A. The Egyptian Bondage didn’t happen all at once. The Jews were not enslaved overnight. It was a gradual process that started off with lots of carrot and ended up with all stick. Romaine Lettuce (or endive) represents that – for the longer they sit before harvest, the more bitter they get. The white root-stalks actually have a bitterness, that’s the age of the lettuce creeping up into the leaves.