Shamrock Shuffle

My search for a bagel in Harlem intensified this St. Patrick’s day, as thousands of New Yorkers got into the holiday spirit with all things green – the beer; the clothes; and of course, the shamrocks. But there was one piece of green that was conspicuously missing.

“Any chance you’ve got a green bagel?” I asked the young man behind the counter of a bodega on 126th Street in Harlem.

I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted to channel the St. Patty’s Day spirit in my own way. It’s a holiday that I’ve never fully embraced, and I figured that with a green bagel in hand I had a better chance of falling for the four-leaf clover.

While explaining this logic to the bodega clerk, the luck of the Irish struck. Although the clerk informed me that the green bagel was not in stock, a woman who was shopping in the store turned to me and said:

“You think it’s hard finding a green bagel here? Just try finding the green Shamrock Shake.”

“The Shamrock Shake!” I gasped as Midwestern memories of its cool minty freshness flooded my taste buds.

I quickly learned that this creamy concoction has nearly disappeared but that New Yorkers are committed to its return. In fact, there’s a “Bring Back the Shamrock Shake” Web site devoted to the cause.

I scoped out three different McDonalds here in Harlem; alas, it was nowhere to be found. But I’m convinced that if enough people are looking for the green shake, I’ve got a shot at the green bagel. However this bagel search shakes down, the plot has certainly thickened…