Go Ahead, Indulge This Fall
Meet Jenny Sheets! Jenny Sheets has split her life between the Fargo-Moorhead area and Montana, which means she knows I-94 far too well and exactly how far she can stretch the gas tank until running out (the off-ramp to Beach, ND, to be exact.) She currently lives in Moorhead, MN with her husband and three-year-old
Meet Jenny Sheets!
Jenny Sheets has split her life between the Fargo-Moorhead area and Montana, which means she knows I-94 far too well and exactly how far she can stretch the gas tank until running out (the off-ramp to Beach, ND, to be exact.) She currently lives in Moorhead, MN with her husband and three-year-old son, Henry Danger. She’s trying to adopt a puppy but needs to convince her husband that it’s as good an idea as having a baby during the pandemic. Each month, Jenny will bring her perspective to Fargo Monthly on a meandering topic of her choosing: childhood memories, Fargo favorites, a nagging gripe, illogical opinions, something from a dream, new obsessions, or all of the above at the same time. If you want to praise her writing and quick wit, you can find her in person trail running by the river, biking, stuffing her face at BernBaum’s, or sipping beers on a patio.
Jenny talks the joys and indulgements of fall.
Fall has a surprising number of ‘all-American’ events and experiences. July may have Independence Day, but does July have a holiday where we dress up as our altar egos and tell people to give us free candy and, as adults, party in the same room as the Hulk, a mermaid, and Nixon? Fall has changing leaves, hooded sweatshirts, and football for god sake. Fall also has the foundation of our democracy: Election Day. Let’s cut straight to it: elections haven’t exactly been a joyous, democracy-loving event for a while now. (Regardless, everyone age 18 and older should vote. It’s our civic duty. Go vote.) Campaign season induces anxiety and even has the ability to turn our nice Aunt Marge into a yelling lunatic at the family softball game. Lucky for us, Election Day coincides with another all-American cultural apotheosis: the pumpkin spice latte.
Yes, I’m referring to the millennial-loved latte that won the hearts of millions back in the early 2000s and whose allure never waned. Even if you’ve never had it, you can’t deny its power over mainstream America. The most prominent image in my mind is not that of a pumpkin, but of a twentysomething woman wearing skinny jeans, lace-up boots, and a chunky scarf holding a Starbucks cup. This drink literally influenced fashion.
Pumpkin spice has been used in dishes around the world much longer than the early 2000s, but, according to our friends at “Food and Wine” magazine, it stepped into the modern spotlight more than twenty years ago thanks to the “Director of Espresso” at Starbucks who was tasked with creating a fall specialty drink. From the same team who brought the world eggnog lattes and peppermint mochas, the coffee testers began experimenting with pumpkin by pouring espresso over pumpkin pies and tasting the difference in cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and milk. The drink hit menus in 2003 (the same year yours truly graduated high school and discovered lattes were actually really expensive when your parents weren’t paying for them). As the drink’s fame continued, Starbucks changed the recipe to include real pumpkin starting in 2015.
This was just the beginning.
Lattes across the country matured from vanilla and caramel syrups to fresh cardamom, honey, lavender, and dried orange. Things got more experimental with chile-spiced chocolate, chamomile matcha, beets, and turmeric. Now, let’s talk milk. Milk from a cow just won’t cut it anymore. We have almond, soy, coconut, oat, cashew, flax, and I’m sure I’m missing a dozen more. And which beans would you like? Don’t say “espresso” unless you want to look like you’re fresh out of 2002. With a premium upcharge, you can choose the country, region, hillside, and farmer by name who cared for the little dark brown beans in burlap sacks in front of you.
“I’ll take one iced ginger-ghee, flax seed milk, organic single-origin beans latte, please.” “$92.50.” Jokes aside, we are beyond spoiled by the quality of coffee craftsmanship in our country. I have traveled to quite a few countries that boast the finest beans in all the land, yet their cups of coffee (or espresso, depending on where you are) seem to fall short of what we can find in our football and hoodieloving America, especially right here in Fargo-Moorhead. I can’t even begin to list the incredible coffee shops by name for fear of missing one. Our city has roasters who have trained around the world, roasting machines that are cared for more than Maseratis, and baristas who pour mouth-watering shots of espresso and cups of freshly brewed coffee for every flavor preference. I’m already drooling.
It’s easy to talk about inflation and the rising cost of everything, but we must admit that most of us spend a lot of money on needless things. Lattes can be expensive, yes, but so are our streaming channels, new sneakers, cosmetics, and craft beer. As autumn settles in this year, and whether you’re anticipating or dreading Halloween or Election Day, do yourself a favor and hit up a local coffee shop and order a specialty latte. Try something different, maybe even ask your barista for their favorite, and don’t scoff at the price. Yeah, it might be $10. It’s cheaper than therapy. Walk outside and look at the changing leaves, sip your matcha or brown sugar latte, and tell yourself that you’re worth it. Go ahead, indulge.
After all, it’s fall, damnit.
Published October 30, 2024
