In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy/foamy, about 5-10 minutes. If yeast does not foam, start over again with new yeast.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 °F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. When pretzels are formed (see next step), heat the water to boiling.
When dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. I had good luck rolling my pretzels the traditional way, which is to keep the two ends of the dough pretty skinny, and the middle of the dough-roll thicker. Shape into a pretzel shape and then slash the thick part of the pretzel lightly with a knife, to allow the dough to open up slightly while baking.
Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution (keep at a low-boil). Leave pretzel in the solution for 5-10 seconds, until it floats to the surface, then transfer to a greased baking sheet. If the pretzel falls out of its knot during the water-dipping process, just re-form shape on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and/or cheese. (From Simone: bring the water with the baking soda to a boil (I don't measure 4 cups, I just fill the pot like I would for a pack of noodles and put half a cup baking soda in), form your rolls (or pretzels) then put them in, turning them once or twice (they will swim at the top). Take them out, put them on a cookie sheet (spray the sheet with non-stick), add a bit of course salt, and bake pretzels according to recipe, tolls will take a bit longer (15 to 20 minutes).
Bake for 8 minutes, until browned. Best eaten fresh out of the oven!