I sympathize! As a native New Yorker (Long Island) now living in North Carolina, I was excited to learn that a local bagel shop was opening and touting real New York bagels. They don't have the chew a NY bagel is famous for, let alone the right density. Side note: there are people who have tried them and swear they're the best bagels ever. It's probably a good thing they don't know what they're missing.