I got some from Hegel’s Bagels, a new gig by a tall guy named Jordan from New York. They’re delicious, and 80 RMB ($12) for a baker’s dozen and free delivery (at least for me).

Bagels are a rarity in China. I guess the Jew refugees from 1930s and 1940s Europe didn’t stick around long enough to introduce them to the Chinese. A few Western restaurants have bagel sandwiches on their menus, and there’s Mrs. Shanen’s Bagels in Shunyi — the expat-laden community near the airport, which according to Google maps, is almost two hours from where I live. Mrs. Shanen (not her real name) has been almost single-handedly satisfying Beijing’s bagel needs since the mid-1990s.  Sometimes I am lucky enough to buy a couple when I go to the western food market. The NYT loves to profile her shop.

Anyway, I’m don’t know when or if bagels will ever catch on in China. According to the Times profile from the 2008 Olympics, Chinese people are still confused about to what to call it:

Bagels are not yet a familiar part of the Chinese consciousness. They have a variety of translated names, including 焙果 (beiguo) and 贝果 (also pronounced beiguo). And one of the top searches for “bagel” on google.com.cn is “bagel是什么” (or “What is a bagel?”), which is described here as “doughnut-shaped Jewish bread.”

Mrs. Shanen calls her bagels “贝谷” (beigu). Hegel’s Bagels has “高级面包” written all over its bag — but that just means “advanced bread.” But while the Chinese figure out what to call it, I’m just going to add bagels to the growing list of yummy Western staples I can order from at work.

Picture inside.