Hard to believe it’s been 50 years since Charlie Brown wished for a Halloween sighting of the Great Pumpkin. Fifty years and more since that most recognized of all winter squash has been the symbol for yearly boo fests all around the world. The roundish gourds are the perfect canvas for sharp-knifed jack-o’-lantern artists. And nothing says harvest season more than pumpkins gracing kitchen tables, peeking out from window sills, illuminating driveways, or stacked high along New England back roads.
And is there anything more delicious than pumpkin stuffed raviolis? Pumpkin soup? Pumpkin pancakes? Yum! Just the other day, while in my neighborhood Dunkin' Donuts, another customer and I paused to rhapsodize about the deliciousness of their pumpkin muffin. Don’t make fun of me, Starbucks enthusiasts. I’ve witnessed how downright giddy you are about the return of the pumpkin-spice latte, which made its debut 13 years ago. In fact, some experts point to your craving for that limited-time drink offering as the nascent everything-pumpkin trend—a craze that has driven me to close to hating the very idea of pumpkin.
How did pumpkin preoccupation come to be? Blame it on a seemingly bizarre synchronicity of commercial trend setters—those finger-in-the-wind market testers whose job is to amp up a good thing to too much of a good thing. Quicker than you can say pumpkin pie, pumpkin-pie spice is now THE featured ingredient in a long list of numerous products.
What was a Halloween/Thanksgiving/fall celebration of the pumpkin and its pumpkin-y essence has now to me become pumpkin product overkill. Crowding grocery shelves are--pumpkin spiced salsa, pumpkin spiced ham, pumpkin spiced margarine spread. The pumpkin pushers have also come up with pumpkin-spiced Peeps, and pumpkin-spice peanut butter spread. Awful.
Awful is better than ridiculous, though—in that category falls pumpkin spiced cereals—Cheerios and Special K, and pumpkin spiced bagels. You can even snack on pumpkin flavored Pringles and wash it down with pumpkin spiced water. And yes, there’s more! There’s a pumpkin spiced fishing lure—for the fish not for you. Maybe your dog would enjoy pumpkin flavored dog treats or your cat would feel fresher with pumpkin cat litter. Has the world gone orange gourd mad?
Enough. I’m more than ready for the pumpkin to take back its solo starring role in Charlie Brown’s universe, and my picture postcard fall. I truly don’t understand why these invented pumpkin products are widely popular with apparently no sign of waning consumer interest. Nielsen reports that not only are sales through the roof, but last year 40 percent of consumers were enticed to buy at least one pumpkin item. Count me out. I’m with celebrity chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain who recently told a Reddit audience, “I would like to see the pumpkin spice craze drowned in its own blood.” A fitting sentiment for this Halloween.
