In late October, LA resident Taylor Offer posted a TikTok complaining about his negative experience at a NYC bagel shop. After attempting to order a gluten-free, scooped bagel, Offer was apparently told, “Dude, I’m not scooping your f---ing bagel, bro.” He objected, because “It’s like, dude, that’s how I want it.” So yeah…he was asking for it.
Unsurprisingly, New Yorkers — and bagel lovers everywhere —had thoughts. The video racked up over eight million views and thousands of comments (mostly in support of the bagel shop) in three days. People rightfully pointed out that this request created more work for the bagel shop, and besides, a scooped bagel is a crime.
Other controversial bagel orders
Bagel crime is a real problem, apparently. In 2018, Sex and the City star and then-gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon ordered a bagel at Zabar’s. Cream cheese, lox, red onion, tomato, and capers on a…cinnamon raisin bagel. That's right, I said cinnamon raisin.
Nixon’s *unique* choice sparked a firestorm of outrage among New Yorkers, who could not stand to see their beloved bagel and lox defiled in such a way. Nixon stood by her bagel order, posting what seems to be an AI-produced mock-up of her beloved breakfast on Twitter as part of a campaign fundraiser.
But in the minds of New Yorkers, Nixon had committed a crime against the bagel gods, and it very well may have cost her the election. Okay, she lost the primary with 34% of the vote, so it probably wasn’t just the bagel. But it certainly didn’t help.
The bagel crimes continued in June 2023, when internet darling Alix Earle posted a TikTok featuring her go-to bagel order: pork roll and cream cheese on an egg bagel. Pork roll is apparently a New Jersey specialty involving fried sliced ham, usually served on a roll with egg and cheese, which sounds perfectly delicious. Earle’s combination of cream cheese and pork roll proved to be more divisive.
TikTok commenters derided Earle’s order asking, “How can so much go wrong with one bagel?” Even her own sister turned on her jokingly saying, “That looks disgusting.” But like Nixon, Earle stood by her order, “I always get made fun of for my bagel order but it’s really the best concoction and I don’t care,” she said. Luckily, she’s not involved in politics (yet).
Clearly, people feel strongly about bagels. These doughy discs are more than just a delicious breakfast treat. They’re a political statement, a potential crime, a possible reason for banning someone from the state of New York (okay, I made up the last one). But if nothing else, we can all learn a valuable lesson from Nixon and Earle: if you love something, stand by it, no matter what the haters say. As for Taylor Offer, a GF, scooped bagel…that’s just criminal.