The Making of Bagels/貝哥

My first meeting with a bagel was also about 24 years ago in Victoria Market, Melbourne, when we came over to Australia for holiday and to check Melbourne out. We were having a family outing, walking along the stores and we came to a stop at the sandwich outlet. The word bagel caught my attention and I pointed at a stack of big and round doughnut like bread rolls  out to my husband and my children nodded and I bought and was filled with the pick of the owner of the store 'cos at that time we all didn't know what was the right choice of filling for a bagel. We thought it was something very special but we were all very disappointed. I googled about bagel and was surprise that they looked so different from the one I bought at the Victoria Market.
A year later we came back but this time we stayed in Sydney. Again while walking back home from a shopping trip, I saw a similarly filled  bagel sitting  on a plate and the owner of the bagel was reading his newspaper beside a table set on the side walk of a cafe. I took a look at his bagels and immediately he lowered his paper and asked me, "How can I help you?" I smiled and pointed at the bagel and he answered, "That's a bagel." I said, "No, not. That's a bread roll that looked and shaped like a doughnut, I can bet you I can make bagels that this and they'll be the best in town." I just walked away and I think he must be shocked and couldn't figure out, why I said this to him and walked off.
So, I really did make the best bagels in town according to my friend's husband who grew up eating bagels and also my sons' fellow head chefs after eating the bagels that I've made. Bagels should be fill with smoked salmon, capers, thinly slice onion, cream cheese, freshly cracked pepper and dill, for savoury tasting one. Either strawberry jam and cream cheese or honey and cream cheese for sweet tasting one. I've been making bagels for about 22 years now and am still making it from time to time.

                    Bagel with smoked salmon, sliced onion, capers, cream cheese and dill.
                                            

                                                    Bagel with cream cheese and honey.