Sunday, September 16, 2018

PSL--Hot or Not?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Saturday afternoon, at Gate 14 in the Tampa Airport, hoping my plane is not much later than it already is.  (I was at the Southern Independent Booksellers Association conference, which was fabulous! Lookit just some of the books I signed!)
Whoa.


Anyway, at the airport. One part of the airport  that never changes is Starbucks. You know me well, so that's no surprise. This is the view from my spot at the counter where all my electronic stuff is plugged in, in preparation for the aircraft to have no plugs. But that's another blog. 



So is what appears to be a flight of pterodactyls above.  Anyway. Starbucks never changes.

But wait. I'm wrong.  It's fall. And Starbucks does change.

It has pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice EVERYTHING.

Reds and readers, forgive me. I have never had pumpkin spice anything. Pie, okay, pie. But that's it. Okay, perhaps pumpkin mousse at some point.

But PSL?  No way.  

So weigh in, reds and readers, on this pivotal question.  Are you PSL person?  Or does PSL mean--Pretty Sadly Loathesome? (Can you think of better words? Careful....)  Or are you still deciding? 

Off to the Provincetown Book Festival today--so cool! But I will check in to see how the vote is going.

33 comments:

  1. Love the pterodactyls, definitely dislike the pumpkin spice latte. My youngest daughter can’t wait for fall and the reappearance of pumpkin spice; as far as I’m concerned, just give me the mocha and all will be well . . . .

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  2. Pumpkin any where but as a jack o’lantern or with corn stalks artfully arranged is not on my favorites list.No pie, no mousse, no bread, no muffins. Although I have managed to swallow pumpkin pie out of politeness when a guest at Thanksgiving. Happy travels, Hank, and thanks for this low stress topic for a slow Sunday.

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  3. Pure Simple Lunacy: That's the nicest thing I can say about pumpkin spice everywhere. Is YUCK! too rude for a Sunday morning on JRW? I hope not. Just please don't expect me to fall for this marketing ploy. When I want coffee, that's what I want: coffee-tasting coffee. Keep it pure, please.

    Hank: Enjoy Provincetown today. Lucky readers to have you sign their books. It's such a great story you've created!

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  4. I love pumpkin anything (pie, decorations, jack-o-lanterns, etc.) but I don't drink coffee. To me apple cider is the taste of fall.

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    1. Oooo! Me, too, Cathy! Biting into a crisp, tart apple is always my first taste of fall.

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  5. I have never had a PSL. I'm not a coffee drinker. But I will admit I would probably like most things pumpkin spice, maybe even PSL, as I love pumpkin. I won't tell you how happy I was to discover canned pumpkin back in stock at Trader Joe's.

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  6. My daughter texted me from New Orleans last week with a pressing question: did Trader Joe's have pumpkin Jo-jo's yet?

    As a kind and caring mother, when I was in the Cincinnati store I asked the manager to look up the item. "Yes, they're due in tonight."


    Message relayed to NOLA. 'Tis the season for pumpkin everything.

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  7. I don't want pumpkin spice anything, especially in coffee. Pie is okay and pumpkin bread is good every few years. I once had the misguided idea that pumpkin cheesecake would be good. Boy, was i wrong! What a waste of some otherwise perfectly good ingredients.

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  8. Happy book touring, Hank! Pumpkin spice: bleh. I'm with Judi.

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  9. Normally, I just get plain, ordinary coffee. However, once or twice per season, I treat myself to the current special coffee. I like pumpkin spice lattes, although I do wish they had a taste of pumpkin, in addition to the spices that are used in pumpkin pie. At home I sometimes add spices to my coffee.
    DebRo

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  10. No, thank you, to the PSL. I'm a coffee purist.

    One of my daughters loves pumpkin, in all forms. One fall when she was coming home from college for Thanksgiving she asked me if we could make pizzas with pumpkin. Sure, I was game. So we made three types: pumpkin with basil and mozzarella, pumpkin with roasted pecans and maybe sundried tomatoes (it was a long time ago now, she's 34), and pumpkin with caramelized onions and goat cheese. The last one was pretty good, but the pumpkin, she was disappointed to realize, was very bland. It was fun dreaming them up, though.

    Don't you love public art in places like airports? It makes them all unique, instead of just nondescript hallways between terminals.

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  11. Pumpkin spice. Yuk! I only drink tea at home, but will have an occasional latte out - never pumpkin spice. Stop and Shop has a whole line of pumpkin spice products for fall - cookies, cereal, drinks, even tortilla chips??? I would not touch any of it. If someone makes pumpkin bread or muffins around Thanksgiving, I might have a piece, and a piece of pumpkin pie on the holiday is fine, but otherwise, a big no to pumpkin spice!

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    1. Had to add that those pterodactyls are kind of creepy. And now I want to go to the book festival in P-Town. Too much else to do today, though. Have fun, Hank!

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  12. I don't think those are pterodactyls, Hank. The wingspan is too short. I'm guessing ducks or geese. They have overhead sculptures of flying things at the Phoenix Skyport, too. I think public art adds a nice touch.

    And pumpkin? Okay, I like pies, and I'll try the muffins and bread, but no to the coffee. I don't drink coffee anyway, unless it's loaded with sugar and milk and someone is threatening me. I mostly drink tea, and I don't like flavored teas--all that berry and peach and mango stuff. Blech! I might occasionally go for a "pumpkin spice" candle. Also--fun fact!--a tablespoon of pumpkin puree (straight out of the can) is a great way to help your dog stop the messier byproducts of lower intestinal upsets. Was that a nice enough way to word it for Sunday morning?

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    1. Very delicate, Gigi! We give our dogs fried pumpkin. It's called "Firm Up."😊

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    2. That was supposed to be "dried" pumpkin!!!! Phone auto correct!

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  13. Hank - Enjoy the BookFest! A definite "no" on pumpkin spice anything. I don't enjoy the flavor even in pie. When I saw an ad for pumpkin spice Life breakfast cereal I knew it had gone too far. Is there a group for us anti-PSL people? Stop the madness.

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  14. I'm with Lyda--stop the madness! I love pumpkin pie (at the holidays), I make killer pumpkin bars, but that's it. I can't even stand the smell of 'pumpkin spice' products.

    And Gigi, I've also tried that treatment with a cat. And I love airport art--wait, I love art anywhere! That stack of books was pretty artful, Hank!

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  15. One of my sisters makes delicious mini pumpkin/chocolate chip muffins.

    Maybe I can persuade her to send me a Care package...

    DebRo

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  16. Pretty Sadly Loathsome works. I always think I should get in the spirit and have one pumpkin spice latte. Must be the advertising. One sip and I remember why I really shouldn't. Ugh. Coffee should be made with coffee, period. Hope you're having a great tour. of course you are, you are marvelous and Trust Me is marvelous :-) And I love that airport, family lives there so we see it occasionally. xx sally

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  17. Love the books, Hank! And the airport birds. PSL, not so much. I like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread well enough, and lots of other cultures use pumpkin in recipes just like any other squash. It's quite bland. It's the spices that are the problem. I don't like flavored coffee, and the only flavored tea I drink is Earl Grey. On top of that, PSL is SWEET. Big ugh.

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  18. I'm with you, Hank. No pumpkin spice in anything! I don't even like pumpkin pie. My favorite thing at Starbucks? Oatmeal! Safe travels, my friend.

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  19. NO! Pumpkin Spice sounds awful, and why try awful? Did I already say NO?

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  20. I like pumpkin pie and bread. No to pumpkin-flavored drinks. I've never had the PSL and never plan to. I am not a Starbucks fan, so no sacrifice there! I love beer but not the seasonal pumpkin ales they come out with. Just no. And those pterodactyls have duck feet.

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  21. The only pumpkin anything I like is Helloween's "Pumpkins United World Tour" that I saw on Friday night.

    Otherwise, people indulging in this pumpkin spice thing should seek deep psychiatric counseling.

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  22. I love my mom's pumpkin bread, and I'd be willing to try a pumpkin spice latte. I'd be more apt to try it on a cold, rainy Seattle day, however, than a hot, humid one in Tampa!

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  23. Pumpkin Pie Spice .... I used it, while teaching Preschool. We made play dough, so you put yellow and red together ..... and a little of the spice mix, it'sall about tactile and scents. ... and pumpkin pie, of course. But cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves work well too.

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    1. What a cool idea, deana. I'll have to give this a try with my granddaughter.

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  24. I am a big fan of coffee, just regular coffee, but I make an exception for three different takes on it--Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee, Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Coffee, and Star Bucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. The lattes are the only thing I like from Star Bucks. I can't stand their regular coffee, but I don't go crazy over the pumpkin spice. I enjoy it, but only a few a season. However, orange tinted white chocolate Halloween Kit Kats, well, there's a seasonal treat that make me very happy.

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  25. I took a bus trip to NYC. First time in most 2 years. I did find a Starbucks a little off the beaten path in Manhattan. I got my second tall (small) coffee of the day. My third of you count the one at Dunkin Donuts. I was sort of looking for electrical outlets which I never found today. Thank goodness for battery packs. I usually drink coffee at home. A large French press carafe will usually last me all day. I don't mind reheated coffee. I take it black no sugar. I don't switch it up, except for some ice coffee in mid summer. I don't mind what other people drink but I wish the marketing guys wouldn't push the seasons. They changed the boarding gate here at the bus terminal. And they've covered all the electrical outlets. Such is life. I'll be home soon. Shalom Reds.

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  26. Love the pumpkin spice but not until October and then just one which will last me until next October. I'm not really a flavor coffee gal but I do make this one exception. Perfect Seasonal Libation.

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  27. No PSLs for me, but that's due to the fact that I don't like coffee. I love most pumpkin spice items. Some stuff just doesn't work tho. One such thing is pumpkin spice bark. Similar to peppermint bark, but instead of peppermint & chocolate it had pumpkin & some sort of hardened cream cheese. Not a fan.

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  28. Since I'm not a coffee person, no PSL for me. BUT

    Pumpkim spice scones? Yes, please.
    Pumpkin spice macaons from the local bakery? Yes, please.
    Pumpkin spice candles? Yes, please.

    So I guess I'm a selective PS person.

    Mary/Liz

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