An Ode to the Bialy

Native New Yorkers who move to Chicago, Seattle, Miami, or other places that are NOT NEW YORK tend to bitch reflexively about how bad the bagels are in the rest of the country. While I'll be the first to admit that Lender's Bagels are putrid, I would also argue that moving to New York in 2004 wasn't an ascension into bagel heaven. Yes, H&H makes good bagels, but I was able to buy decent runners-up in local delis in Chicago and L.A. on a regular basis.

But a few months ago, I discovered a New York breakfast item that I have never seen anywhere else: the bialy. Actually, I managed to live in New York for three and a half years and never stumbled on a bialy. The only reason I bought one was that my local coffee shop was fresh out of plain bagels one morning.

Sweet nirvana! Bialys are thinner and saltier than bagels. And the middle has a little bit of onion that imparts flavor without having that burnt, too onion-y taste that onion bagels do. Where have you been all my life, dear bialy? It turns out that they're pretty common in New York: The cafe in the office building where I worked last year sold them. My local grocery store sells them. Who knew? Apparently, a lot of people, since there is a wikipedia article about this breakfast delicacy.

Now, I worry about what I will do when we eventually move away from New York. What will I do for breakfast?

Apparently, I will have to bitch about how you can't get bialys in places that are NOT NEW YORK.