tricked-out ironing board plus more bagel musings

A detail shot of my tricked-out ironing board. More to come on that story... So how many times to I blog/think about bagels? A lot! You have to understand, I lived in a largely bagelless land for 14 years, after having been born and raised on the real stuff my whole life until that 14 year hiatus from good bagels. Now I cannot get over just how delicious bagels are here. Reunited! I am in bagel heaven. And to live down the street from the best smoked fish supplier in the world; well, I just can't express my excitement enough and often enough.

In my high school days, kids would hang out in front of the Bagel Box. In my pre-school through high school days, I would have a half a bagel with butter or cream cheese for breakfast nearly everyday which my Mom would run out and get fresh many times per week. On the weekends, lox and bagel. And then came Boston. Bread rolls with a hole in the middle. And 95 cents each! They have a nerve charging such a price for a bagel-shaped piece of bread that hasn't even been boiled first, then baked. Everytime I ordered one, I think I would always have to say "95 cents? When I was a kid, a bagel was a quarter!" just to communicate my outrage... Oh well, I have no outrage anymore. I am happy to eat all of the great hand-rolled bagels of this city. Tal Bagel. Ess-a-Bagel. Those are my two faves. And Kossar's Bialy. Have you gone there yet? You have never seen a more beautiful site. Giant wood bins from perhaps the early 1900s filled with bialys! Garlic ones. Onions ones. Poppy seed ones. Oh it is so great! Go visit! Bring money.