#BAGELGATE

Did Cynthia Nixon lose the primary because of #BAGELGATE?

Bagels are SO New York and that’s why the controversial bagel order of celebrity-turned-gubernatorial-candidate Cynthia Nixon caused a frenzy on social media last Sunday, days before the primary election. At Zabar’s on the Upper West Side Nixon ordered, cream cheese, lox, tomato, red onions and capers on… a cinnamon raisin bagel??  New Yorkers and food critics were outraged and distraught over the native New Yorkers bizzare bagel. New York Magazine reporter Chris Crowley called the bagel “troubling”. Stephen Colbert commented “Now, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say this is the worst Nixon scandal in the history of politics.”

Nixon’s own opinion on the matter. “I’m stunned. This is my bagel of choice for a few decades now. It’s never been public knowledge, and I really am fascinated that people are so emotional about it.”

As we all know our choices at the polls are influenced by our social identity, party affiliation,  and policy issues. Can our votes be influenced by obsessions with TV shows (ahem, Sex In The City) or due to another candidate’s Italian heritage and the fact that he’s the Godfather to your favorite Piano Man’s child?

Or by bagel preferences? I didn’t want to chance any influence, so last thursday I intentionally voted before I headed over to Surfside Bagel (95-11 Rockaway Beach Blvd.) to taste test the Nixon bagel.

People put pineapple on pizza for god’s sake, How bad can it be? I had to know.

I went up to the counter and asked for the Cynthia Nixon bagel. There was a look of confusion on the employees face. I explained and she recalled her daughter mentioning the bagel, but I  was the first person to order the controversial combo from Surfside.

I asked all three employees to take a bite, only Shfrana Alli was game. The others politely said they already had breakfast and were full (but were they really repulsed by the thought of eating it?). I also asked two customers to have a taste. The results:

“I would have been willing to try the bagel if it wasn’t for the capers, I’m not a fan of them.” said customer Melissa Mcloughlin.

Yasmin Bootwala visiting Rockaway from Phoenix said she would give it a try. “I usually like savory bagels but the sweet/salty combination here is nice. I like it.”

Surfside employee Shfrana Alli’s reaction to the unorthodox bagel, “It’s sooooo good. It’s a perfect combination and I’ve tasted lot of bagels working here!”

My first reaction was bipartisan. It wasn’t delicious but it wasn’t that bad. I ended up eating half of it. If the capers were omitted the bagel would’ve tasted better. There are too many competing flavors and anyway you try to spin it, the raisin /  caper combination tastes outright strange. On the way home I had a weird aftertaste in my mouth which made me think that, realistically, I’ll never order the Nixon bagel again.

I still would vote for her in the future though.