Eat, Drink, and Be Mary: The return of Pumpkin Spice

9/4/2017

Healthier foods are not immune to the pumpkin spice phenomenon.

THE BLADE/MARY BILYEU
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Pumpkin and spice and everything nice. That’s what some people’s fall visions are made of.

Others of us, however, see the annual arrival of the Pumpkin Spice onslaught and feel trepidation. You might as well be telling us that winter is coming, which is ominous whether you’re talking about the weather or about Game of Thrones.

Now that Labor Day has arrived, marking the unofficial end of summer, it’s #PSL time. (That’s Pumpkin Spice Latte, for those who don’t speak Starbucks-ese. And yes, it has its own hashtag.)

That one drink is the seasonal sensation that has launched a thousand wannabes.

For some, their friendship with Pumpkin Spice never ends. And so, the phenomenon has become such a behemoth that there are many different incarnations of it. It can come in the form of puppy treats — Baby Spice, let’s say. Or Ginger Spice, if making baked goods. Posh Spice, as a cocktail. Or Sporty Spice, a flavored protein supplement.

But to those of us who feel it’s all gotten out of hand, Pumpkin Spice is akin to Scary Spice.

Although I sound as though I’m being quite contrary, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with pumpkin or with spice, or even with pumpkin and spice.

But it’s nothing more than marketing mania to flavor everything from coffee to waffles and from bread to doggie treats with pumpkin spice. Seriously.

So all you aficionados can order #PSLs to your hearts’ content. Gorge yourselves on the plethora of pumpkin spice-flavored products, too. ‘Tis your season.

But me? I’m just not a Pumpkin Spice girl.

Contact Mary Bilyeu at mbilyeu@theblade.com, and follow her at facebook.com/thebladefoodpage, bladefoodpage on Instagram, or @BladeFoodPage on Twitter.