6.
“Ketchup. The smell of it makes me physically gag and almost throw up, and the thought of it touching my skin makes me incredibly anxious, but it’s a widely loved condiment, so I try and deal with it — usually by spraying my hands with perfume and covering my nose when in fast food places.”
“I have a phobia of ketchup. I’m not sure why, but ever since I was little, it was beyond just not liking it. I have had full-blown panic attacks because it touched my food. Even if it was on one fry that someone else ate and it didn’t touch anything else, I cannot manage. I will refuse to touch the plate. I may start hyperventilating near it, so my boyfriend no longer eats it around me. If I know he’s eaten it, I can’t kiss him for the rest of the day. I’ll feel like there’s still some on or around his mouth. Even knowing it was near him makes me think twice before hugging him because what if some ketchup got on him and now it’s touching me?”
