What is it that makes bagels so appealing? I ask this to you straight, becuase there truly is nothing too out-of-the-ordinary about bagels, except that they are boiled instead of just being baked as standard bread is. You can trust me on that one, I worked many a long day in bagel shops in both high school and college, and I can tell you truthfully that those jobs were not the worse jobs I’ve ever held. Bagels are tasty, your hours were set, and I got to see and interact with people all day long.

Yet still, we arrive at the question of what it is that has allowed so very many bagel shops to pop up not only on teh East Coast - New York is renowned for its excellent selection and quality of bagels - but even here on the West Coast. Perhaps we like the bubbly texture of a foodstuff that has been boiled and then baked. Hard to say.

What’s even harder, however, is giving those suckers up. We know white flour is bad for us, we know bagels are composed almost completely of white flour and they contain more calories than anyone needs to get from bread. And yet.

Take the lesser of two evils - get your bagel whole-wheat styles, and indulge! After all, we only live once, but there’s no need to invite the risks of obesity or diabetes.