Marrying the Ketchups Quotes

“He chopped a garlic, set a pot of water to boil on the stove, and poured a healthy amount of kosher salt into it. He threw the garlic in a pan of olive oil and let it sizzle for just a minute before taking it off the heat. The smell began to relax all of them and Gretchen and Jane settled themselves at his counter and watched him cook. He poured them both large glasses of red wine and watched as their bodies physically relaxed. He could see the tightness in Jane's jaw go away and he smiled. It was hard to feel bad about the world when the air smelled like garlic, when pasta and cheese were being prepared, when you had a good glass of red.
Sautéed garlic could save the world.


"I call this my bad day pasta," he told them. "It's a carbonara-cacio e pepe hybrid. Tons of cheese and salt and pepper." He cut off two slices of Parmesan and handed one to each of them. He knew the crunchy crystals and salt would go great with the wine. He whisked the egg and stirred in the cheese. He reserved some pasta water. He cranked his pepper mill. He swirled the pasta into a warm bowl as he added the egg mixture until it was shiny and coated.
Jane took a sip of her wine and watched Teddy. "Mike doesn't eat pasta," she said. Teddy took three shallow bowls out of his cabinet and set them on the table. He distributed the pasta among them, sprinkled them with extra cheese and pepper.
"Anyone who doesn't eat pasta is suspect in my book," he said.
"Amen," Gretchen said.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“He chopped a garlic, set a pot of water to boil on the stove, and poured a healthy amount of kosher salt into it. He threw the garlic in a pan of olive oil and let it sizzle for just a minute before taking it off the heat. The smell began to relax all of them and Gretchen and Jane settled themselves at his counter and watched him cook. He poured them both large glasses of red wine and watched as their bodies physically relaxed. He could see the tightness in Jane's jaw go away and he smiled. It was hard to feel bad about the world when the air smelled like garlic, when pasta and cheese were being prepared, when you had a good glass of red.
Sautéed garlic could save the world.


"I call this my bad day pasta," he told them. "It's a carbonara-cacio e pepe hybrid. Tons of cheese and salt and pepper." He cut off two slices of Parmesan and handed one to each of them. He knew the crunchy crystals and salt would go great with the wine. He whisked the egg and stirred in the cheese. He reserved some pasta water. He cranked his pepper mill. He swirled the pasta into a warm bowl as he added the egg mixture until it was shiny and coated.
Jane took a sip of her wine and watched Teddy. "Mike doesn't eat pasta," she said. Teddy took three shallow bowls out of his cabinet and set them on the table. He distributed the pasta among them, sprinkled them with extra cheese and pepper.
"Anyone who doesn't eat pasta is suspect in my book," he said.
"Amen," Gretchen said.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“He put a Cubs World Series hat on his grandfather’s grave and felt like a lunatic until he saw he wasn’t the only one—little spots of blue dotted the cemetery and made his chest squeeze.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“But this part of being Catholic (along with praying to Saint Anthony when she lost her keys or reciting the Hail Mary when she heard an ambulance) was stuck with her forever.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Teddy had trouble with people using they/them as their pronouns. “I understand it,” he’d said once when Gretchen corrected him but he was clearly frustrated. “But it’s grammatically wrong.” It haunted him, this misuse of grammar.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“It was a rude awakening when you realized how many horrible people made it far in life, how often stupid people were strangely successful, and Riley was learning it earlier than most.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“A reminder of how many people there were in the world. A reminder that sometimes the right person shows up just when you need him to.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“None of them had been worried about him, and the Sullivans were a family who believed that worry could prevent catastrophe. Teddy thought this belief was somehow tied into their Catholicism and guilt, though he wasn't exactly sure how. It had been drilled into him - if you worried about a car crash, you would arrive safely. If you were extra careful about locking your doors, you would never be robbed. Always call when you get home. Update everyone on your whereabouts. The worrying would keep you safe.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“February in Chicago was not for the faint of heart. It made you understand hibernation. It made you want to hide in your apartment with fast food and wine for a month.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“No offense” was Teddy’s least favorite saying, and it had been that way since he was in third grade and Gretchen started saying it. It was always accompanied by something offensive. That was the whole point.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“The news was always on in the background and none of it was good, but he was afraid if he turned it off, something worse would happen.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“The camp had a rule that no one was allowed to call home. Cutting off contact got rid of homesickness faster. Best to just get on with it, the counselors told her. Forget about home, they said, it will make it easier.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“the Sullivans were a family who believed that worry could prevent catastrophe.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Rizzo had been Bud’s favorite player on the current roster.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“(Truly, the Internet was an amazing thing.)”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Mistakes were made all over the place, all around her, all the time, and she couldn't live her whole life with the sole purpose of not messing up. She didn't know if it would be a mistake or not, she had no idea at all. Jane just knew she had to go.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“It didn’t help that Jane hated Chloe S. (As she was known because of the excess of Chloes in Lake Forest.) Her daughter, Lauren, met Chloe the first day of preschool and was immediately smitten. “Chloe has a backpack,” Lauren would announce out of the blue. Or, “Chloe’s favorite snack is string cheese.” Or, “Chloe is going to Bermuda and the beaches there are gorgeous.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“1) A “Ladies Who Lunch Party” thrown at the country club. Waiters carried hors d’oeuvres around, kneeling on the ground so that the little girls could reach them. The lunch was nicer than Jane’s wedding shower, possibly nicer than her wedding. 2) A “Movie Premiere Party” where the entire theater was rented out and the kids were allowed as much popcorn and candy as they wanted while watching a double feature of Moana and Monsters, Inc. (Lauren threw up in her bed that night.) 3) A “Camping Party” where each child received a sleeping bag personalized with her name and the backyard was set up with mini pink tents and paper lanterns. Someone was hired to grill the hot dogs and make the s’mores. 4) A “Spa Party” at the Four Seasons downtown where the girls got facials and fluffy pink robes and slippers. (Because what first grader wouldn’t appreciate getting rid of clogged pores?)”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“he also knew an Oreo could brighten a particularly low day, that the artificial white cream could make things just a touch better. Teddy believed that food could cure anything—”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Of course she wanted a bagel. She always wanted a fucking bagel. She wasn’t insane.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Jane decides that she'll stay silent until Rose talks, but after ninety seconds of chewing her tuna, she can't handle it and she starts to tell Rose how she started reading the Little House books to Lauren, how Lauren has become obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder and the idea of being a pioneer, how she talks about eating fried pig's tails and maple syrup snow. Rose sips her iced tea but doesn't respond and so Jane tells her about the new flowers she's planning to plant in her garden in the spring. A plant that smells like lemon when the leaves rustle. Another that grows flowers that look like candy corn!”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Walter once watched Teddy make a casserole with canned soup and visibly shuddered. He didn’t understand that there was room for everything—a veiny heirloom tomato sprinkled with salt and sometimes also a Jell-O salad.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“He’d grown up with a mother who was always angry. And sure, Gail had been dealt a raw hand with a husband who left her bankrupt with a four-year-old, but her anger just seemed to grow and grow. Teddy loved her, but he was constantly afraid he was going to end up like her, someone who was angry at the cars on the road, cashiers who were slow, and the price of organic blueberries. That unhappiness was in his genes. He had to stay ahead of”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“They served perfectly seasoned tender steaks and creamed spinach that people dreamt about. They charged almost twenty dollars for the burger, a thick sirloin patty cooked in butter that always came out glistening. During Lent, they went fish heavy on the menu---fried perch and shrimp. They were fancy comfort food, meatloaf and chicken potpie. Their chicken paillard was lemony and crisp, served over a bed of bright greens.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Jane ordered the short ribs. The meat fell apart as soon as she touched it and she ate each bite with a little bit of the mashed potatoes, which were salty, creamy perfection. If Mike was there, she knew he would've substituted steamed spinach for the potatoes, and just thinking about it made her sad.
She always suspected that Mike didn't like Sullivan's. He would never admit this, but he made comments that hinted at it. The food, he said, was too heavy. The decor was too dark. "I always leave Sullivan's smelling like a French fry," Mike said once, years earlier. It was an offhand comment, but it had offended her just the same. "My whole family smells like French fries," she said.
It was true---the air of Sullivan's was always filled with the smell of oil from the fryers in the back and it clung to your coat and hair long after you were gone. Jane never minded this---it reminded her of her grandfather; it smelled like home.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Gathering at restaurants was the Sullivans' answer to everything---death, marriage, farewells, birthdays. They had a favorite restaurant and dish for every occasion. Tacos complemented happy news, pasta absorbed grief, bacon lifted you out of a funk, and Chinese food was a wild card----egg rolls were appropriate for a promotion or a broken heart.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Gretchen walked by and saw Kendall and another waitress dipping fries in Armando's garlic aioli and shoveling them into their mouths. This was the number-one hangover food for the staff at Sullivan's. The salt fixed everything.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Sometimes the kitchen would bring out large plates piled high with fries or grilled cheese cut into tiny pieces. If Frank, the line cook, was working and in a good mood (which usually meant he was stoned), he'd sometimes repurpose the specials into amazing creations---leftover short ribs stuffed into tortillas or mini turkey sliders with cranberry sauce.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Teddy goes to the kitchen and comes back with a plate of snack toast for her, which is something they used to make when they were younger---toast spread with mayo, topped with crumbled bacon and chopped onion, sprinkled with Lawry's seasoned salt and Swiss cheese and placed under the broiler until it's melted and crispy. It is one of the most delicious things Jane has ever eaten.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups

“Talking about change makes him feel like he’s losing something.”
― Jennifer Close, Marrying the Ketchups