CARBS!!!!!!!!!!
When I opted up to pack up my life last year and moved from New York to Los Angeles, I was briefed many times that bagels suck out here. The main reason being a cliche argument that NYC has better water, which is valid but I feel has run its course.
Sure I think we can all agree that your bagel or any bread being made should be using QUALITY water, but that’s one freaking variable! It’s also about time, temperature, fermentation, the type of flour/yeast, and yes a GOOD BAKER!
Yep, this is a bacon and cheddar bagel, not sacrilegious but oh so delicious!!!!
LA is a major foodie town with tons of heebs and former New Yorkers, so there’s gotta be a spot to nosh. Sure enough you can find it at Wexler’s, Sam’s Bagels in Larchmont, Bread Lounge in the Arts District and yes Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. in Beverly Hills, but the truth is I don’t miss the New York bagel.
This piece of bread that’s synonymous with Jewish American culture tends to carry more of a guilt factor every time one eats it.
I grew up in South Florida, where most bagel shops are mediocre at best and people tend to eat Jewish deli for the sake of being Jewish. Like I don’t go to temple but I love a good lox and schmear! Now that I look back on it, for no reason other than tradition, my whole town of North Miami Beach/Aventura would all just flock to a deli on a Sunday morning to load up carbs (bagels) and cookies (sugar). The funny thing about this is that we weren’t loading up to run a marathon, go on a hike, or exercise in general. We were probably going home to watch football/TV, take a nap, or proceed to our favorite pastime GOSSIPING!
Now most bagels are probably the equivalent of four slices of bread, therefore they tend to make us feel heavy and full. And since our Jewish mother is always hovering from afar over everything we eat, we started getting creative and began picking them apart, scooping, and other weird things to not guilt ourselves when consuming this carbohydrate.
WTF?????????????????????????????
Would you ever see someone scoop a baguette out of a Banh Mi sandwich? NO. Would you ever tell the guy behind the counter at Esposito’s in Carroll Gardens-Brooklyn to scoop out the semolina bread from your hero? NO.
For me it’s slightly disheartening to know that while someone is waking up at 3am to head to a bakery and make hundreds of bagels for people to consume. A customer will proceed to dismantle the whole thing by 9am in order cut back on carbs.
Which is why the best bagels are Montreal-style because they are light and smaller. SIZE MATTERS!
BOTTOM LINE:
The bagel needs to be reinvented and held to a better standard other than just being a roll with a hole in it.
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