I eat plenty of bread that's non bagel shaped and fairly evenly baked. So do people that eat bagels. I'm going to guess that you consider rolls and a slice of

I eat plenty of bread that's non bagel shaped and fairly evenly baked. So do people that eat bagels. I'm going to guess that you consider rolls and a slice of bread different bread, though. The sheer amount of the 'crust' on a bread roll contributes significantly to the taste and texture of a roll. Similarly, the sheer amount of "inside bread" on a slice affects its texture and taste. And of course, they affect how they cook. Same thing with a bagel. A good bagel has a fairly chewy outside and a somewhat dense interior. Changing the ratio of these two affects taste. Heck, you even notice it if you eat different sizes of bagel. I'll also note that the shape isn't often all that frustrating, at least to me. Half of the bagels I've eaten have very little hole in the middle and they hold sandwich fillings pretty well. Edit: I might be a little nostalgic, though: I moved to a place with few bagels indeed and I kind of miss them.