On Halloween, our office had a chili cook-off. We had six different types of chili with lots of chips, breads, veggies, and desserts. Someone brought in a store-bought pumpkin pie, a piece of which I found to be fluffier and lighter and more delicious than any pumpkin pie I had enjoyed in the past. It was very similar to the pumpkin cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, and I wondered how a store bakery had created such a great pie. Had they used fresh pumpkin?
When Cooking.com sent me my latest e-newsletter, it highlighted several pumpkin pie recipes. I noshed on leftover pie from the office fridge and still wondered, how had they done it? Would one of these recipes yield a pie that was thicker than an inch and not so dense as the ones that come from the recipe on a can of pumpkin?
Today I tried the pie for one last time, figuring it still looked good. This time I noticed the label from the grocery store: "SWEET POTATO PIE." Ahh. When I ate it this time, it tasted just like sweet potatoes. I have to smile at how much the taste changed from when I thought it was pumpkin to when I discovered it was sweet potato. It's an interesting lesson in how much our experiences are shaped by our expectations!
