Jack O'Lantern

Autumn is here. Its presence means colorful leaves are all around. At every turn one can spot gourds and winter squashes, and pumpkins. Pumpkins appear on the covers of newspapers, food packages, and store decorations.

In "The View," hosts encourage viewers to send in pictures of Pumpkins. During "The Today Show," the recipe for Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake was featured. Starbucks clients can warm themselves with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is now being introduced to Polish cafés.  It is worth mentioning that just a month ago, American vegans protested that their seasonal coffee is not served with a soymilk.

Last weekend we went to the Bose Family Farm, which during the fall turns into a pumpkin patch. We did not pick out any pumpkins, although there were at least nineteen different kinds. Rather, we spent two hours searching for hidden punch card stations in a quite complicated Corn Maze.  The ones who found all of the stations entered their completed punch cards into a November price drawing for half a hog.

Those who carted this typically orange fruit home might prepare pumpkin bread or a soup for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. A new study, involving American restaurants, show that the Pumpkin Pie dessert is not as popular as it once was. It now accounts for only 3 percent of orders. It has been replaced by now popular curries, cheesecakes and ravioli, all prepared with pumpkin. This has met very much to the liking of Americans. During the year, sales of products containing pumpkin have already grown by 19 percent.

No one certainly can survive Halloween without pumpkins. The custom of displaying Jack O 'Lanterns took root on a new continent thanks to Irish immigrants; it was the Irish who began the tradition of scaring with lightened faces. First, they carved them in beets, turnips and even in the potatoes. But when they came in to North America, they discovered that the pumpkins would be a better fit. The name comes from a fairy tale, about a young man named Jack, who died night before All Souls' Day. The young man played games with the devil so he could not go to hell. He was also very greedy, so the way to heaven was also closed to him.  His fate was to wander between heaven and hell, with only an ember inside a hollow turnip to light his way. The Jack O'Lantern gives the effect of the brightness of the carved pumpkin faces, referring to the popular belief in wandering souls who remain on the earth before they reach the afterlife.

And finally, while nibbling on my Pumpkin donut, let me share an English rhyme:

Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
sitting on the wall.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
tip and fall.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
rolling down the street.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
good to eat!!

H.xx