Losing 6-0 in a Tennis Match

Slate today has a fascinating article on the history and popularization of the stereotypical American Jew-food, the bagel. Though the article alludes to the recent book recounting the history of the bagel written by a half-Jewish, Poland-born, BBC-employed Londoner, it at least adds to it (note the discovery of bagel-hieroglyphics by the Slate-author, Joan Nathan), though most of it seems to be an epitome of the book itself.

As a contrarian on so many levels, I don't like bagels much at all. Though I miss the frozen Lender's of my New Orleanian and St. Louisian youth, microwaved and then toasted. And I do sort of like pumpernickel ones. But they're never my first choice. (And lox best comes in sushi.)