Returning to a memory
Last Sunday, on a trip back home to Randolph, I stopped off at the local bagel shop, Zeppy’s, for a dozen and some shmeers. Sarah and I have been devoted Rosenfeld’s customers since our marriage 13 months ago, but I thought it would be a nice trip down memory lane to enjoy the bagels I grew up on and whose honor I have defended against insolent New Yorkers over the years.
So, I show up at my parents’ house, mom makes me up a sesame bagel with cocktail spread (cream cheese blended with lox bits and scallions), I take one bite, and my instant response: “This bagel is TERRIBLE!” What happened to the soft but chewy interior, and the slightly crisp crust?
Well, it’s widely suspected that since Zeppy’s built a massive addition several years ago to support increased retail distribution the quality has gone downhill. Without a doubt, this recent experience only reenforces my worst fears — that the Zeppy’s “baigel” would converge with that from the other massive Randolph-based institution: Dunkin’ Donuts. Yes, Zeppy’s has been transformed into some overly-soft, mediocre, and uninspired bread thing.
You should definitely read "American Pie" by Peter Reinhart. Aside from being a great pizza-baking guide, it tells the story of a similar revelation by Reinhart about his once-favorite pizza place in the Philly burbs.
I got the book over a week ago, and I know exactly what you’re talking about. After reading, I too want to travel around Italy sampling its traditional pizzas. Maybe we should organize a Kosher Blog group culinary tour?
What do you expect from a bagel outside of the New York area?Why bother… just a roll with a hole in it
Let’s be reasonable. Just as there are good and bad bagels in any locale, so too in NY — there is no such thing as a monolithic "New York bagel." Sure, H&H is good, but Rosenfeld’s Bagels are certainly of equal caliber. And it has nothing to do with the water (http://www.boston-online.co...). Oh, and Yankees suck :-p
I agree that there are good and bad bagels in the New York area (plenty of bad bagels, in fact). However, there are only bad bagels elsewhere. Oh, and do you remember where you were in 1918? Me neither…
Jon, I mourn your loss, but while I have to say that I was wowed by the Boston area bagelry that uses a converted table-saw to cut their bagels (it was really cool!), I have yet to enjoy a bagel anywhere (among numerous states and several countries) as tasty and well-made as the NY-area bagels I grew up on. I’m not even such a fan of most NYC bagels, which tend towards a mass-produced texture/taste, but they do manage to stand up better than those I’ve encountered as my distance from The Big Apple, where it is oh so difficult to live with a team that’s 8.0 games ahead. ;-)
If we are going to brag about who has the beste bagels, I have to throw my vote in for the montreal version. If none of you have had the chance to have one (or two or three), you are missing out on a very good bagel. Unlike the bagels we get here in the US (whether Boston or NYC), they are baked in a totally different manner, producing a crunchy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, and with the biggest hole you will ever see. You don’t even need a shmeer with these bagels, and be prepared to eat more than just one.
New York bagels are far superior, a real bagel should be initially boiled then baked…I have not found a single store in the Waltham MA area that uses this practice. I might as well get a hard roll and cut a whole in the middle because the bagels in MA taste nothing like a good quality NY one.
I guess when the Yankees blow it four years in a row, you’ll always have your old bagel tricks to fall back on.
Be honest — you’ve been visiting Dunkin’ Donuts too much. Rosenfeld’s Bagels, my current bagel provider of choice, in Newton Centre (minutes from Waltham) most certainly boils their (delicious) bagels before they bake them. It’s not really a bagel if it’s not boiled — but boiling alone does not a great bagel make. Finagle-A-Bagel and Zeppy’s both boil their bagels, and they still stink.
We here at the Boston-based Kosher Blog are always happy to take part in lighthearted banter with our comrades from New York City. But get your facts straight first, venture off the Bentley campus a bit more before offering up a gross generalization.
Plus, remember that you’re a guest here in the Commonwealth. There’s obviously something here you need that isn’t provided in the Empire State, so learn to appreciate what the Bay State has to offer, and try to be respectful of the locals, will ya?
Do Massachusetts residents always have to bring up the damn Yankees in every conversation involving New York regardless of the subject? Fortunately I have been an avid New York METS fan my entire life and have been watching diligently since ‘86, I have had to deal with annoying Yankees fans my whole life and believe me I absolutely despise them. But that is a conversation for a different board. I recently moved to Waltham this past summer to begin a new job. I have been to Brueggers and many places around Waltham and in Boston and the taste is just not the same. Perhaps I prefer the taste because it is what I grew up on, but it seems as though no one in this state wants to hear that NY is superior to MA in any way at all even if its something as stupid as a bagel.
Don’t get me started about those dastardly ‘86 Mets! :) When the Sox have been emasculated so many times by the Yankees, it’s just a natural reaction to all things New York. I apologize! The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so please accept my sincere welcome to the Hub of Universe.
I don’t doubt you have a visceral connection to the bagels of your youth, just as we have visceral connections to the bagels of our youth. But everyone outside of New York is tired of hearing New Yorkers carry on with insensitive generalizations about the Big Apple’s “superior” bagels, delis, pizzas, subway, taxis, sports teams, theatres, museums, discount stores, restaurants, etc.
Let’s instead talk about finer points, let’s try to identify the true differences between our respective bagels… let’s all join hands in boiled, chewy joy!
So, while I reneg my Yankees jab, I still fully believe that New Yorkers — like any out-of-towners who come to Boston and take advantage of our universities, hi-tech sector, medical institutions, baked beans, etc. — shouldn’t move in and immediately start complaining about their adopted home.
(BTW, feel free to refer to us as “Bay Staters,” our official designation.)
You may want to check out this good FAQ that explains the difference between Boston and New York Bagels
We agree. Zeppys really Zucks!!