Swimming in Bagel Land

By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

Yesterday I lost one family member: one of my dear goldfish passed and is likely swimming in fish Shangri-la. It was an odd accident and I prefer not to give you the fishy details but it made me sad. I remember after the Angora Fire at South Lake Tahoe, I lost Romeo and Juliet (two goldfish I had for five years) to a well-meaning neighbor who took care of them. (Note: Do not change fish water daily.) And I cried for three days at least. It was a Shakespearean tragedy of sorts. Anyhow, the orange and white no-name fish is gone (when you moniker your fish they will break your heart when they go to utopia). So, today I adopted two more multi-colored goldfish when I purchased my Brittanys' dog food. Those two fun-loving, carefree 40 pounders eat more than I do. Okay, that was the sad news. Looking at the lox made me think of my lost fish like in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea...

Enter bagels. On the upside, life does go on and I'm currently in bagel nirvana. On the weekend, I brought home a dozen of a bagels, including whole grain, onion, plain, and sesame seed types. I had forgotten how wonderful bagels are and how versatile they can be.

Back in my starving college days (similar to the ongoing Great Recession) I lived on bagels fixed in many ways, which I bought in the student union. It was a great treat to have a server dress up the bagel of your dreams. It was an on-the-go student's meal in itself. This past memory is a reminder for me to do go to Bagel Land for the week. Here's today's easy does it bagel recipe followed by a bowl of fresh strawberries that I enjoyed for my post-swim. My mantra: I wish I was a fish.

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Fishless Bagelwich

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1 onion bagel, sliced, toasted

2 tablespoons cream cheese

2 sliced roma tomatoes

2 slices avocado

1 tablespoon black olives

mixed dark green lettuce

alfalfa sprouts

I decided to forego eating fish for a few days. I enjoyed this bagelwich in front of the aquarium in my study/dining room. Images of the beautiful beta (I almost brought him/her home) lingered in my mind as I ate the vegan sandwich, bite by bite. I'm glad I left out the lox this time around. I swear I was a mermaid in my former life--and there better be an infinity pool in heaven. (I'm Catholic.) Today, tourists (plenty of 'em young ones) were amid me in the water but it was doable. I pretended they were man eating sharks and still got a good swim. No matter about the kid who did a cannonball about 6 inches from my head and his parent who behaved oblivious. The private hot tub with an awesome relaxing ambiance made up for the challenge of getting my laps in--and it was my reward.

So, I leave you today with the word that I'm now sliding into my bagel phase and will probably provide a few more bagel delights in the upcoming days. I wonder how I'll incorporate chocolate into a bagel--a crossiant, yes. I'm sure if there is a will there is a way. I miss my fish with no name.