Daniel Thompson Changed The American Diet

You probably have never heard of Daniel Thompson, but his invention, the bagel machine, changed the American diet, ushering in the packaged bagel and making it a staple of fast-food outlets.  Bagel making history is divided into pre Daniel Thompson and post Daniel Thompson says Matthew Goodman, author of "Jewish Food:  The World at Table."  "What happened with the advent of the automated bagel-making machine was that bagel makers were capable of producing far more bagels than had ever been imagined."  Mr. Thompson's machine proved to be a mirror of midcentury American history.  For bound up in the story of its introduction, is the story of Jewish assimilation, gastronomic homogenization, the decline of trade unionism, the rise of franchise retailing and the perennial tension between tradition and innovation.  Prior to Mr. Thompson's invention, bagels were a staple in Jewish households only.  Making them by hand was time consuming, so the only place bagels could be bought were in a Jewish deli.

Although many might argue that the automated bagel machine made the bagel a widespread food item, enjoyed by all.  Others think it's a tragic story, what happened to the bagel.  The tough, round heart of North American Jewish cuisine, with European roots reaching back hundreds of years, the bagel was until the mid 1960's, only available in neighborhoods dominated by Jews.  Bagels were meant to symbolize the circle of life.

Bagel making used to be a skill that was passed down from father to son, and the technique was fiercely guarded from outsiders' prying eyes.  All bagel makers were members of the International Beigel Bakers Union, founded in 1907.  Every bagel made in New York City up until the 1960's was a union bagel, the reason being that their members were the only ones who knew how to make a proper bagel.  If the bagel union threatened a strike, headlines might say something like, "Bagel Famine Threatens in City."  It was Lender's Bagels that first used Mr. Thompson's machine.  Today, Lenders is the largest maker of bagels in the U.S., producing 750 million a year.

Mr. Thompson was a math teacher by profession, but his love was invention.  His other notable invention was the foldable ping pong table.  He resided in California all his life, and died at 94 in Rancho Mirage.  He is gone, but his invention of the automated bagel machine, changed our lives forever.