It’s fall, and that heralds the return of the ubiquitous pumpkin spice everything. From Starbucks releasing their beloved PSL in August (wait, is that even considered fall?) to the hype about Pumpkin Spice Condoms (uh, no comment), it seems like the world has truly gone crazy over pumpkin spice this year. Which, of course, leads to a massive amount of pumpkin spice hate; everyone from Buzzfeed to Mashable has posted articles like “15 Items That Show Pumpkin Spice Has Gone Too Far.” While I agree that some things probably should never be pumpkin spice flavored, like Cedar’s Pumpkin Spice Hummus, I’m personally a fan of pumpkin spice and all it stands for.
Photo by Smita Jain
Why?
Because, to me, pumpkin spice is fall. Growing up in California (aka the land of eternal summer), there was no fall. There was no changing of the seasons, no apple picking, no satisfying crunch of bright leaves under your riding boots. No, September always marked the beginning of an immense heat wave that carried well into October.
So pumpkin spice was my fall substitute. It was spiced oatmeal on chilly mornings, the sweetness of a PSL, the scent of baking pumpkin pie. It was pumpkin spice in everything: pancakes, cookies, bread, muffins, granola…the list goes on and on. It was, in essence, fall.
Photo courtesy of blog.meaningfuleats.com
Tell me some of these pumpkin spice products aren’t genius. Tell me you don’t want to try them yourself.
Like these classic Milano cookies? Made 100x better by pumpkin spice.
#PumpkinSpice addiction?? We’ve got your back >> http://t.co/PHDozECn3g
— Z100 New York (@Z100NewYork) September 24, 2014
Pumpkin spice peanut butter (as if I needed any more reason to eat it straight out of the jar):
Breaking News: @NutsNMoreUSA Pumpkin Spice PB is the best PB I’ve ever had in my life. #gamechanger pic.twitter.com/k4dWevERsP
— Topher (@TopherJames5) October 9, 2014
They figured out a way to make pumpkin spice healthy too:
Even wheatgrass powders aren’t safe from the #PumpkinSpice takeover. http://t.co/zNCpKRniTv (cc @OfficialComedy) pic.twitter.com/uWeXKBRyQt
— Randy Clemens (@RandyClemensEsq) December 3, 2013
PURE GENIUS.
https://twitter.com/rydahoneybadger/status/513007146523713536
And seriously, I’m impressed at this girl’s dedication:
“I ate nothing but foods flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for a week” http://t.co/8vgWlrhkc5 h/t @justkarl #pumpkinspice
— ZoeyCat™ (@zoeythegreat) November 25, 2013
And that is why when Trader Joe’s rolls out its multitude of pumpkin spice products, I don’t roll my eyes and #smh like half the world does. Because when the pumpkin products come out, it’s a sign that the seasons are changing, as much of a signal as the leaves turning color are. Here on the East Coast, where there are actual seasons and sweater weather means actual sweaters are worn, pumpkin spice means breathing in the crisp autumn air, a homemade pumpkin spice latte in hand (because Starbucks is overrated). It means indulging in pumpkin spice everything, from the crazy to the normal. Call me basic, but I don’t care.
GIF Courtesy of reactiongifs.com
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