The Great Condiment Debate: Mayo, Pickles, And Your Favorites

It's as regular as the rising of the sun. If we go out to grab a burger at a local eating establishment, my wife will order “no onions, no cheese,” while my order will include “no pickles, no mustard.” To be fair, for a good portion of my life, I would have also asked for no tomatoes, but amazingly, my tastes have moderated somewhat. I was thinking one day, I like everything a tomato produces – tomato soup, ketchup, tomato juice – so what's the problem with the source? I now include them on my orders.

Anyway, since we don't have enough to fight about, I thought I would do a little research on what we put on our sandwiches and hamburgers, and found out that some of our condiments are quite divisive.

Hold The Mayo, But Leave The Lettuce?

Let’s start with mayonnaise — the undisputed champion of “please leave that off.” Surveys and restaurant trends show mayo is the condiment most often skipped, scorned, or scraped off. Some say it’s the texture, others the eggy flavor, but for many it’s simply a matter of principle. There are people who will order a “dry sandwich” just to avoid the possibility of mayonnaise touching anything they plan to eat.

Now, since I've already admitted to the “no mustard” stance, you might assume that I am on team mayonnaise. And you would be correct. Left to my own devices, when making a sandwich mayo is usually the only sauce / spread type condiment I will add.

Read More: Great Burger Choices In Utah!

Then there are the pickles — perhaps the most divisive slice of cucumber ever created. Roughly half of Americans swear by them, claiming that pickles bring the perfect tang and crunch to balance a rich burger. The other half? They’d rather perform emergency surgery on their burger to remove them. A British study even found that 51% of people take pickles off their burgers, proving this isn’t just an American standoff; it’s an international pickle predicament. If I were to find myself in the British Empire, I would join those taking the pickles off.

Meanwhile, ketchup and mustard sit back comfortably, beloved by the majority and rarely questioned. They’re the Switzerland of condiments — neutral, dependable, and unlikely to start a fight at a backyard barbecue.

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In the end, whether you’re pro-pickle or anti-mayo, the real beauty of a burger is that it’s personal. You can have it your way — with or without the tangy, creamy, crunchy, or gooey additions that make everyone else squirm. After all, in a world divided over so much, at least we can agree on this: nothing beats a good burger, even if you have to pick a few things off first.