WHEN The Retrologist‘s Rolando Pujol posted this photo of a shop called “Hot Bagels” I recognized it immediately, as I had passed it for many years while slouching down 86th Street in Bay Ridge, my home town, where it could be seen in the 1970s and 1980s at #534 86th, between Gelston Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway. After being covered for several years it was briefly revealed in 2014. A number of businesses have been in the space since, including a game store, pizzeria and deli.
Oddly, I cannot remember eating a lot of bagels until I was well into adulthood. Resolutely Irish, I never put anything on them except butter; I would take plain, onion or sesame seed and less often, cinnamon raisin, though sweetness seems to violate what bagels are supposed to be about. In recent years, every Sunday morning I would trek down the street to Northern Boulevard for a Sunday morning bagel; but since May 2022, to lose weight and get my A1C down (successful on both counts) I have avoided swallowing a lot of carbohydrates. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss bagels, baked potatoes, French fries and Blimpie sandwiches.
A lot of bagel shops had these neon signs showing neon flames and the word “hot.” I don’t recall heat being a selling point with bagels as I always ate them at room temperature. I prized softness and chewiness, but not heat as I would, with, say, hot pizza. Do you like bagels super hot? Comments, as always, are open.
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1/15/23