New Yorkers Condemn Bill De Blasio's Bagel Lies
Yesterday was National Bagel Day, and Bill de Blasio—New York City mayor and highly unnecessary presidential candidate—chose to mark the occasion by tweeting out his bagel order. And, in typical de Blasio fashion, something that should have been simple managed to turn into an entire incident.
New York City has the best bagels in the world. But our BEST bagel?
Bagel Hole in Park Slope. No contest.
Don't get there as much as I used to, but it was our go-to when the kids needed a bite before Little League.
Whole wheat. Toasted. Extra cream cheese.
#NationalBagelDay
Don't bother looking for the tweet, as it was quickly deleted once thousands of New Yorkers pointed out how de Blasio's opinions were not only garbage, but factually wrong. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, as were my father and grandfather before me, and it's common knowledge that Bagel Hole does not toast their bagels. There isn't even a toaster on the premises! And once #Toastergate2020 kicked off, New York's hometown paper The Daily News made sure to get the facts on record.
A Bagel Hole employee told The Daily News that the shop doesn't toast its bagels because the bagels are made hot, "the old-fashioned way."
Some New Yorkers chided de Blasio not for his obvious lies but for his preference for toasted bagels, which some believe is a shanda. State Senator Brad Hoylman posted the following poll to Twitter, and the results prove that people who grew up in West Virginia have no business running polls about New York bagels:
OK, New York, it's time to answer the essential question of the day: is toasting a bagel a crime?
— Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (@bradhoylman) January 15, 2020
As a native New Yorker, though, let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with toasting bagels. Nearly every person I know toasts their bagels. Bagel Hole is allowed to serve theirs untoasted because their bagels are smaller than the average NYC bagel and are always served hot and fresh. Every other bagel joint, though? Unless they're being made fresh throughout the day, even the best bagels often benefit from a little toast, if not for flavor, then to soften a schmear of butter or cream cheese. In fact, I had never heard this firm anti-toasting stance until recently. Toasted vs. untoasted is not an argument had by most native New Yorkers. We have better things to fight about, like pizza, or why our subway line is actually the worst one (it's the R).
I can't believe I'm saying this, but outside of his bizarre and unnecessary white lie, de Blasio did nothing wrong. Bagel Hole does make a phenomenal bagel. Toasting is fine. The only thing this man has to explain to me is why he decided to run for president.