Why American Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas
Why American Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas
If theres a single identifiable moment when Jewish Christmasthe annual American tradition where Jews overindulge on Chinese food on December 25transitioned from kitsch into codified custom, it was during Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagans 2010 confirmation hearing.
During an otherwise tense series of exchanges, Senator Lindsey Graham paused to ask Kagan where she had spent the previous Christmas. To great laughter, she replied: You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.
Never willing to let a moment pass without remark, Senator Chuck Schumer jumped in to explain, If I might, no other restaurants are open.
And so goes the story of Jewish Christmas in a tiny capsule. For many Jewish Americans, the night before Christmas conjures up visions, not of sugar plums, but plum sauce slathered over roast duck or an overstocked plate of beef lo mein, a platter of General Tsos, and (maybe) some hot and sour soup.
But Schumers declaration that Jews and Chinese food are as much a match of necessity as sweet and sour are, is only half the wonton. The circumstances that birthed Jewish Christmas are also deeply historical, sociological, and religious.
The story begins during the halcyon days of the Lower East Side where, as Jennifer 8. Lee, the author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles , said, Jews and Chinese were the two largest non-Christian immigrant groups at the turn of the century.
So while its true that Chinese restaurants were notably open on Sundays and during holidays when other restaurants would be closed, the two groups were linked not only by proximity, but by otherness. Jewish affinity for Chinese food reveals a lot about immigration history and what its like to be outsiders, she explained.
Estimates of the surging Jewish population of New York City run from 400,000 in 1899 to about a million by 1910 (or roughly a quarter of the citys population). And, as some Jews began to assimilate into American life, they not only found acceptance at Chinese restaurants, but also easy passage into the world beyond Kosher food.
Chinese restaurants were the easiest place to trick yourself into thinking you were eating Kosher food, Ed Schonfeld, the owner of RedFarm, one of the most laureled Chinese restaurants in New York, said. Indeed, it was something of a perfect match. Jewish law famously prohibits the mixing of milk and meat just as Chinese food traditionally excludes dairy from its dishes. Lee added:
If you look at the two other main ethnic cuisines in America, which are Italian and Mexican, both of those combine milk and meat to a significant extent. Chinese food allowed Jews to eat foreign cuisines in a safe way.
And so, for Jews, the chop suey palaces and dumpling parlors of the Lower East Side and Chinatown gave the illusion of religious accordance, even if there was still treif galore in the form of pork and shellfish. Nevertheless, its more than a curiosity that a narrow culinary phenomenon that started over a century ago managed to grow into a national ritual that is both specifically American and characteristically Jewish.
Clearly this whole thing with Chinese food and Jewish people has evolved, Schoenfeld said. Theres no question. Christmas was always a good day for Chinese restaurants, but in recent years, its become the ultimate day of business.
But theres more to it than that. Ask a food purist about American Chinese food and youll get a pu-pu platter of hostile rhetoric about its inauthenticity. Driving the point home, earlier this week, CBS reported on two Americans who opened a restaurant in Shanghai that features American-style Chinese dishes like orange chicken, pork egg rolls, and, yes, the beloved General Tsos, all of which dont exist in traditional Chinese cuisine. The restaurant gets it name from another singular upshot of Chinese-American fusion: Fortune Cookie.
Schoenfeld, whose restaurant features an egg roll made with pastrami from Katzs Deli, shrugs off the idea that Americanized Chinese food is somehow an affront to cultural virtue. Adaptation has been a signature part of the Chinese food experience, he said. If you went to Italy, youd see a Chinese restaurant trying to make an Italian customer happy.
That particular mutability has a meaningful link to the Jewish experience, the rituals of which were largely forged in exile. During the First and Second Temple eras, Jewish practice centered around temple life in Jerusalem. Featuring a monarchy and a high priesthood, it bears little resemblance to Jewish life of today with its rabbis and synagogues.
So could it be that Chinese food is a manifestation of Jewish life in America? Lee seems to think so. I would argue that Chinese food is the ethnic cuisine of American Jews. That, in fact, they identify with it more than they do gefilte fish or all kinds of the Eastern Europe dishes of yore.
Over the centuries, different religious customs have sprung up and new spiritual rituals have taken root, many of which draw on the past. Jewish Christmas, in many ways, could very much be seen as a modern affirmation of faith. After all, there are few days that remind American Jews of their Jewishness more than Christmas in the United States.
Tags
Who is online
102 visitors
The story begins during the halcyon days of the Lower East Side where, as Jennifer 8. Lee, the author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles , said, Jews and Chinese were the two largest non-Christian immigrant groups at the turn of the century.
Great information Nona.
Thanks.., I never knew this!!
Nor did I.
To be honest, I just sent the link ( ) to my sister -- who is Jewish -- to find out how accurate it is.
I hope it's true, because it is very, very cool!
Reuben with sweet-and-sour...
I didn't either..I have dear friend who is Jewish..I'll have to ask her..
lol..Now, that could be interesting!
Reuben with sweet-and-sour... That has possibilities!!! (sounds good)
I didn't know that , although I can't recallever eating a Chinese dish with dairy so this is believable .
although I can't recallever eating a Chinese dish with dairy so this is believable . I can't either
Great article. It stirs quite a bit within me. I'd like to fill in just one small detail, if you don't mind. I'm 3 generationAmerican. My grandparents came from Eastern Europe, and lived in the Lower East Sideduring the period in question.
It's true that it was easier to rationalize eating Chinese food, as opposed to Italian and Mexican, because those cultures mixed dairy with meat in their cuisine,and the Chinese did not. But the Chinese cooked with pork and shellfish, which are also verboten for a kosher regimen. They ate the Chinese food because they COULDN'T IDENTIFY the ingredients in question, because everything was shredded into one big pile of cooked food. They rationalized that if they couldn't identify it, it didn't matter.
This, from the horse's mouth...
Some Jews also make it an absolute tradition to go to the movies on Christmas afternoon.
Very interesting!!
They rationalized that if they couldn't identify it, it didn't matter. Kind of like..out of sight..out of mind.
Nothing else is open.
I'll be there tomorrow afternoon.
Fascinating article!
Aside from the main point, I also found it interesting that Chinese food generally doesn't contain dairy. I wonder why? (Maybe for some reason they don't raise many cows in China?) .
I've never thought about it, but since the article mentioned it, I realized that I don't think I ever had dairy in a Chinese restaurant. (no milk, no yoghurt-- not even any cheese. ).
The closest they have might be "Bean Curd" (AKA Tofu) but that's Soy not Dairy-- but like dairy it can be a good source of Calcium. And silky Tofu is sort of creamy, but i don't know if Chinese cuisine even uses that.
I'm glad you found it so interesting. It never dawned on me that dairy wasn't in Chinese food either! I learned something today, and that's always a good thing!!
Gefilte Fish with Hoisin Sauce and with the ever-mysterious "Chinese Vegetable"....LOL! (Actually it might be good with Sweet & Sour Sauce. And I think most fish would be good with Ginger, Scallions & Garlic like the Chinese often do.)
There is one item that I think may be the same thing in both cuisines--- Wonton = Kreplach?
And Italian Ravioli. Polish Pierogi. Are they all really the same-- or different? Oh-- and of course Indian Samosas.
And the British-- traditionally when it comes to food, they seem to prefer boring. So they merely call them "dumplings". (How mundane
.
Most cultures have some sort of dumpling. Perogies are usually an all-purpose flour based dough and filled with mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, mushrooms, sour cherries, or just about any other filling you can think of. They are a traditionally Eastern European dish.
Ravioli is made with the same type of dough that you make spaghetti out of - usually from durum semolina flour. Usual fillings are cheese, meat, or veggies (or combination of any) and are an Italian dish
People (Jewish or otherwise) who venture out this Christmas day and who live in certain areas will now be able to see "The Interview" (the movie that angered N Korea)-- it will be shown in a few theatres.
I think it's also online . Let me know if you want a link ...
Actually the Chinese rarely eat cheese, or even use butter. McDonalds introduced many of them to cheese with its cheesburgers. However I love all kinds of cheeses and have to go to a store that imports foreign food to buy them.
Many Chinese kids ask me if I like Chinese food. I tell them that if I didn't I'd starve here. But more seriously I tell them that I've been eating Chinese food since I was a toddler. My mother was a stay-at-home housewife, looked after the kids, cleaned, cooked the meals all week other than Sunday. For Sunday dinner we always went out for a "special" meal at the Pagoda Restaurant in order to give my mother a break. Sunday brunch was the classic lox and bagels with cream cheese, herring, cheese slices and egg salad.
Actually, I didn't think anything was open on Christmas Day.
Actually the Chinese rarely eat cheese, or even use butter. McDonalds introduced many of them to cheese with its cheesburgers I was beginning to think that there was no cheese in China...I forgot about China having Mc Donalds.
Why is it that China doesn't have dairy? No cows? If not, why not?
Do they raise goats?
Do they have Yak milk? Water Buffalo milk? Or Dragon milk?(I don't know-- are Dragons mammals? The ones I've seen in zoos look sort of like giant Lizards (with wings of course)---which would make them reptiles. Like lizards but much biggers-- and much cooler of course).
LOL...
Dragons look quite ferocious, but are actually quite friendly.
They make wonderful pets. Well, if you can get one. Usually they are busy protecting important things (& people) from evil.
Actually there's a famous Christmas song, traditionally played by Chinese restaurant owners on Christmas day--its based on an ancient Chinese prayer beseeching the Olde Gods of Business & Restaurants for a prosperous Christmas Day:
ROFLOL!! That is hilarious! I read that this year Mariah really messed up the song at the Rockefeller Center this year!!
Of course there is always the occasional Chinese person who does celebrate Christmas-- surprising as that may be to some:
LOL!!!
You wouldn't believe Christmas here. At the schools all the classes have Christmas parties, the stores and shops market Christmas no different than in America. Christmas decorations are everywhere. However, to them it isn't a religious holiday (but then it has changed from being that in Western countries as well, has it not?).
This will give you an idea what Christmas looks like in China:
WOW!! Talk about being Merry and Bright! Beautiful!!
Home for the evening.
Went to see "Unbroken".
Went to dinner. Had hot & sour soup,mu shu tofu and sauted string beans.
Merry Christmas!
The supermarkets, even little mom-and-pop variety stores, sell lots of milk and yoghurt, including many flavours of yoghurt drinks. However, I've not seen dishes in restaurants that are prepared with dairy.
By the way, dragons in China are not bad - they're positive symbols of power, strength and good luck. If you live near a Chinatown, you might have seen a dragon dance.
My sister answered that she doesn't know this as a coherent history lesson... but she confirms all the bits and pieces.
Cool!
Sounds YUMMY!!!
That's good to know...
Never to old to learn. Is proved to me day in day out. Thanks I have Chinese and Jewish friends but was not aware of this. We spend Christmas at home so some unique features of different religions and country's of origin is wonderful to learn.
I love it when I learn something! (and I have a LOT to learn!)