A typical conversation at the Friday night dinner table may go something a little like this:
Person A: Oy, I feel so bloated, my IBS is driving me crazy, I’ll just stick to boiled chicken and water tonight.
Person B: I know what you mean! My son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, nectarines, rice, cheese, bread and mandarins. I’m too scared to send him to school in case he develops a reaction from one of the other kids lunches.
Person C: I don’t know what any of you are complaining about. I’ve had Crohns disease for 7 years and just found out last week that I’m also fructose, lactose and gluten intolerant. No challah for me tonight.
Competition amongst Jews is common. Talking about food amongst Jews is even more common (this is starting to sound like an add for MasterCard). Competing over who has more of a food intolerance or gastrointestinal issue combines those two together. Amongst my friends and family, you name it and someone will have it. Coeliac disease, fructose intolerance, lactose intolerance, IBS, nut allergies, ulcerative colitis, yeast intolerance – it certainly keeps things interesting. Lucky for me, my stomach is impervious to majority of foods.I’ve heard the notion that being Jews, we tend to worry excessively. This worrisome nature can increase indigestion which can cause sensitive stomachs. Then, there is always the concept that we happen to pack in a lot more food then your average Joe Blo with all our holiday festivities and family celebrations. Maybe we are just overusing our gastrointestinal system beyond its capacity, on the other hand it may be due to the restrictions we have around food.
The truth is, I think it all comes down to the fact that we like to talk, we like to analyse everything, and we love to complain.
On a more serious note, Crohns disease, a genetic disorder, happens to be more predominant in Ashkenazic Jews because of our genetic makeup. Apparently its four times more common amongst Jews compared to the rest of the population. So we’re not just being hypochondriacs, there is some scientific basis to our sensitive stomachs.
I’m not quite sure how useful this information is in anyway, but as we prepare our stomachs for milky madness I feel a competition coming about: Challenge yourself - how much lactose can you handle?
