The Pumpkin Pie Controversy: Fruit or Vegetable (standard:humor, 908 words)
Author: Godspenman	Added: Nov 07 2026	Views/Reads: 0/0	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
However, all good relationships are built on agreeing on the right things. If we are to arrive at the same destination, it is important that we walk in the right direction.

After over 55 years of marital bliss, The Gracious Mistress of the
Parsonage and I have had very few controversial conversations. We agree 
on more things than we could ever disagree on. 

Our biggest controversy is broccoli and Apple Fritter. We will never
agree on this controversy as long as we live. I don't think broccoli is 
a “real vegetable,” and she doesn't think an Apple Fritter is a “real 
fruit.” 

Our arrangement is that she can eat broccoli and I can eat an Apple
Fritter as long as we're not at the same table together. I try to tell 
her the origin of broccoli, but she doesn't buy my story. 

It was Thanksgiving time, which is one of the best times of the year for
us as a family. We all get together for Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy 
our fellowship. If you could see the table filled with all kinds of 
food, you would be amazed. 

Even though I'm on a strict diet for my health, I sneak behind The
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage's back and take things from the 
table to eat that she wouldn't approve of. That's what family is for, 
and I use it to my advantage as much as I can. 

One of the things The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage makes for
Thanksgiving dinner is pumpkin pie. She usually makes at least four 
pumpkin pies for the family. In my opinion, her pumpkin pie is the best 
you can find anywhere. And believe me, I grew up in Lancaster County, 
Pennsylvania, which is the pumpkin pie capital of the world. 

At our last Thanksgiving dinner, as we were eating dessert, which was
pumpkin pie, I remarked that this pumpkin pie was the best I have ever 
eaten in my lifetime. I know no better fruit for a pie than a pumpkin. 

That was when our controversy started. When I made that remark, she
looked at me very sternly and said, “Pumpkin is not a fruit it is a 
vegetable.” 

Then she reminded me of the dishes she made from pumpkins. And it was a
long list, to tell you the truth. All of those dishes had nothing to do 
with fruit but everything to do with vegetables. I'm not sure there is 
a dish made from pumpkins that she hasn't made and served in our house. 


The last controversy we had was when I tried to explain to her that an
apple fritter is exactly a fruit. We debated this for a long time, and 
nobody came out as the winner. I still believe an Apple Fritter is a 
fruit. 

But back to the pumpkin, she wasn't going to settle for me telling
everybody that a pumpkin is a fruit. She went on to explain all the 
different dishes she makes, and none of them had anything to do with 
fruit. The only thing that had to do with fruit was the pumpkin pie. 

When she contradicted me, I was sitting at the table with everybody
else, so I looked at her, took a bite of my pumpkin pie, and said, 
“This is the sweetest and most wonderful pie you have ever made.” And 
then I said, “Don't you know that nobody makes a pie out of a 
vegetable?” 

Of course, she wasn't going to accept my explanations. She reminded me
that I did none of the cooking or baking in the kitchen and so, I was 
limited in my knowledge of what a pie was or wasn't. She then 
emphasized that she was the family expert on baking pies. 

I did not disagree with that. I've eaten all the pies she's ever made in
the years of our marriage, and every one was delicious beyond 
expectation. I knew she was an expert when it came to pies. 

Everybody around the table was snickering as I continued this little
banter. I looked around the table and asked, “How many here believe 
that pumpkin is a fruit?” 

Because where we were, nobody raised their hand or even said anything.
None of them had any plans to contradict The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage. After all, she did a lot of the cooking and baking for our 
family get-togethers. And I, on the other hand, did nothing to add to 
the pie-baking for the family dinners. 

They would rather please her than aggravate her. I don't disagree with
them at all. There is no way that I could ever win the debate along 
this line. I didn't think I would, but I wanted to put it out there. 

I wouldn't say anything to The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, but I
did my research on this and discovered that some believe pumpkin is 
actually a fruit. I didn't know, so I did that research, and after that 
I was very pleased to enjoy another slice of her pumpkin pie. If she 
wants to believe that pumpkin is a vegetable, how in the world is that 
hurting me? I will do nothing to compromise her baking pumpkin pies in 
our home. 

Thinking along this line a verse of Scripture came to mind. 

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). 

There are some things where we need to agree to disagree. However, all
good relationships are built on agreeing on the right things. If we are 
to arrive at the same destination, it is important that we walk in the 
right direction.


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