Let us give thanks
Don Coldsmith
Originally published 02:39 p.m., February 18, 2008
Updated 02:39 p.m., February 18, 2008
A few weeks ago I was thoroughly enjoying breakfast as I began to mentally plan my day. At home as a child, I remember the importance of breakfast. In our family it was mandatory. Without the energy furnished in a hearty breakfast, how could a person last until noon, which was DINNER, not “lunch.” The evening meal was supper, of course, and must be hardy enough to last until morning, (the longest time without food.) There, we “break our fast.” Breakfast!
I was eating a bagel, which I had never even heard of until I was grown and out on my own. No special reason, except that bagels are an ethnic food, a sort of a Jewish doughnut. Not many were found in the great plains until after World War II, because families of Jewish descent were scarce.
There’s more of a mix now, and less of a fuss about it. At least, I hope so. There’s likely to be some friction when an ethnic mix occurs, but a lot depends on the attitude of the newcomers. That’s another subject, however.
The history of bagels goes back into ancient times and can be narrowed down to the bible story of the Jews when under the leadership of Moses, got out of Egypt in a hurry, away from their virtual slavery. At one time, I did a lot of research about Moses. He practically became the founder of modern civilization and at least three major branches of religion. But that’s another story. For this purpose, BAGELS. Let’s take a look at the setting. He needs to lead the Jews out of Egypt, against the military might of the most powerful army in existence.
Timing is everything, to fit into the annual weather pattern. They must be packed and ready for travel, with food to travel on. Meat will be cooked at the last moment and every house of a family of “the People” marked so that a quick message will rouse them into action. They’ll need food for travel, of course, besides that of meat.
BREAD is a staple food of their culture, as in our own. Here, we can see a problem. Bread is very susceptible to spoiling because of the intrusion of mold, a fungus-like airborne growth which seems to be found everywhere. But, it does require air.
Enter Moses again. He had been educated as an Egyptian prince, in all the subjects available: military, math, biology, language, medicine — we get the idea.
I’m sure Moses did some experimenting. Bread, in the presence of air, will mold. In the middle of a loaf of moldy bread, however, is a soft, mold-free center.
We can imagine the frustration of the Emperor’s cooks with his experiments. Eventually, Moses came up with the bagel. It has a hard but edible shell, which served to protect the soft center. When it’s cooked, the soft center becomes hot enough to kill any mold that happens to be there. The outside “shell” can’t easily be penetrated, so unless it’s broken, very little chance of spoilage remains.
The doughnut-shaped bread can be strung on a cord, a thong or a stick, and will “keep” for far longer than any other design of “bread” we can think of. In addition, it even tastes good!
For symbolic purposes, we can think of the bagel in its true light. It saved the civilization from which at least four major religions have emerged. Besides, they’re delicious.
See you down the road.
Author and columnist Don Coldsmith lives in Emporia.