Do connections matter?

There’s been a rumbling in the publishing world that Jessica Seinfeld (wife of the comedian Jerry Seinfeld) might have borrowed recipes from Missy Chase Lapin. Why? Because the recipes and ideas in Deceptively Delicious (Seinfeld’s book) are similar to The Sneaky Chef (Lapin’s book). And why is there a fuss? Because Lapin’s book had been rejected by the publisher (which they said at the time was too similar to another book they had) that later published Seinfeld’s.

I hate to think that such a high profile person would stoop to that so I am skeptical. However, those who have read the two books, which addresses how to sneak vegetables into your kids’ meals, have said that there are striking similarities.

Oh and did I mention that Seinfeld’s agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh was also the agent for Kaavya Viswanathan the Harvard student accused of plagarism (she…ahem…wrote How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life)?

Incidentally, both books are doing well (though one perhaps better than the other). Perhaps it’s just synergy. Great minds thinking alike and all that. I’m optimistic.

You can read about the whole mess at the food blog Tigers and Strawberries.

And more here.