🥯 Bagel, unsliced, with rules | Morning Newsletter
And ‘Task’ as ‘pandering Delcofest.’
The Morning Newsletter
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Happy Wednesday, Philly.
The region’s most anticipated bagel shop comes with rules: No slicing. No sandwiches. No singles. That’s prompted some strong feelings among dough lovers.
And HBO series Task is an edge-of-your seat pandering Delcofest. One Delaware County-based columnist is loving it.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Venture-backed, TikTok-popular PopUp Bagels is planning to open eight shops in the Philadelphia area, starting in Ardmore’s Suburban Square. Gluten hounds have thoughts.
🥯 What the fuss is all about: The bagels are served fresh and sold only in batches of three, six, or 12. PopUp has a policy of never slicing the rounds, which means no slathering by staff and certainly no sandwiches. (So, nothing like the emoji pictured to the left.) Instead, customers are encouraged to eat by tearing the bagels by hand and dipping into its schmears, which come in individually sized tubs.
🥯 What fans say: Some local devotees are happy to stand in line for the light and fluffy bagels. And they like the brand’s gimmicky partnerships — cheese-ball cream cheese with Hanover-based Utz, for instance — because above all, they say, they’re delicious.
🥯 What detractors say: In short, that the shtick is not worth the hype. They also have qualms with the order minimum (“What am I going to do with three bagels?” one Ardmore resident said) and the recommended method of consumption (“It’s like you’re eating chips and salsa”).
Reporter Beatrice Forman has the scoop on the viral bagel brand.
In other food news: East Passyunk Italian deli L. Mancuso & Son has reopened after a lengthy renovation. Plus, we mapped the best martinis in Philly.
The recent TV trend of basing tough-guy and -gal shows in the Philly area continues. While Long Bright River, Dope Thief, and Deli Boys are more straightforwardly set in the city, Task follows the lead of Mare of Easttown in portraying the intricacies of the bordering Delaware County.
Brad Ingelsby, who created both Task and Mare of Easttown for HBO, is from Chester County. He’s so committed to the Delco bit it’s almost pandering, according to columnist and Delconian-by-marriage Stephanie Farr — but that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually kinda great.
The show is chock-full of references to real, beloved places (shoutout to Llanerch Diner) along with local colloquialisms (ahem, “smacked ass”).
The only big misstep she’s noticed so far? The pronunciation of “Lancaster.”
Farr explains why the show’s setting feels like validation.
More on Task: See our mapped guide to the local spots featured in the first three episodes. And The Inquirer’s Nick Vadala, a native of Ridley Township, has high praise for the show’s attempt at an idiosyncratic accent.
What you should know today
A Chester County man was charged with trafficking two teen girls from Mexico and Guatemala and forcing them to work at a mushroom farm, the state attorney general said Monday.
A Chester man has been charged with murdering his high school classmate as he drove on I-95 after a 2023 reunion.
A man who was accused of trying to build weapons of mass destruction inside his family’s Mayfair home was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
A former Bucks County doctor who made millions by prescribing unnecessary pills has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
A North Wales financier has been sentenced to four years in prison for fraudulently persuading two private credit firms into lending him a total of $72 million.
Despite escalating anti-vaccine rhetoric, most Americans support vaccine mandates, a University of Pennsylvania survey found. Plus, an expert at Lancaster’s Amish Research Clinic is dispelling the myth that the Amish have “essentially no autism,” as President Donald Trump said Monday.
A new report details how immigrants in Philly and its collar counties over the last decade have made major economic contributions and saved the state from population loss.
The Midtown Village Merchants Association has canceled its annual Fall Festival for the first time since the pandemic, citing rising city costs and fewer sponsors.
Quote of the day
Created during the Broad Street Bullies era by ticket salesman Bob Mitchell, the orange and black bumper sticker is still beloved today, especially in the wake of Flyers goalie Bernie Parent’s death on Sunday.
🧠 Trivia time
The Met Philly is set to be the first stop on the North American tour of the British singer who goes by Yusuf. But it may not happen due to visa delays. What other name does the singer use?
A) Sting
B) Cat Stevens
C) Elton John
D) Ed Sheeran
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🔬 Learning: What’s next in the lab of Penn cancer researcher Carl June.
🛜 Following: Where Pennsylvania’s $793 million broadband investment is going.
🎞️ Watching: The full trailer for Prime Video’s Saquon Barkley documentary.
🍻 Jealous of: The Villanova students who got their $10,000 Kelly’s Taproom tab covered by two famous alumni.
🚉 Considering: SEPTA GM Scott Sauer’s pitch for a sustainable funding solution.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Music school
INTUIT CRUSTIEST
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Mo Vitche, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Philly Fashion Week.
What started out as a weekend of outdoor shows at City Hall’s plaza back in 2006 is now one of the most respected regional fashion weeks in the country. Plus: Five years after this Camden influencer had both of her breasts removed, she walked in a New York Fashion Week lingerie show ― eight months pregnant.
Photo of the day
Here’s hoping we get a few more moments in the sun this week. Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. I’ll be back with you tomorrow morning.
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