In the beginning of pregnancy, I craved all the Jewish foods because…. I just wanted savory, salty, delicious things. I wanted matzo ball soup and egg salad especially. So I ate those things. Then, the cravings progressed into rice noodles — all the rice noodles in all the forms, so I satiated myself with multiple rice noodles in several forms over the course of weeks. And then this week, all I seem to be thinking about that makes me salivate are bagels. Onion bagels. Sesame bagels. Everything bagel. Egg bagel. Bacon, egg, and cheese (BEC) with toasted bagel.

To date, my favorite bagel I’ve ever had in my life was the just-out-of-the-oven egg bagel from Absolute Bagels in Morningside Heights here in New York City. My next favorite bagel is from Best Bagels and Coffee in Midtown West; not only is their service the definition of fast and efficient, but they are always SO friendly there. Plus, the bagels are always insanely fresh – no need for toasting there. And my third favorite bagel is the coal-oven baked and boiled Montreal-style bagel I had on our last day in Montreal about seven years ago. I still salivate thinking about how toasty and nutty that bagel was.

All I could think about this entire week was: I need a bagel. But will that bagel be smeared with cream cheese (vegetable or garlic/chive is usually my go-to cream cheese, if not plain), or will I add some protein and delicious fattiness with bacon, egg, and cheese? I couldn’t decide. Well, after getting my blood drawn to check my thyroid levels tomorrow, I’m going to treat myself to a TBD bagel nearby, and my entire week will be complete once I have it.