How can I get over my fear of tampered ketchup bottles in restaurants?

Question

I have to bring my own ketchup packets to Restaurants. I am afraid that the previous patrons may have spiked the ketchup bottle with something like Cyanide or LSD, waiting for the next unsuspecting patron to use it.

Does anyone else have this fear? How did you get over it?

Answer 1

general parinoia? or only ketchup bottles?
that's different, thou i did have a friend that was scared to death of storm drains.

Answer 2

You have to use immersion therapy. Make someone force you to use the ketchup at restaurants. Although I have to say you do have a pretty realistic fear; those things are gross, I don't ever use them anyway out of purely hygenic reasons. But thats not the point! You have a fixation on this and want to change, so it looks like you'll have to eat some dirty ketchup before you feel right again.

Answer 3

I have never heard of that before. Catsup in restaurant bottles is often refilled from large bottles or by combining several almost empty bottles into one partial bottle. That means that what looks like a new filled bottle might be one that was on someone's table previously. I guess it is possible that there was tampering even though I think it is very improbable.

You can buy those carry-along catsup packets at food supply places for pretty cheap when you buy a large pack of them. If that is what makes you comfortable you could continue to do it. You might also want to just skip putting catsup on foods in restaurants.

Answer 4

I personally don't have this fear, but I know that a great many people do. My suggestion, keep a bottle of ketchup in your car somewhere, and take it into the restaurant with you. If they say anything to you, ask to speak to the manager and explain the situation to him. My mother takes her own salad dressing in to restaurants w/her because she is on a very restricted diet and this is the only way she can be SURE of what she's getting.

Answer 5

I don't see anything irrational about a fear of using communal condiments in a restaurant. Yuck. I don't have a serious problem with it.... but I prefer to use packets, too. With people I know, I don't even think about it... But you are 100% right.

Don't trust anything where lots of people have handled it. If you have the option of using packets or things that haven't been tampered with, then do it. If not, don't freak out... but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

Answer 6

The same could be done to the packets of ketchup you take to the restaurants! Your phobia is not very common but nonetheless it seems to be pretty specific so until you get over it continue taking the packets, even though....