bagels come traditionally flavored (savory) and modern, (sweet)-- the savory flavors are plain, egg, pumpernickel and plain with; salt or poppy seeds or seseme seeds or onion and with everything, salt, poppy seeds, seseme seeds and onion!
new modern sweet bagels are raisin, or blueberry, or maple walnut, etc.
NYC residents (born and bred) tend to eat savory bagels.
bagels are served with butter, or a schmer (of cream cheese) or fancy (with cream cheese and lox, or cream cheese and 'cavier' roe, or with lox and eggs and onions (a LEO) or plain (nothing!) so an everything with nothing is an everything bagel, with nothing on it.
transplanted NYers eat cinnamon raisin bagels spread with strawberry jam.(yuck!)
real bagels, like pretzels, are boiled (or steamed) before being baked. the boiling gives them a distintive crust.
