Ray Steven’s song which referred to a camel named Clyde. Back to the point about the hamburger and french fries dinner tradition. Clyde insisted that every Saturday night the family have hamburgers and french fries for dinner. Mrs. Chaddock was a very loving wife and mother and she tried her best to satisfy Clyde’s wishes.

The first Saturday night in July of 1961 dinner was ready, but Clyde had not yet come home from the bar up the street. Wow he just arrived in time. The whole family sat down at the table and said Grace. After Grace it was time to eat the hamburger and french fries. Mrs. Chaddock had bought a big surprise for Clyde a brand new bottle of Heinz ketchup. Clyde picked the bottle of ketchup up and opened the brand new bottle and shook it up over his french fries. He even pounded on that bottle of ketchup but it just wouldn’t come out of the ketchup bottle. He then threw it through the screen door. Got up cussing and spitting, and stormed off back to the bar.

The next Saturday night in July of 1961 Mrs. Chaddock had fixed the traditional dinner for the Chaddock family. She had a plan she opened the new bottle of ketchup and poured some out and added a little teensy bit of water to the ketchup. When Clyde came to the tabel he had a look of determination on his face. There was another problem. In the meantime Skip’s little sister Martha had also done the same thing as her mother had done. When Clyde picked up that ketchup bottle and took a powerful shake the whole bottle spewed all over his plate. Once again he stormed back off to the bar after throwing the empty bottle through the screen door again along with his whole dinner plate.

It just goes to show ya some folks just can’t be satisfied.