DO YOU LIKE BAGELS? YOU SHOULD SUBSCRIBE!
Have you ever read somewhere that your city’s bagels are “just as good as New York's?” I’ve read that too many times to remember and, as far as I can tell, it’s never been true.
I set out to eat every bagel in Western Washington to find out once and for all which ones are a schmear above and which ones can’t slice it. And there are so many more bagel metaphors ahead…
Follow me as I nosh my way through Seattle (and perhaps other far-off places) to determine whether or not a Northeastern Jew can actually find a good bagel around here.
Besides, what could the world need right now more than a smug white guy telling you what local small businesses did wrong?
WHAT DOES “IT’S A SHANDA” MEAN?
Shanda is “shame” in Yiddish, a dying language that has little use at this point other than to offer myriad ways to call someone an idiot. If your grandmother ever saw you sitting at the table playing with your food, she might exclaim “It’s a shanda what you do to your meal.” And I just kinda felt like, given what I know about most of the bagels on this journey, it’s a shanda what they do with them.
FREE SUBSCRIBERS GET
A new bagel review, hot and fresh every Sunday.
A post every Wednesday that delves into the Seattle bagel scene and explores the larger issues, questions, and insights that deepen your appreciation for those circular bread rolls. Example include:
Exclusive interviews with local bagel makers and purveyors.
Breaking news about bagels that you need to know.
Personal essays on bagels, which I promise you will be way cooler and more enjoyable than that sounds.
Mailbags, Q&As, and investigations about anything you need to know, bagel-wise.
The ability to share your comments on posts or discuss bagels on the Substack app.
The inflated sense of self-worth because you know where to find the good bagels around here.
PAID SUBSCRIBERS GET
Everything that Free Subscribers get, plus…
Potential meet-ups at a local bagel place to get to know the community.
The inflated sense of self-worth that comes with supporting an independent writer and creator who is passionate about bagels for some reason.
Find me on Bluesky if you’re into that.
