Bagels are one of the quintessential Jewish foods. There are references to bagels in Kraków, Poland in the early 1600’s, though they may have first appeared in Germany prior to that. Polish immigrants brought bagels to the United States around the turn of the 20th century. The bagel became so popular that the International Beigel Bakers Union was established to represent the interests of the workers who eventually were producing millions of bagels weekly. Automation, popularized by Lender’s Bagels, brought an end to the dominance of the union and hand-rolled bagels. But according to a recent article in Politico, “The bagel has emerged as the unofficial food of official Washington.” The Guardian reports that “New York-style bagels are becoming something of a trend in Manchester, London, Leicester and Edinburgh.” Even Burger King is testing an everything bagel bun. According to a report published by online site Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, in 2022 bagels led the way in sales compared to other fresh breads such as English muffins and sandwich breads. And while Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas faces controversy over his choice not to disclose millions of dollars of vacations and other gifts he received from wealthy donors, Justice Elena Kagen notified her circle of high school friends that she could not accept their offer of lox and bagels from New York’s Russ & Daughters as she felt it might violate the court’s ethics rules for accepting gifts. What is a unique bagel store that recently opened?