So off we go in search of bagels and in no time we stumble across a place called “Bagel & Bagel”. It had a subtitle – “New York Style Bagels” Sounds promising. Bagels slightly smaller than ones at Eli’s or Bagelworks lined up on a small table near the entrance of the store. Each bagel was wrapped in a plastic bag, and all were sitting nicely in baskets, sorted according to flavors. Bagels in New York were always heaped up behind a glass case with the ones on the bottom squashed. I didn’t believe in giving bagels the royal treatment, but I digress. This is Japan after all, a country that over-packages everything – even green beans.
I picked a bagel. It was lighter than I imagined. Suspicion arose. I put it back and eye the pumpernickel bagel. I am impressed that they decided to do pumpernickel. The Japanese have an aversion to bread with dark colors. They always strive to make them as white as possible. I pick it up. I smell something. Could it be…… chocolate? I look at the label. It says “cocoa and chocolate bagel”. I feel as though I have been violated. “Come on, don’t be such a snob. Try it, you might like it” encourages Ken. I drop the black bagel back in the basket and go for the safest bet, Everything. I asked to have it toasted with butter. I was told it’s $1.50 extra and that it comes with honey. I repeat my request for butter only. The girl at the counter repeats what she already said. I suddenly remembered the day when there was a riot at Vinegar Factory.
I picked a bagel. It was lighter than I imagined. Suspicion arose. I put it back and eye the pumpernickel bagel. I am impressed that they decided to do pumpernickel. The Japanese have an aversion to bread with dark colors. They always strive to make them as white as possible. I pick it up. I smell something. Could it be…… chocolate? I look at the label. It says “cocoa and chocolate bagel”. I feel as though I have been violated. “Come on, don’t be such a snob. Try it, you might like it” encourages Ken. I drop the black bagel back in the basket and go for the safest bet, Everything. I asked to have it toasted with butter. I was told it’s $1.50 extra and that it comes with honey. I repeat my request for butter only. The girl at the counter repeats what she already said. I suddenly remembered the day when there was a riot at Vinegar Factory.
My friends and I buy bagels at Vinegar Factory after our kids’ swim class every week. Rain or shine, we are always hungry (class starts at 9am) so we get coffee, bagels, juice for the kids and just lounge there or at the playground and wolf down our purchases. One day one of us asked the bagel to be toasted as usual and was charged $3 extra for it. Suddenly there was a shouting match between us and the cashier. How can it cost $3 just to have something toasted? We’ve been going there for the past few months and never been asked for such a ridiculous charge. Ken was demanding a menu stating that toasting was $3, Carole was shouting for the manager, Steve was accusing them of ripping people off. I so wanted to join in this fun but someone had to sit with the kids. The ruckus went on for 20 minutes. They store held their stance saying that the price was the same as the restaurant upstairs which still didn’t makes sense since downstairs was less than a coffee shop. We eventually got the toast service for free, only paying for the bagels, but were warned that next time they will charge us.
Getting a proper bagel has become a competitive sport. I gave up on butter with or without honey and just bit into the toast with maximum force because, of course, it’s supposed to be a New York Bagel. My teeth clanked real bad. I look at this thing that calls itself a bagel and right there where I have bitten I see the unimaginable. An air pocket. “Bagel’s air pocket” is an oxymoron. It won’t be a bagel if it had air pockets. But there it is. The bagel is so soft it only takes 3 seconds to chew and swallow. A bagel is supposed to be a zero calorie food. You burn so much energy just chewing the dang thing that the calorie of the bagel is completely used up.
Ken brings me a leaflet explaining this store’s offerings. They go in details the ingredients they use. Water from Mt. Hood National Forest, wheat from Montana. And they boast that the texture of their bagels is moist and soft. Moist and soft? Am I missing something here? How can a bagel be moist and soft when you use malt and boil the dough?
According to New York Times, the traditional bagel, born of Eastern European shtetls, was made of yeast, malt, flour, water and salt. It was rolled by hand, first boiled and then baked. I am pretty certain that this store doesn’t follow this formula. Defeated, I go home and google New York bagel. I get Wikipedia that leads me to H&H. They ship worldwide. I am saved.
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