Bagel El Niño

Nashville: Country Music, Hot Chicken, Bachelorette Parties, ABC TV show. Anything else come to mind? You could add the Titans, but they haven’t been relevant since the Music City Miracle over 15 years ago (wow I’m kinda old, I remember that highlight airing on SportsCenter). On the other hand, what do you think of when you hear bagels? New York City, Sesame Seeds, schmear, and last but certainly not least, Lox. So what connection could possibly exist between Bagels and Nashville?

None. Truly none. And that should surprise absolutely no one. If you want to be an expert in bagel history, this seems to be a great place to start http://goo.gl/HwDaeg. Abridged version: Bagels rose from the bread basket of Poland. Jews living in beautiful polish cities in the 17th and 18th centuries realized that you could boil dough, and then bake it. What was the end result? A stunning bread product that tasted great and rarely spoiled. This leavened beauty took Eastern Europe by storm, and ultimately become a staple of American weekend morning brunches as European Jews emigrated to this country at the turn of the 20th century. However, as the bagel craze took over America, it passed over Nashville. Prior to this weekend we were left with what could hardly be called “options”. If you wanted a bagel you could stop by corporate staples like Au Bon Pain, or Bruegger’s. If you wanted a more local take on bagels, you could try your hand at Nashville’s Star Bagel or Bagel Face. Even as someone who grew up in a town with subpar bagels (LA is known for many things and I will admit bagels are not one of them), none of these options were satisfying. So when last week Proper Bagel opened I decided to give it a shot.

To jump start my studying of endless cardiovascular drugs, nephrotic syndromes and chromosomal translocations, I made a early trek to Proper Bagel. I arrived at this new establish at 5 minutes to 8, hopefully to be one of the first in line. To my surprise, there was already a line of frozen northerners most of whom were wearing Yankee hats and clamoring for bagels. The ensuing conversations inside the store were ridiculous. One customer yelled “remember that time in Boca we got dreidels”, while a older women replied “this reminds me of that bagel store outside of Poughkeepsie”. While I have never been to Poughkeepsie, I have a feeling these stores have about zero in common. Like most things that pop up in Nashville these days, Proper Bagel is a hipster reimagination of the bagel shop. It has schmear up to your ears (flavors include lavender honey, Nutella peanut butter + 10 more) and all types of smoked fish that I can’t wait to try when my parents come to town in a few weeks. They blend Nashville’s most esteemed local coffee from Barista Parlor and have non-bagel offerings like tartines and sweet potato latkes. Again, I have never been to Poughkeepsie but I have my doubts that such a bagel store could exist in Dutchess County, NY.

Verdict on the bagels: Good. I have had better, but definitely a marked improvement from what “options” we had, just a few weeks ago. Nice to have a bagel shop within a 4 minute drive that sells a worthwhile product. Looking forward for the line to die down and to return with my parents.

Musings*

My favorite bagel so far has been the Spinach Everything. Since this is a little unconventional, I decided to share a tune that is more on the funky side. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhNfddJRulQ