Related story - a friend had crashed at my apartment and in the morning I offered to pick up bagels from the place down the street. He thanked me, and I came back a few minutes later, bearing the best goddamn bagels in California. He said, "Where's the cream cheese?" I said, "You didn't ask for cream cheese." He said that with bagels it's implied, because "otherwise it's just bread." I said, ". . . I don't see the problem here."
I have told this story to many people and not one of them has sided with me.
I’m with you but it depends on the bagel and that’s probably the problem.
Many people only really have experience with like frozen/mass produced bagels, which are not good dry. Good toasted with cream cheese or butter, but not dry (speaking from intensely lazy experience).
But if you get one of the good ones that’s baked with cheese and is just soaked with delicious? Made by a good bakery? No question I’ll eat that dry. It doesn’t need extra if you make it right.
Add some shredded cheese or whatever, some fresh chives (grow 90% of the year here), some bacon, and some water or oil for mouthfeel (based on calorie needs) and you’ve got a whole meal.
Potatoes are cheap and so filling. Passing on them as a meal is a mistake.
Baked potatoes are great as leftovers but you gotta move fast because they go bad in a couple days. Simply bake an extra and the following day cube it up and fry it in a pan with some oil and seasonings. Get some crispy golden brown crust on there. Serve with eggs or beans or whatever else you like. Personally I recommend an omelet with mushrooms and onions and your favorite hot sauce.
I know some Russians, that even though they had become petite bourgeoisie, they would go out of their way to enjoy their old countryside way of living by burying some potatoes under the ground by an inch or so, building a nice campfire, then drinking themselves silly waiting for the fire to die down enough for them to push it around to dig out their potatoes then eat them as is while passing around a salt shaker and cussing about how hot the potatoes are when they bite into them.
Literally just a meal of beer or vodka and potatoes
Yes, huge fan. Edit: had this all the time w my fam, we'd do a build your own spud, similar to how flakes says below. We call them jacket potatoes. Don't have them so much after moving out but it's a bloody easy meal.