While we're on the topic of food:
Bagels.
I come from a town that happens to make really good ones, and when I first went abroad, that was one of the few things I begged my parents to bring me when the visited: bagels from Ithaca. I know for a fact that other friends did the same during their own high school exchange years.
Over time, though, I've gotten more relaxed about it. Once a year, when I'm in the U.S., I eat as many bagels as I can (ditto for burritos), but the rest of the time, I don't worry much about trying to hunt down an authentic one (of either bagels or burritos – though if anyone did want to give me a tip about where to find authentic bagels in Berlin, I wouldn't say no).
Occasionally, though, I'm passing by one of those places that sells bagels, or what passes for them, and I can't help it. I duck in and get myself a bagel, or perhaps "bagel," with cream cheese.
This most recent time, I very clearly ordered a bagel with cream cheese, but when I opened it up, I was fascinated to find the woman had added...mustard. My cream cheese bagel was quite clearly spread with cream cheese and mustard.
I ate it anyway, and I suppose it wasn't too bad for such a weird combination. But I'm still wondering... What part of "bagel with cream cheese" said "mustard" to her?
There is, sadly, only one bagelry in Berlin and that is Barcomi's in Sophienstraße and Bermannstraße. They cost one euro each (or at least they did) and are only barely passable. But at least they meet the test of a real bagel, meaning they are boiled before they're baked.
ReplyDeleteAnywhere in the world, a simple question suffices -- do you boil your bagels? There are two possible responses: a look of confusion and/or horror (walk out immediately) or a look of complacent superiority (you've found your place).
Collegetown Bagels, oh how my mouth waters. I don't think I'd even hit teenager when my parents started making the monthly 75-mile (one-way) pilgrimage to Ithaca to buy dozens at a time. To this day, my ex brings me real bagels every time he visits Europe.
About 3 or 4 years ago, frustrated with the poor quality in Berlin, I made a serious attempt to learn how to make homemade bagels. I probably should have kept at it, but so many rubber donuts became simply too discouraging.
I think if you replaced all of the occurrences of "bagel" in the comment above with "pretzel" and replace "boil" with "lye" you'd pretty much sum up my feelings about baked goods in Boston. Luckily I've had much more luck baking my own pretzels than I've had with making bagels (which are more convenient to import from Ithaca or NYC to Boston than to Berlin).
ReplyDeleteHa! :)
ReplyDeleteK – I always manage to forget you're familiar with the Ithaca references too. Yes, Collegetown Bagels is exactly what I'm talking about. But you're right, I should check out Barcomi's, somehow never had.
And Noah, actually I remember that even in Berlin you were frustrated by the difficulty of finding pretzel-making lye, even though it's so readily available in southern Germany... Can you get it in the US?
Yup, you can get it even on Amazon. I'm ordering some right now :) It wasn't so hard to find it -- well, not super easy -- but somehow the Berliner pharmacist hadn't figured out that the Lauge in Laugenbrezeln was the same stuff they use in their pharmacy.
ReplyDelete