i would love to say that i haven’t ever eaten this many bagels before in my life, but sadly, that would just be a lie. when i was eighteen, i moved to san francisco with nothing but a dream of a fantastic life (read: no money) and some friends by my side (and i do mean literally by my side; our apartment was teeny tiny).
in order to finance this “fantastic life” of community college, ramen noodles and forties of king cobra (don’t judge, you were all there), i worked at noah’s bagels on irving street in the inner sunset. which meant, of course, that i ate bagels pretty much every day for about a year. as did my roommates. in fact, between us, we wanted for nothing. i worked at the bagel shop (as in, free breakfast and lunch), kristina worked at spinelli’s, which later became tully’s (free coffee) and ross worked at a beauty supply shop (free/discounted product and hair dye – a necessity in our home). to top it all off, my boyfriend at the time worked for escape from new york pizza, meaning not only free pizza (dinner!) but the best pizza in the world (it’s a fact. look it up.).
needless to say, i gained a few pounds in that time. but it also did nothing to assuage my absolute love and dedication to both pizza and bagels. later, i ended up quitting the bagel shop gig, getting a “real job” and living with said boyfriend, only to move out a couple years later… and where did i move? why, above a bagel shop (called noe bagel in the noe valley area on 24th street). of course. i was warmed in the morning by the gloriously comforting smell of toasting bagels. and i was quite popular at work for awhile, as my excuse for being late was often: i brought bagels! it was heaven.
so, why the ode to bagels? (as if i would need a reason…) well, for starters, i’m pretty sure i’ve eaten almost as many in the past month or so as i did during my first years in san francisco… and yes, sometimes i’ve had one for breakfast and dinner. but i’m especially loving them right now because they seem to be the only things that absolutely make the sickies go away.
of course, as i read through every book/website/pregnant blog and listen to (some) friends, i start to feel that everything and everyone around me is telling me (warning me) to watch how much weight i gain. and i have to be honest, bagel-love aside, i am getting a little nervous. especially as i wasn’t sick enough to actually throw up during my first trimester, i was just sick enough to need to eat bagels (and anything sufficiently bready) twice a day for a month or two. in my experience, bagels don’t help diets. and no, i shouldn’t be on a diet (and believe me, i’m not). and there is a big part of me (mostly in the form of my husband) that is telling me to ignore the judgmental southern californian in me and just make sure that i’m healthy and happy and for the love of god, get off the scale. but that bitch just won’t get out of me, no matter how far away from california i move and no matter how much therapy i go to…
anyway, suffice it to say, i’m enjoying my bagels, whether my conscious is always happy with the choice or not.