Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Ode to pumpkins...

I love fall.  The crisp, refreshing air, filled with the earthy scents of wood smoke and wet leaves.  The trees changing to glorious shades of yellow, orange, and red, looking like living flames against grayish skies.  It's such a beautiful season.
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But you know what irks me?  Pumpkin.

Fall is the time of year when everyone goes nuts for pumpkin, and they put it in EVERYTHING.  Pumpkin coffee creamer, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin yogurt--the list goes on and on.  Let's not forget the ubiquitous pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. <shudder>

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I do not see the appeal. Don't get me wrong--I like to look at pumpkins.  They come in all sorts of interesting shapes and colors.  I even like roasted pumpkin seeds.  But the pumpkin itself?  Disgusting.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  If you hate pumpkin so much, don't eat those things.  Trust me, I don't.  But I can't get away from the SMELL.  And every once in a while, someone slips pumpkin past my radar, and I'm left with a mouthful of grossness.  If this is a social setting, I'm forced to pretend that yes, your homemade spice bread _is_ delicious.  Did you add pumpkin?  Lovely.  Meanwhile, my taste buds are rebelling, threatening to shut down out of a desperate sense of self-preservation while I paste a smile on my face that I'm sure is all sorts of awkward.  It's exhausting, I tell you.

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I have no illusions that this fall obsession with pumpkins will ever fade. I think it's too ingrained in our culture at this point, and moreover, I think there are actually people out there who enjoy pumpkin stuff.  I don't understand them, but they do exist.  That probably makes fall their favorite season as well.

So here's my question to you: are you one of those people who likes pumpkin-flavored stuff, or do you prefer to stay away from pumpkins? What's the strangest pumpkin-flavored thing you've ever seen?

12 comments:

  1. LOL, you're so right! It's like the world goes pumpkin spice crazy and starts dumping it in everything. That's modern marketing for you. I don't mind pumpkin, mostly, but I don't want it in everything I eat and drink. Pie and spice bread and maybe a nice hearty winter soup? Lovely. Coffee, tea, pasta, brownies, etc? No thanks!

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    1. I'm sure the attitude is something along the lines of, 'if a little is good, a lot is better!'

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  2. I must confess to being one of those odd people you mentioned- I love pumpkin. Pumpkin doughnuts, Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pies- love it all! And yes, the small makes me mouth water.
    I cannot imagine how irritating it must be to someone with such a strong aversion to it, though- especially the smell. I walk through the bakery and I smell it- how terrible that that's something you react so negatively to. I'm sorry it's such a downer about the otherwise fantastic season. But look at this way: pretty soon all the pumpkin novelties will be replaced by peppermint for Christmas and then you'll be smelling that everywhere you go! ^_^

    BTW, guess what arrived in the mail last night?!? I'm going to start snapping pictures like crazy!

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    1. I tolerate pumpkin because I know mint is right around the corner, and I love mint flavoring :)

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  3. Hmm, I don't mind pumpkins much myself. But I've worked in a coffee shop. All that chocolate and white chocolate and pumpkin flavour and so on? Sugar, glucose, fructose, artificial flavours, more sugar, preservatives, a different kind of sugar, gelatin, and corn starch. It's not real, people! It's gross!
    My two cents :-)

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  4. OMIGOSH, that photo of the kid is priceless! (*ahem*)
    I like pumpkin. That is, I like homemade pumpkin pie. If I am aware that they are pumpkin muffins, I will eat one or two. The minute they put it in my coffee, my ravioli, my pasta, I am out of there. I do like the pepitas.

    Not to gross you out, my dear, but they usually use Hubbard squash (the warty, gray-blue skinned one that looks like something from the original Star Trek series). I will agree never to say the word 'pumpkin' to you if you will promise never to serve me meatloaf.
    Diana at About Myself By Myself

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    1. I loved that picture--it was perfect!

      And I'll never serve you meatloaf :)

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  5. YES! I thought I was the only one who didn't understand this pumpkin obsession. There are so many other flavors that, in my mind, epitomize fall. Why can't they be as popular? Maybe I'll have to go on campaign.

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  6. Oh, Lara! I'm so sorry for you and your pumpkin aversion during this time of pumpkins-plentiful! While personally, I am a HUGE pumpkin anything fan (anything!!!), I am a super picky eater with very strong aversions to other things (anything vinegar-based, including ketchup, watermelon or sour apple flavoring, onions... I could on...) so I totally get how frustrating it is to have everything everyone else is talking about eating sound icky!!

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    1. Rachel, I went to a happy hour at my colleague's house yesterday and was forced to eat a piece of pumpkin cake! She made it from scratch and there were STRINGS OF ACTUAL PUMPKIN in the cake. I managed to keep it together, but just barely. I swear, I can still taste it...

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