On Fridays I'd like to take a break from literature and discuss some of my other passions, namely comestibles and beverages of all sorts.
In case you haven't noticed, it's now fall. And during the fall, Americans will pay for and eat or drink almost anything with the word pumpkin in it. This applies to desserts, savory foods, and things you would never expect find associated with pumpkin, such as rooibos tea. Obviously, the prevalence of pumpkin is a bit of a gimmick, but it's a delicious gimmick. I wouldn't be caught dead purchasing or cooking an actual pumpkin...in fact, I don't think I have the faintest idea how one might cook a pumpkin in the first place. But I will buy and consume pumpkin waffles, coffee, bars, muffins, bagels, and butter. Potentially all within the same day.
I'm not sure where or when this whole pumpkin obsession started, but I'll happily point the finger at Starbucks and its popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is now so cool and famous that it need only be abbreviated - PSL. It's the Lyndon Baines Johnson of overpriced drinks.
Not everyone is on board with this trend, however. Just this week I was discussing the beloved pumpkin (قرع) with an Egyptian-American friend. When I mentioned America's love for this gourd, she made a face and declared that she had never tried pumpkin, nor would she ever. I guess it's a New World thing, don't look for pumpkin koshari on the streets of Cairo any time soon.
One last anecdote...my friend once tried boiling a jack-o-lantern to make pumpkin soup. No matter how much you love the stuff, don't go there. Your friends will never let you live it down.
In case you haven't noticed, it's now fall. And during the fall, Americans will pay for and eat or drink almost anything with the word pumpkin in it. This applies to desserts, savory foods, and things you would never expect find associated with pumpkin, such as rooibos tea. Obviously, the prevalence of pumpkin is a bit of a gimmick, but it's a delicious gimmick. I wouldn't be caught dead purchasing or cooking an actual pumpkin...in fact, I don't think I have the faintest idea how one might cook a pumpkin in the first place. But I will buy and consume pumpkin waffles, coffee, bars, muffins, bagels, and butter. Potentially all within the same day.
I'm not sure where or when this whole pumpkin obsession started, but I'll happily point the finger at Starbucks and its popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is now so cool and famous that it need only be abbreviated - PSL. It's the Lyndon Baines Johnson of overpriced drinks.
Not everyone is on board with this trend, however. Just this week I was discussing the beloved pumpkin (قرع) with an Egyptian-American friend. When I mentioned America's love for this gourd, she made a face and declared that she had never tried pumpkin, nor would she ever. I guess it's a New World thing, don't look for pumpkin koshari on the streets of Cairo any time soon.
One last anecdote...my friend once tried boiling a jack-o-lantern to make pumpkin soup. No matter how much you love the stuff, don't go there. Your friends will never let you live it down.
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