The Secret Jewish Vegetable (UPDATE)

Amy Fine Collins wrote an autobiographical essay in Vanity Fair about growing up Jewish and being embarrassed about it, while her teenage daughter wants to reclaim her Jewish identity.

This anecdote at the end was something I had never heard of:

The last stop of this meditation is Zagorsk, Russia, where, troubled by the anti-Semitism he encountered there, my friend Andrew Solomon asked a local peasant why, in his estimation, there was such antipathy everywhere against Jews. Without a moment’s hesitation, the peasant answered, in Russian: “It is because the Jews have a secret vegetable they eat so they don’t become alcoholics like the rest of us. And they refuse to share that vegetable with anyone else.”

Yes, the secret Jew vegetable! How did they find out?

In fact, many people say that the reason Jews aren't as likely to be alcoholics (though of course some are) is because children drink wine from a young age at Friday night dinner, so the allure of forbidden fruit (or vegetables) is not as strong.

But the Jews are more than happy to share the secret - especially the sickly-sweet version that many grew up with - with non-Jews.

There's your secret vegetable right there.

UPDATE: Rebbe Yell found a book referencing the vegetable legend - and adds a crucial detail.

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