'Round bread with a hole in the middle' is what I thought bagels were for most of my life. On the rare occasions I came across one that's all they tasted like, and I was bemused by the enthusiasm for them in American media. But recently the proper boiled ones have enjoyed a sort of hipster foodie craze over here, and lots of specialty bakeries and market-based home business have popped up selling the proper boiled ones. Talk about a revelation. They're delicious.