Your St. Louis bagel problem is real
I'm gonna be real with you—I saw this story about pumpernickel bagels, and I just had to stop. Look, when five different people from Jewish St. Louis are all saying the same thing about how hard it is to find a good pumpernickel bagel here, that's not a coincidence. That's a *crisis*. We're talking about a city that prides itself on its food scene, from the toasted ravioli at Charlie Gitto's to the gooey butter cake you can find at any bake sale. And we can't get a decent pumpernickel bagel? That just feels… wrong.
### Why This Matters for the Lou
This isn't just about bread, folks. It's about identity, about what makes a city feel like home.
* **Culinary Identity:** St. Louis has its own unique food culture. We've got our own pizza (Imo's, fight me), our own style of BBQ, even our own cheese blend (Provel, a gift from God). But for a city with such a rich history and diverse population, to have a specific, beloved item become elusive? That's a gap in our culinary fabric. * **Neighborhood Vibe:** Think about picking up a bagel on a Saturday morning. Maybe you're headed to Soulard Market, or grabbing coffee in the Central West End. A good bagel spot is a neighborhood anchor. If folks in Chesterfield or the Hill can't find their pumpernickel, it impacts those small, daily rituals that stitch our communities together.
Look, you can find a slinger at practically any diner, you can get Ted Drewes on Chippewa even in winter, and you know there's a brewery tour waiting for you at Anheuser-Busch. But a pumpernickel bagel? This just highlights how some things, even in a city as resilient as ours, can still slip through the cracks. It's a small thing, maybe, but it speaks to a bigger question: what are we losing, and what do we need to fight to keep?
That's the Lou — we're still here and we're not leaving.
My guy, Kev, and the crew are talking about this and more on the Morning Wire every day. You should check it out live at mornings.live.