[tkln]

Luckily Burlington had pretty good sushi the last time we were up there. :-)

[arel]

I have not found good (i.e. New York) bagels in Rhode Island or Vermont. I did not like the bagels at the bagel place near the Brattleboro Food Co-op. And my friend in Rhode Island, who grew up in a largely Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, frequently asks me to bring bagels and whitefish salad when I visit. She has said you can't find good bagels in Rhode Island. She is of Finnish heritage, but she really misses the Jewish food from New York. And she has been living in Rhode Island for decades.

Fortunately, bagels are easy to make. It's like making bread, but I think you form the shape and then boil the bagels in water before you bake them. (I made them over 30 years ago.) I had a great recipe, but I lost it. The bagels really tasted authentic. I wish I could find the book the recipe was in. .

To make real traditional bagels, you use potato water.

Maybe I'll look in other Jewish cookbooks. Maybe I'll search the web for a good bagel recipe! I would need it for my mental health in Vermont.

[ontheroad]

Another aloud giggle

In Amsterdam, I tried to make bagels from a British cookbook--difficult, long process, knead, rise, boil, bake--but they turned out to be pretzels (lol).

I had a long talk with my local Park Slope bagel people before I left NY to see how to make a bagel--anywhere--as no, I never tasted a bagel like a New York bagel, and he said, "itz da wader." (trans. it's the water).

So, here in Taos, with few people keen on Jewish food, but everyone wanting a bagel, one of the local cafes has bagels flown in from NYC three times a week

However, Arel if you find a recipe, please share.

Originally Posted by arel

I have not found good (i.e. New York) bagels in Rhode Island or Vermont. I did not like the bagels at the bagel place near the Brattleboro Food Co-op. And my friend in Rhode Island, who grew up in a largely Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, frequently asks me to bring bagels and whitefish salad when I visit. She has said you can't find good bagels in Rhode Island. She is of Finnish heritage, but she really misses the Jewish food from New York. And she has been living in Rhode Island for decades.

Fortunately, bagels are easy to make. It's like making bread, but I think you form the shape and then boil the bagels in water before you bake them. (I made them over 30 years ago.) I had a great recipe, but I lost it. The bagels really tasted authentic. I wish I could find the book the recipe was in. .

To make real traditional bagels, you use potato water.

Maybe I'll look in other Jewish cookbooks. Maybe I'll search the web for a good bagel recipe! I would need it for my mental health in Vermont.

[vter]

Sushi? Can't say it's a favorite of most Vermonters, which is why you don't see much of it around! A former co-worker used to go to Koto in South Burlington for his sushi fix. From what I could gather, he was a picky eater, so if he went there, it must be OK.
Bagels...not a huge bagel fan. You can get Montreal Style bagels and Myers in Burlington. Other than that, not sure where you can get them besides Brueggers (ok in my book, but like I said, not a big fan in general) or Dunkin Donuts (eeewww). There are a couple mom & pop bagel places around too...Trono's in South Burlington to name one.
Maybe Chaz-Lounge knows of some NY style bagel places around?!

[tkln]

I can't remember the name of the sushi place we ate at, but it was on one end of Church Street, and it was pretty well known. It wasn't the best sushi I've ever had, but it was definitely good enough to satisfy us...

I know of places out west that import the NYC water for their bagels. I do love bagels, but don't eat them often enough to 'need' them. Sushi, on the other hand...sigh. I'm a junkie, what can I say.

Ironically, there is a bagel place in Stowe which has a pretty darn decent bagel. It's in the Baggy Knees shopping center and we always hit that when we're up there.

[arel]

I have been asked to share a bagel recipe, if I find one.

Well, I did a Google search of bagel recipes and found several. I haven't tried any of them yet, so I can't comment on them.

But if you do a Google search for "bagel recipes" you'll find them.


Some possibilities if you are a New Yorker in Vermont:

-Eat Vermont bagels
-Import bagels from New York
-Make your own bagels
-Don't eat bagels
-Move back to New York
-Visit New York and eat bagels there
-Re-educate your taste in foods
-Re-educate your taste in bagels
-Develop detachment
-Distract yourself
-Don't eat anymore
-Do what you have to do and fantasize about bagels
-Try New Hampshire bagels
-Eat a bialy

There are always alternatives and the hope of adaptation.

[Jason_Els]

1. Reasonable pay. Vermont's cost of living is completely out-of-whack with its cost of living. Nobody but nobody pays. Move to Vermont to retire if you have lots of money or are making lots of money.

2. Late night food. Dennys is about it.

3. Museums. Not entirely fair to Vermont as no place in North America can duplicate NYC's museum experience, but culture goes with it. You can't just decide to go do something new every night. You run out of things very quickly before the next cultural event comes along.

4. Milder winters. Vermont winters are tough. Winter comes faster and stays longer.

5. Gay bars. Despite its image, there isn't a single one in Burlington.

6. Ease of transportation. You must have a car to get around unless you're a penniless student and even they need cars. Unless you live right in downtown Burlington near CityMarket, you need a car. Scooters are cute for about 5 months, then you need a car. Want to head to any place you have to fly to? Need to get on a puddle jumper plane and fly to a connecting city or drive to Boston or Montreal or Albany. It takes effort.

7. Ethnic diversity. Vermont is one of the whitest states there are. Not making a judgement call about that, but you won't find a Little Anything in Burlington. It's so white that my sister took a college class on ethnic diversity where they actually had a black person come in and talk about being black because so few students had any interaction with black people before. It may sound ridiculous but it's true.

8. Shopping. Burlington has wonderful shops, creative people, and good taste, but it doesn't have a Saks or a J. Press or Prada. Again, no place can match New York for shopping, but it is something to miss.

9. Late night life. Unless you're a student, there isn't much nightlife. People actually do go to bed in Vermont.

Disclaimer: I love both places very much and wish I could combine the best of both of them.

[arel]

Very well-thought out and useful post. Lots of things to think about.

I'm trying to think of how much applies to Brattleboro. There's lots of stuff to do there, lots of culture, and lots of restaurants. I think the Food Co-op stays open late and it has an eat-in area. Winters are supposedly milder in Brattleboro than in most other areas of the state, but I have been warned that they are cold and long. I wonder how much worse they are than NYC winters.

[Jason_Els]

Burlington does have surprisingly good food, as does Montpelier, and a reasonable number of exotic cuisine places. There's no Ethiopian (God I miss The Blue Nile in Manhattan), but there is good Thai, Indian, Vegan, Japanese (Sakura is the place on Church Street), Burgers, Italian (N & S), French, Spanish, and Asian fusion (Five Spice is a blast).

NYC winters aren't bad for two reasons: First, it's on the water so the warm Gulf Stream waters mean that NYC's actual climate is two USDA zones warmer. Second, all that concrete creates a microclimate. Concrete absorbs the sun's warmth during the day and releases it at night making the city about 5 degrees warmer than just a few miles inland. Snow too is rarer as a result of this but also because the prevailing winds generally don't bring as much precipitation.

You see all those horrendously expensive winter clothes the designers put out? Lightly padded jackets and coats with open collars, vents, and wide hems? Chic little ankle-height boots with high heels? Costs plenty, looks great.

Well you can wear that in Manhattan and you'll stay warm and dry enough.

Wear that in Vermont and you'll freeze to death; if the snickering flatlanders don't embarrass you to death first. LL Bean may not flatter the figure but it does the job.

[vter]

Jason - You "get it". Awesome posts! You can be an honorary Vermonter LOL!