I usually don’t like having too much choice. When I go into these make your own salad places that are all the rage in Paris (though quite expensive), I feel pressured. This sometimes happens when I go into bakeries as well when I decide to opt for a different type of bread than usual and find myself stuttering as I try to quickly make my choice with a hungry line full of people behind me, tapping their feet and sighing in true Parisian fashion. Bagel shops, for example, are the kinds of places that induce lip-biting indecisiveness for me – plain, onion, whole grain, cinnamon raisin, poppy seed, pumpernickel, sourdough, garlic, sesame seed, blueberry – the options are endless and really, I’d do better with less choice.
Florence Finkelstein of Finkelstein’s Jewish Bakery in the Marais (a MUST-stop for visitors)
Luckily, in Paris the choice is limited. Historically, bagels originate from Poland in the 17th century when Jewish families would bake them to conclude the sabbath since they cooked very quickly unlike other types of bread. In Paris, the traditional Jewish bagels are slightly knotted and a bit larger than the bagels you’re likely to find in shops and supermarkets, but you’re…
