Garrett Fisch, Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
A cool fall wind blows through the air and a single orange leaf falls in front of you. The brisk temperature sends a chill through your body and a pumpkin appears on the door steps across the street. A crowd of hipsters appear with their cameras to take an artsy picture. It is time for pumpkin spice everything.
The pumpkin spice mixture is comprised of the most amazing spices this planet has to offer and together create a vessel to travel on while trekking over a swirling sea of sensations. It contains ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice and ground clove for an all-around delicious medley of sweetness.
Pumpkin spice is the taste of a season. The entirety of the senses can be summed up in the taste of a latte, cake or anything pumpkin spice. The warmth of the spices can take anybody back home, making you feel welcome in any situation. The flavors define a seasonal trend that can be found in anything. The options of how to use pumpkin spice are limitless, whether it is in coffee, cakes, muffins or even seasoning a plump turkey. Pumpkin spice makes everything feel homemade, whether it is a latte from Starbucks or dog treats from Trader Joe’s.
The ingredients in a typical pumpkin spice mix also have many health benefits. The cinnamon that is present can help to regulate sugar levels within your body and fight obesity. Cloves are known to fight tooth aches and help sooth sore throats which can be vital in the fall months when sickness runs rampant throughout the school. Nutmeg has been known to soothe indigestion, fight against insomnia and detoxify the body. Ginger has also been known to help digestion and reduce nausea.
The pumpkin spice trend tears through the community when fall swings into full gear and if you are not with them, you are against them. The masses flock to Starbucks to get a taste of the pumpkin spice latte or frappucino and make sure to get a creative instagram picture or Snapchat story to go along with it. You have to make sure it is known to your friends and foes alike, that you have joined the elite clique and slurped down a scrumptious pumpkin spice latte. The consumption of a pumpkin spice product can definitely propel you from a have-not to a have in no time.
Pumpkin spice is a life-changing mixture that can make even the dreariest of school days turn into a magical afternoon in October.
Sophia Fitzgerald: Pumpkin Spice Is Overrated in the Fall Season
For most people, pumpkin spice season is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year. But for people who are not fans of pumpkin spice, it is certainly the most annoying.
The constant ads and commercials for pumpkin spice during the Fall season are inescapable. It does not stop at pumpkin spice lattes. There are numerous pumpkin spice flavored foods that come out during the season, from pastries to yogurt.
Pumpkin spice is a lackluster flavor that is glamorized by companies to make sales and is quite honestly an overrated version of regular pumpkin flavor.
“(Pumpkin spice lattes) are bad and so overrated,” sophomore Claire Kindsvater said.
Kindsvater is not a fan of pumpkin spice lattes or anything pumpkin spice flavored and believes there are many better fall alternatives to pumpkin spice.
“I prefer tea, like a chai latte,” Kindsvater said.
Chai lattes are a very similar drink but are less expensive, healthier and a generally tastier drink. When choosing a fall drink to enjoy, chai lattes are a more reasonable beverage to think about ordering.
Other alternatives include hot chocolate, tea, or coffee.
Pumpkin spice lattes do not only taste like an average drink, they are also very unhealthy. One pumpkin spice latte contains over 400 calories. This is almost a quarter of the daily average adult calorie intake, just in one drink.
Pumpkin spice lattes are also overly expensive, ranging from $4.45-$5.65 at Starbucks. There are better, healthier alternatives that you can get at coffee shops. You can purchase a normal coffee for only $2.10 and add what you want to it to give it your preferred flavor.
All the rage does not stop at pumpkin spice lattes, there are also many pastries, cereals, cookies, bread and various other pumpkin spice flavored products. Society’s obsession with pumpkin spice is becoming overwhelming and unnecessary.
People are very overenthusiastic about about pumpkin spice but in reality it is just a drink that is embellished by the popular culture.
Comic by Efrain Rivas