Big dave
- 1. 20 Big DaveTackles Pumpkin Spice David Watterson | Staff Writer You can always tell when fall is coming because the leaves are changing color, everybody is wearing Tim- berlands and fuzzy socks. Everything from bagels to milk becomes pumpkin flavored. Things that have absolutely zero business being pumpkin flavored make the plunge into the abyss of the pumpkin spice craze. Com- panies try to satisfy the customers who refuse to eat anything that isn’t pumpkin flavored during the fall season. My photographer Eeshaan and I were tasked with the grueling challenge of becoming one of those customers. The first place we went to was Einstein Bros Bagels. After having a cute little photo shoot outside, we headed in. We ordered pumpkin bagels with the pumpkin spread for $1.69. We were disappointed but not surprised in the slightest to dis- cover they got our order of one item wrong. We never got our pumpkin spread. After that, our final decision was that the bagel was just okay. If I had to describe the bagel, I would call it the La Croix of bagels, because it barely had any flavor, and left a weird taste in my mouth. The next stop on our journey to eventually hating everything pumpkin flavored was the elusive Dunkin’. We walked into the store and were immediately welcomed with open arms from the heavenly employees who create and sell the liquid excellence that is Dunkin coffee. We ordered a pumpkin iced coffee along with a pumpkin donut to match. As we received the donut and drink combo, we could tell this was going to be something special. As we sink our teeth into the warm dough the donut graced with its perfect pumpkin flavor. Our taste buds savored every parcel that went into our mouths. As we chewed, we looked at each other and realized that nothing else we ate that day would be able to top what we just devoured. The coffee was exquisite balance to the donut, perfectly complementing the pumpkin flavoring of the donut. Overall, both Eeshaan and I gave it 10/10. A very smart man once told me, “What makes our ice cream the best is our dairy queen soft serve, it’s how we make our ice cream so good”, He said. This man was Ed, the absolute machine that works as the manager for the local Dairy Queen. We ordered a small pumpkin pie blizzard, which tasted like we were actually biting into a pumpkin. Eeshaan and I both thought that is was way too strong, so we both just searched through the ice cream for the little pieces of pie crust, which were great. Even if the actual ice cream was a 7/10, being able to meet Ed was a 10/10. He shared with us the secret ingredient to the pumpkin ice cream and talked to us for 15 minutes. Every time I pass a Dairy Queen I think of his smiling face. For the finale, we entered Giant Eagle, and this exact moment is where things went south for our little pumpkin taste test. We entered the local supermarket not knowing that our taste buds and stomachs were about to be put through the test of a lifetime. I knew going into the store that we were going to find something crazy to eat, but I never imagined the situation I would put us in. The two of us ended up in the dairy aisle, guided by former 2019 graduate Grant Nelson, and we discovered pumpkin flavored milk. At this very moment, I had the sinister idea to have a bowl of cereal that tasted like pumpkin. We searched a n d found pumpkin-flavored frosted mini wheats. Next, the three o f us walked over the eating area of Giant Eagle and we poured the bright orange milk and Mini-Wheats into a container and vowed to take one bite of the vile con- coction. Never again will I be able to stomach the taste of anything pumpkin flavored without wanting to throw up. Happy fall PTHS!