alkaline water is why a lot of asian noodles are yellowish, like ramen.
it's also a big part of german breads like pretzels. it contributes both flavour and colour (it's why they get so dark brown). less texture and chew i think, that's a side effect of just being in the water bath.
imo baking soda baths for pretzels is mostly pointless. it's just not strong enough and doesn't contribute very much. if you don't want to use lye in the kitchen, which can be a little dangerous if you aren't careful, you can convert your baking soda (bicarb, or sodium bicarbonate: NaHCO3) into washing soda (sodium carbonate: Na2CO3). it's still safe to use, but it's a much stronger base (like, thousands of times stronger), and as a result works very well for cooking situations that might otherwise call for lye. all you have to do is spread your baking soda out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake it in a hot oven for like an hour or so, take it out, let it cool, and tip it into an airtight container. then proceed apace.
