There is something so pleasing about the turning of the seasons, more specifically, from spring to fall, when the roundabout of seasons reaches autumn.
For most people however, the best occasion of fall is the appearance of pumpkin spice in coffee shops and stores. More notably, and perhaps, most successfully is Starbucks' own Pumpkin Spice Latte’s which are immensely popular when they first emerge around this time of year. Due to the popularity of the flavor, many other companies have attempted to replicate the success of utilizing pumpkin spice in their own products for the arrival of fall.
Most of these products are horrifying abominations aimed for a public who might have an unhealthy obsession with the seasonal treat. Here are a few ways companies have taken the popularity of pumpkin spice into uncharted and unwanted, waters.
1. Pumpkin Spice Whey
Some people take their body building very seriously. Other people take their pumpkin fix very seriously. I guess this first product is for that area of overlap. Now one of the more troubling aspects is that I’m not sure how someone is supposed to use this. If they, for instance, mix it with water, then they have a watered down pumpkin spice drink; or if they mix it with juice, then the pumpkin spice is then made even more disgusting. Which one is it, HIT?
2. Pumpkin Spice Pringles
I don’t even need to delve into how I would think this would taste. There’s nothing quite so soothing to the palate as potato chips and pumpkins. I never thought Pringles was as experimental as the contest Lays used to do, but at least Lays used popular opinion to turn the direction of the flavors vs. mixing cinnamon and pumpkin into a potato chip without anyone asking.
3. Pumpkin Burger
Taking two very good things and mixing them together is something you’d believe the states would have mastered by now. However, this entry, a cheeseburger with slices of pumpkin on it stems from Japan’s branch of Burger King. For whatever reason, The Huffington Post seems to support this bizarre mixture of the everyday favorite burger and the seasonal squash that looks like someone put green plastic between a bun.
4. Pumpkin Spice Pasta
Some ideas are just bad from the get-go. Pumpkin flavored pasta is one of them. This is one of those products that both concerns me that a company decided to make them and that people decided to buy. In addition, I’m not sure how this would even taste when you mix it with just about anything else; pumpkins and marinara aren’t the ideal coupling. Maybe for a halloween themed party?
5. Pumpkin Spice Hummus
The classic Mediterranean and Starbucks pairing that leaves you crying in a corner. Yes, someone had the plan to mix pumpkins and chickpeas into a dippable sauce. Mixing crackers or vegetables into this somehow increases the ick factor. In fact, I’m not sure what you would even serve with this, pumpkin something else? This mixture actually sounds like a terrible mistake at the plant and a worker died in an accident resulting in another accident.
