A waitress surprised people when she opened up about her severe ketchup phobia, leaving viewers curious and intrigued.
A waitress has been surprising people with her strong fear of ketchup.
This server, Alexandria Govan, has gained attention on TikTok for her struggle with handling the condiment while working, which has left many viewers puzzled and intrigued.
Waitress stuns viewers after revealing she has intense ketchup phobia
The fear Alexandria experiences is called ‘mortuusequusphobia,’ and it causes her to physically react, even gagging, when she has to deal with ketchup at her job.
This fear began when she was 12 years old after a prank involving ketchup with her sister.
As a result, she developed a deep aversion to the smell and sight of the sauce.
“I developed a fear of ketchup after my sister sprayed a bottle of it on me,” she explained. “The smell, even the color, makes me shiver.”
In a video shared on September 28, Alexandria is seen trying to pour ketchup into reusable bottles.
She visibly struggles and turns away from the red liquid.
She also mentioned that the mere act of customers squeezing ketchup at the restaurant where she works makes her flinch.
Besides ketchup, she also has issues with other sauces like mayonnaise, but ketchup remains the most repulsive to her.
Many people also have a ketchup phobia
Surprisingly, many viewers on TikTok have expressed sympathy for Alexandria, sharing that they, too, share a similar fear of ketchup.
Some have expressed feeling ‘mortuusequusphobia,’ sharing their discomfort with ketchup and its physical and emotional effects on them.
The exact number of people who suffer from ‘mortuusequusphobia’ is unknown.
However, some individuals have shared their experiences with this intense aversion.
One Reddit user described it as a deep disgust rather than a paralyzing fear.
They that the sight, smell, and even the thought of ketchup can trigger physical reactions like gagging and nausea.
“If you think that I’m afraid that it will attack me, then no, unfortunately, lmao,” they wrote in an AMA.
“I just really don’t like being close to it, I gag when people eat it near me, the smell makes me throw up, and looking at it makes me gag again, but what makes me afraid about it, I’m not sure.”
Social media reactions
Alexandria’s TikTok video has received over eight million views in less than a month.
Many viewers are curious about how she manages her phobia while working as a waitress.
everyone has a tism, one user said.
Y’all just hate ketchup for no reason. Out of the original sauces, it’s the best one, the second user wrote.
I have the same, any spillage or if I can smell it on my hands I gag but can happily eat the stuff, the third user commented.
Ketchup is the most vile condiment there is and anybody over the age of 10 who eats it on everything needs to have a word, another wrote.
This isn’t the first time ketchup has sparked conversations online.
In February 2024, another server went viral on TikTok.
They expressed confusion over customers requesting ketchup with their Chinese food, igniting discussions across social media platforms.
@alexandriahgovanx fear of ketchup
♬ original sound – ᶜ ʰ ˡ ˡ ˣ ᵉ ᵈ ⁱ ᵗ ˢ – ᶜ ʰ ˡ ˡ ˣ ᵉ ᵈ ⁱ ᵗ ˢ