Does anyone carry their own condiments around?
So I have some little sauce bottles meant for bento boxes (shaped like piggies!). And figured I'd fill a few and leave them in my desk at work... or even carry them in my bag, just in case my lunch needs something extra.
Then I realized I was becoming "that crazy chick who brings her own soy sauce" or something.
Anyone else bring their own condiments? What do you have?
Right now, I have soy sauce, hot sauce and white vinegar.
Im considering others, but I dont use a lot of other ones regularly.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
40 Comments:
I haven't done sauces as I fear a leak in my purse. I would love to do so if I found containers I trusted.
But I carry around a small Alessi brand bottle of mixed peppercorns with the built in grinder top. I have to have fresh cracked pepper; pepper shakers filled with pre-ground black pepper in most restaurants just don't do it for me.
Gator Pam at 12:49PM on 08/27/09
My dad used to carry a few chili peppers in his breast pocket when we'd go out to eat. He also would carry a small bottle of Tabasco sauce. This was in the 1980s-1990s in Minnesota, where things described "spicy" meant it had a lot of black pepper.
I kept Sriracha and crushed red pepper flakes and seasoned salt at the office.
inothernews at 1:00PM on 08/27/09
I don't generally, but I certainly wouldn't think that you were weird for doing so. When I travel, I go to the grocery stores, and I love to try their mustards (full disclosure: I am a mustard addict) and often buy a jar and have it in my hotel room to put on random things, like fresh veggies from the local market. :) Now, that might be weird.
Traveller at 1:03PM on 08/27/09
@Pam
I was concerned about leaks too. After I filled the containers, I tried squashing them to see if they would leak or bust. I havent had a problem yet. I dont know if you can get these in your area, but I've seen a number of bento-bloggers use them without complaints. I got mine locally, but it looks like online pricing is pretty good, anyway.
They are a little small, but I think thats a good thing? They wont take up much space. And on the chance they do leak, it wont be that much?
engmcmuffin at 1:03PM on 08/27/09
It's like the Seinfeld episode with Jerry's "wife" when they bring their own syrup to the coffeeshop....hehe. I don't keep anything in my purse, but I do have some stuff at work in my snackie drawer.
kmgagne at 1:15PM on 08/27/09
The Late and Great Bernie Mac's a Hot-Sauce tote-er!
Bernie even had something for guys who didn't want to schlep around a girly bag. "Oh, it's still a purse, but it's for dudes."
Conveniently, it just sits around your wrist plus it has that stylish Tabasco logo in the corner. Even when you're busy getting down on the dance floor, you won't even know it's there!
RIP Mr. Mac; I miss you :) christel
hungrychristel at 1:55PM on 08/27/09
i'm not a huge meat eater so if i know i'm having steak at someone's house i like to bring a bottleof peter luger's sauce. i give it as a gift for the meal. some people have never had it and love it. others say "oh yeah, i always forget about that sauce.
jaf at 2:15PM on 08/27/09
i am tempted to
like GOOD mustard ... but i wouldnt want to leave my wasabi mustard out of the fridge :p
Deeberry at 2:15PM on 08/27/09
salt! it does wonders for the (always flavorless) tomatoes i (still) insist on ordering on everything.
punkrockmartha at 2:21PM on 08/27/09
I keep crushed red pepper, Tabasco sauce and salt at the places I work.
dozertx at 2:37PM on 08/27/09
I bring my own tamari (similar to soy sauce) when going for sushi. I'm on a gluten free diet and most soy sauces have wheat in them, so I'd rather be safe than sorry. And naked sashimi just doesn't taste as good! I keep it in a dropper bottle - it was the smallest bottle I could find at the time - and don't carry it around all the time. I know it must look ridiculous, but I frankly don't care.
thinkingincrayons at 2:38PM on 08/27/09
When I travel to countries where food can be bland, I carry tiny Tabasco bottles. More than just giving my food a jolt, they make great gifts.
Lorenzo at 2:42PM on 08/27/09
Tiny bottles of Tabsco.
CJ McD at 2:47PM on 08/27/09
my 8 year old daughter carries chipolte tobasco everywhere. This summer we were in Germany visiting relatives for a month and got 12 requests for bottles from family and freinds who tried and liked it,
gehschultz at 2:50PM on 08/27/09
Not sure if this counts, but my boyfriend brings a bottle of agave nectar with him everywhere when he's in the south, for sweet tea.
producestories at 3:12PM on 08/27/09
Only if I'm going out on a date.
onepercent99 at 4:50PM on 08/27/09
@onepercent99: LMAO! I think I get it ho ho ho
hungrychristel at 5:15PM on 08/27/09
I do, but I am on a gluten free diet and I enjoy Asian foods. I have tamari and a hoisin sauce that doesn't have wheat in it. Those are the two things that are always the standard (wheat filled) condiments at most of the places I eat.
I get teased about it, but it beats being sick.
hbomb1013 at 6:08PM on 08/27/09
I always keep one of those tiny bottles of Tabasco in my purse.
caramel at 6:16PM on 08/27/09
@hungrychristel .....you got that one a lot quicker than the cornflakes one!!!!
onepercent99 at 6:41PM on 08/27/09
Yes Tabasco.
pjracz10 at 7:19PM on 08/27/09
I keep a bottle of sriracha in my school locker for lunchtime pizza. And because I'm at law school, there's a lot of lunchtime pizza about.
shoneyjoe at 8:53PM on 08/27/09
I always have kosher or sea salt in my car and in my purse.
My 15 year old has taken to carrying a tiny bottle of Tobasco with him. It's part of the sophmoric triple dog dare mentality. We'll have to see if they allow it in the cafeteria this year--it may just stir up too much funny business.
dhorst at 8:56PM on 08/27/09
I carry a bottle of ketchup so I can recreate gruesome murder scenes in the employee breakroom.
KarynMC at 10:24PM on 08/27/09
just salt. i bring it along to movies to shake over my popcorn.
gastronomeg at 9:56AM on 08/28/09
I would definitely not think you're strange as my sister does this all the time! She carries tabasco usually, but she has also found packets of sriracha that are super convenient. Once, she also brought her own (cooked) bacon to the cafe she usually goes to get coffee/breakfast since they don't have good bacon :)
Grace Kang at 10:25AM on 08/28/09
I always throw extra condiment packets in my desk drawer. My bag? Not so much, but that is more because things get destroyed easily in my bag (like the errant staple that punctured my camelbak ... sad to see the bladder go, but very happy that it was water and not ketchup or hot sauce all over my bag!). My mom carries Splenda in her purse, but she's diabetic so it makes total sense because not all places have Splenda.
Either way, I don't think you're crazy for carrying condiments around. I think you're prepared!
joyyy at 12:21PM on 08/28/09
Depends on who I'm with - but if I know the salad dressing is bad somewhere, I'll bring my own homemade healthier stuff!
kls2003 at 3:32PM on 08/28/09
I went through a phase when I carried smoked salt around in my purse, right after I discovered it and wanted it on everything.
My partner carries a miniature pepper grinder in his bag. Because the waiter with the pepper grinder is never around exactly when you want it.
My office is a condiment haven - salt, pepper grinder, chili-lime blend, soy sauce, and fish-shaped bento sauce bottles of chili oil and seasoned rice vinegar. Plus some raw sugar for tea.
If I'm going to be staying at a hotel and will likely be stuck eating breakfast there, I take a little bottle of hot sauce with me.
patricium at 8:42PM on 08/28/09
Crystal hot sauce > Tabasco.
And now that I'm moving from New Orleans to Providence for college, I'll be carrying a steady supply of Crystal hot sauce and Tony Chachere's seasoning everywhere I go.
passionfruitbutter at 12:14AM on 08/29/09
As a musician based in Europe, I travel a lot, and a lot of times bands on tour don't get to choose where and what they are eating. So I carry small bottles of hot sauce with me (el Yucateco Kutbil-Ik) in case something terrible happens, such as being fed in Austria (national dish: schnitzel) or Finland (national dish: cat food).
zaelic at 2:10AM on 08/29/09
My aunt always carries a bottle of Kraft Ranch-Style Dressing or Kraft 1,000 Island-Style Dressing in her bag when she goes out. She also has an addiction to lime Jell-O with shaved carrots, overcooking vegetables, and an inedible 7-layer salad.
My grandmother (rest her soul) would always steal all the packets of jelly and jam from the table at our local diner and carry them around, in the mistaken belief that my cousin and I both liked to eat them out of the packet.
NotAmerican at 5:49AM on 08/29/09
Only tote one condiment around and that's Tiger Sauce. Adds just the right amount of heat and flavor and goes with everything, although I like it best drizzled over a grilled rib eye.
nesea at 10:20AM on 08/29/09
@ nesea.... does your tiger sauce have a holster?!
Pavlov at 10:22AM on 08/29/09
@pavlov ... no it doesn't but that's not a bad idea :)
nesea at 9:58AM on 08/30/09
I guess they are not really condiments but whenever I travel to the U.S.A. I always bring my own tea and coffee!
bareneed at 2:28PM on 08/30/09
@bareneed ~ one of my best friends carries tea bags around with her. She is a dedicated tea drinker and most restaurants think Lipton tea is an acceptable substitute for real tea. It's a crappy brand and I don't know anyone who likes it; most think it gets bitter really fast.
duncan1205 at 2:49PM on 08/30/09
@duncan1205 I'm a southern girl and Lipton makes pretty good cold, sweet tea ... Never got into the hot tea thing...gimme a glass of wine (0;
foodiegal at 3:53PM on 08/30/09
@duncan1205 - Yeah, Lipton is one of the worst offenders, even here in Canada, they are the brand you get in many restaurants - they must be cheap - but I take my tea seriously and need a good quality tea and a good brewing technique. However, as I have said before, ice tea is made perfectly in the U.S. - in Canada, all you get is a can.
bareneed at 7:14PM on 08/30/09
I wish I had bought some of those bottles when I was in Japan. I don't keep condiments on me, although I have a copious amount of napkins all the time. However, my studio desk usually becomes a little kitchen: salt and pepper, sambal, rooster, I had soy sauce in there at one point but it was getting a little out of control.
Keebz at 6:17AM on 09/05/09