Why I’m Annoyed with Pumpkin Spice Season.
It’s officially fall. How do I know? It’s not the changing leaves or the autumn air.
No, it’s the pumpkin. The pumpkin everything. And I have a confession to make, I don't care for pumpkin spice. There, I said it! They start forcing pumpkin spice on us in August, a good month before the first day of Autumn! The pumpkin invasion knows no bounds and it annoys me.
Like most pumpkin-flavored autumnal fare, flavors include allspice, clove, and nutmeg.
It does not even include pumpkin. In fact, virtually everything pumpkin-flavored does not include pumpkin. Despite this, Pumpkin is applied equally from meats to sweets and everything in between. If you don’t believe it, allow me to provide examples.
Pumpkin Spice Spam was officially launched in 2019. Desserts now include pumpkin doughnut holes, pumpkin pie Kit Kat, pumpkin pie Milano, and pumpkin loaf.
Beverages include pumpkin cream cold brew, pumpkin spice latte stout (as in beer), pumpkin spice Kahlua (as well as rum, vodka, and other spirits), and pumpkin spice kombucha.
The seeming impossibilities include pumpkin spice latte deodorant (when Old Spice isn’t enough), pumpkin spice protein powder, pumpkin spice Jamaican-style salsa, pumpkin spice toilet paper and pumpkin spice Greenies dental dog treats. Not even the pets are going to escape the season unscathed.
The craze has reached shimmering new heights thanks to a new engagement ring from Angelic Diamonds. The Pumpkin Spice Latte' ring sells for $11,300 it may very well be the world’s most expensive pumpkin spice latte merch. Even the packaging has a pumpkin spice twist. The ring box comes with a cardboard coffee cup wrap, a pumpkin closure latch and smells like pumpkin spice when opened. Another feature that may only be evident to the wearer (unless they want to share), is a secret message engraved on the inside of the band: “Pumpkin spiced.”
It’s not an exaggeration to say that pumpkin spice flavor is everywhere, however, I'd like to make an argument for another flavor, the apple. An apple cider gives me a better autumn feeling than pumpkin spice drinks. Apple cider is good warm or cold, and really feels like fall and home to me. Apple cinnamon spice? Yes please!
The history of this iconic American flavor is seeped deeply in our culture. One of the first stories we are told as children is that of Johnny Appleseed, the man who spread apples across the land. Fall here in the United States used to be heavily rooted in the love of all things apple, from apple crisps to apple cider.
This part of our history will not soon be erased, even if pumpkins seem to be overwhelming the market currently. Go out and indulge in pumpkin spice for sure but remember that apples were the first flavor of the fall we as a nation embraced!