NYC VS. LA bagels

By Asher Cohen

Before you read this article, I must give you a warning, this piece of writing contains highly graphic language used to describe bread products. If you are of the faint of heart, I suggest you put down this article immediately and instead opt for something in the just for fun section. With that being said, let's get into the nitty-gritty details of how The New York Times pointed a huge middle finger at the face of our beloved city.

On March 8th, a woman named Tejal Rao wrote a piece for the New York Times entitled “The Best Bagels Are In California (Sorry New York)”. If you would care to read this article, here is a link to it (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/dining/best-bagels.html) however in the event that you choose to go through it, you might decide to never read The New York Times again. You may be wondering why I am making such a big deal out of what might seem like nothing more than a little bit of shade thrown at our beloved city, however, I believe that this is not merely a playful jest but is in fact an attack on the very soul of our city.

New York is known for many things, being the biggest city in America, Broadway, Pizza, but possibly the biggest mascot of NYC is the bagel. The history of our prized city has always been intertwined with the bagel. It is believed that the bagel made its way to NYC during the late 1800’s when eastern European immigrants came to Ellis Island. In the 1960’s, bagel production in New York went through the roof because of new technology in shipping and packaging. By the 1980’s bakery bagels had nearly doubled in size, creating what we now know as the classic NY bagel. Whenever you bite into an NYC bagel, you can almost taste the rich history in your mouth. While it is said that the unique taste of NYC bagels comes from the city’s high water supply, I believe you are really experiencing the culture and legend of the city itself.

But you don't just have to take my word for it, in an exclusive interview with 447’s very own Ms. Yoon, an eighth grade math teacher extraordinaire and a person who has lived in both LA and NYC. Math and Science’s beloved math teacher had this to say, “While LA has better food over-all, their bagels don't stand a chance against those of NYC.” And there you have it folks, proof that no matter how many celebrities live there, no matter how much the sun shines on it, California does not and will never have better bagels than New York. New York City and bagels are one and the same and I suggest you show your support for our treasured city by dining on an NYC bagel today.