Gov. Andrew Cuomo won the Democratic primary for governor of New York this week, just four days after his opponent, Cynthia Nixon, ordered lox with cream cheese, red onions, tomato and a sprinkling of capers on a cinnamon raisin bagel.
On Rosh Hashanah, yet!
Governor Cuomo was renominated by more than 30 points. I doubt his opponent's unconventional bagel order figured much in her defeat.
But the resulting public outrage risked making Ms. Nixon look like she doesn't know her bagels. A real schmear, if you please, in New York politics. And glommed attention from other issues, including that one of Gov. Cuomo's former aides approved a campaign mailer that tried to link Cynthia Nixon to anti-Semitism.
Gothamist broke the tale of the cinnamon bagel and lox, with Jake Offenhartz writing, "I personally have had a stomachache since tasting the pungent concoction, and am now debating whether to ask for a raise or a sick day."
"That's really disgusting — I mean like, it's terrible," Jake Dobkin told the site. "A horrifying example of globalism."
Or as a number of people observed, "Lox her up!"
But Cynthia Nixon argued that lox, onion, cream cheese, tomato and capers on a cinnamon raisin bagel is just sweet and salty diversity.
"Don't yuck my yum," she said. Some people then rallied to her defense on social media.
New Yorkers consider themselves broad-minded. They embrace people from all over the world, all kinds, colors, faiths, orientations and vocations, and even people from New Jersey.
New Yorkers are the most broad-minded people on earth. Until they disagree with you; especially about something like bagels. Then they can get as haughty as a French person who sees someone plop an ice cube in their glass of wine. They sniff and sputter, "It's ... just ... wrong!"
I applaud Cynthia Nixon for having the courage of her food cravings. She is a lifelong New Yorker, who must know the long list of candidates who committed culinary political self-immolation when they were seen eating pizza with a fork, quaffing milk with a kosher hot dog, or cutting a bagel crosswise, like a sandwich on white bread.
Maybe she should have just told those who asked about her bagel inclinations, "I like lox on cinnamon raisin bagels. And if you don't like it, you can kiss the backside of the Brooklyn Bridge."
Come to think of it, that could be the New York City motto!
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