With thanksgiving comes that dreaded and horrible trend: pumpkin. Pumpkin here, there and everywhere. They put it in lattes, scones, ice cream, muffins and worst of all pie.
That’s right I hate pumpkin pie. It’s quite a vile dish that takes something wonderful like a pie crust and adds a terrible filling. Every year my family makes a second pie for me using a legitimate filling like peaches or blueberries — this may make me sound spoilt but between the turkey and pumpkin pie there isn’t that much appetizing food served at this particular holiday feast. Fruits and berries are what is meant to go in that flaky and delicious pie crust.
I also don’t really like turkey. There’s something about poultry that’s dry, flavourless and unappetizing. This year at Christmas I questioned the tradition of slaughtering and roasting a bird to celebrate special occasions. My family whined and asked me to stop spoiling things. To make up for any extra effort made to accommodate my pumpkin and turkey hating ways my family mocks me mercilessly most of the feast. Who says that a heaping plate of mashed potatoes isn’t a meal? Aren’t the holidays for indulging and enjoying yourself?
Then there are places like Starbucks who ruin their snack menus for a couple of months by inserting pumpkin into previously wonderful products like muffins or scones. Everyone raves about the pumpkin spice latte while I sulk waiting for the mighty day when the egg nog latte emerges.
There are two things that pumpkins are good for. The first is carving. There is nothing like carving a pumpkin with friends, especially if you can draw. Their seeds are delicious roasted and crispy. The process of scooping them out, cleaning them, boiling them and then roasting them can be a bit of a bother but the seeds are well worth the effort.