Once August hits in the U.S., it becomes autumn and that means pumpkin-spice everything.
You can blame Starbucks because it made the Pumpkin Spice Latte a fall classic that somehow seeped into summer.
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But what Starbucks created has become a sort of societal default. Every coffee chain, gas station, convenience store and supermarket offers pumpkin spice and other Thanksgiving-related favorites from August through the holiday.
It's hard to know how much people actually want this, but it has become an expectation. There are seasonal favorites at other times of the year, but none have become as popular as the Starbucks-led pumpkin-spice craze.
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What's odd is that while pumpkin spice has become a four-month event, pumpkin pie — the dessert that inspired the coffee flavoring — has not seen a similar rise in popularity.
Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving staple, but it's not likely to appear in stores much before Halloween. It's sort of a niche dessert, reserved mostly for Thanksgiving.
And that's something one Carnival Cruise Line passenger wants Brand Ambassador John Heald to correct.
Image source: Starbucks
Carnival pushed to offer pumpkin pie
Heald deals with lots of complaints and many of them seem overly entitled. This particular message definitely checks off the entitled box, but there also may be a valuable suggestion here.
"DW and me are cruise foodies on the Carnival Celebration now," wrote an unidentified cruiser. "Why is there no pumpkin pie offered? My wife was disappointed and I asked the waiter for the chefs to make one but was told very rudely that my request was refused.
"I know that you are a British man so do not understand that pumpkin pie is not just for the holiday season. Poll this and you will see that it should be offered once a cruise every cruise. What can you do to make this right John?"
Heald quickly, but gently, put the questioner in his place.
"Thank you and I do hope you are having a wonderful time. I am sure the waiter was not rude and perhaps the chef does not have the ingredients like ummmm...pumpkins," he answered.
Carnival passengers share their pumpkin thoughts
While many passengers support the idea of adding pumpkin pie to their menu, most of the more than 1,000 commenters on Heald's post thought the letter writer was out of line.
"First of all, pumpkin pie is absolutely a seasonal thing," Rob Shur posted. "Second, unlike some other pies, I'm fairly certain they don't have the ingredients on board at any given time to make one, so they couldn't make one even if they wanted to. I know they weren't rude about it, you just didn't like being told no."
Some commenters pointed out that despite the pumpkin-spice craze, it's seasonally a little early for pumpkin pie.
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"Pumpkin everything is definitely a seasonal thing!" added Lori Whitaker. "Even in the grocery stores, you do not see pumpkin pie until the fall season. They have plenty of desserts to choose from so go pick something else since you are foodies."
Others seemed shocked at the audacity of the request.
"I’m not sure why she would expect the chef to make a pie just for her," wrote Ellen Everett. "There’s a menu for a reason and many things to choose from on that menu. I personally have never eaten pumpkin pie outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas."
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Robin Brook pointed out that pies are complex to make compared with other desserts.
"Wow! It is October and the beginning season for pumpkin desserts. However, most Americans consider pumpkin pie as a Thanksgiving/Christmas dessert," she posted.
"Yes, pies would be a wonderful addition to the menu, but not a practical one. Anyone who bakes would understand why you see mostly desserts like cakes, crème brûlée, and such, they are much easier and less labor-intensive to make."
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