Bagels and Lox

The girls were very excited that bagels and lox were on the menu for supper tonight. Watching them gobble it down made me wonder at their ability to eat pretty much anything and enjoy it--especially foods at which I know many adults would turn up their noses! Susan toasted "ET" (for "everything") bagels, which are covered with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, toasted garlic, toasted onion, and caraway seeds. Then she smeared them with cream cheese and piled on smoked salmon (the lox), sliced red onions, and capers.

This is not a meal my own mother ever would have considered serving (if she even knew that it existed as a food item!), but I'm pretty sure that, had she ever served it, my sisters and I would have cringed. Uncooked fish? Red onions? And what's a caper?! Meh, our taste buds were not accustomed to pungently savory items. (The three main spices in my childhood home? Salt, pepper, and white sugar.) Had I been used to such a variety of foods and flavors, as our girls are, I wouldn't have thought it unusual, either, I'm sure.