# Do you eat Chinese food for Christmas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211 "2015-05-04T05:11:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/1 "2015-05-04T05:11:23Z")
According to data from Google Trends and GrubHub, Chinese food remains the most popular type of food order on Christmas: [http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/smallbusiness/chinese-food-christmas/index.html](http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/smallbusiness/chinese-food-christmas/index.html) > [@](#): > > GrubHub (GRUB) says Chinese food is 152% more popular on Christmas Day than it is throughout the rest of the year. In fact, three of the top five days of the year to order Chinese food are Christmas, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, followed by “smoking holiday” (4/20) and Labor Day. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/2 "2015-05-04T05:47:27Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/3 "2015-05-04T06:22:35Z")
No. I’ve not heard of anyone doing that. The Chinese restaurants would pretty much all be closed on Christmas Day anyway. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/4 "2015-05-04T06:40:52Z")
Change the thread title to “Are you Jewish?” Tradition. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/5 "2015-05-04T06:52:43Z")
I have before, or Christmas Eve, or Indian food. Not Jewish. Yes, they are generally open. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/6 "2015-05-04T07:05:40Z")
Often. With just two of us at home now and one a vegetarian, it’s just not worth cooking a large meal. The Chinese restaurant is the only one in town open on Christmas Day and is always packed with customers. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/7 "2015-05-04T07:16:45Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > No. I’ve not heard of anyone doing that. The Chinese restaurants would pretty much all be closed on Christmas Day anyway. Ditto, from Canada, ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/8 "2015-05-04T07:40:35Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > According to data from Google Trends and GrubHub, Chinese food remains the most popular type of food order on Christmas: [http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/smallbusiness/chinese-food-christmas/index.html](http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/24/smallbusiness/chinese-food-christmas/index.html) They are always open. We got sick of having turkey all the time and found other things to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/9 "2015-05-04T08:12:07Z")
The tradition of Jews eating out at Chinese restaurants apparently started in New York in the early twentieth century. There were a lot of people there of Jewish ancestry. They had a vacation day on Christmas. They didn’t want to do anything like a Christmas celebration. Chinese restaurants were often open on Christmas. The food there was closer to kosher food than many cuisines. So why not go out to a Chinese restaurant to eat? And afterwards, why not go to a movie, since movie theaters are often open on Christmas? Eating Chinese food and watching movies on Christmas is thus an American Jewish tradition. It’s spread to other American cities with significant Jewish populations. It doesn’t seem to have spread outside the U.S. Some non-Jewish non-Chinese Americans also have a tradition of eating Chinese on Christmas too. > **[Why American Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas](https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/why-american-jews-eat-chinese-food-on-christmas/384011/)** > > A lack of dining options may have started Jewish Christmas, but now it’s a full-fledged ritual. > **[Chinese Food On Christmas Is No Longer Solely A Jewish Tradition](https://gizmodo.com/chinese-food-on-christmas-is-no-longer-solely-a-jewish-1674883026)** > > This is the time of year when, for American Jews such as myself, visions of Chinese plum sauce dance in my head. It's a trend that dates back decades—the Chinese food Christmas meal has been whimsically described as a sacred Jewish tradition. But,... > **[Kung Pao Christmas: Movies, Chinese food become a Jewish tradition](https://www.post-gazette.com/life/holidays/2014/12/26/Kung-Pao-Christmas-Movies-Chinese-food-a-Jewish-tradition/stories/201412260058)** > > One reason for the ritual? Chinese restaurants and movie theaters tend to be open on Christmas, and most other places aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/10 "2015-05-04T09:09:21Z")
We got a couple of Peking Ducks last Christmas because we couldn’t be bothered roasting anything, and it was the best decision ever: this year we’re considering going the whole hog and just getting the local takeaways - who are seriously awesome - to cater it. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/11 "2015-05-04T10:18:45Z")
What Wendell said. As a Jewish ex-girlfriend of mine explained it, Christmas to her is just a day when everything’s closed, but many Chinese restaurants are open. She also claimed that movie premieres are sometimes scheduled for Christmas Day with Jewish audiences in mind. Also: \* A Jewish man and a Chinese man are talking about their cultures. The Chinese man says, “My people have been around 3000 years”. The Jewish man says, “Well, my people have been around _5_000 years”. The Chinese man says, “Really? What did you eat for the first 2000?”\* ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/12 "2015-05-04T11:34:01Z")
Jewish here, but we never did when I was growing up. Now my kids think it’s a fun thing tradition so occasionally we’ll do it. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/13 "2015-05-04T11:40:17Z")
When I was a teenager (in the 1970s) my family always went to a show and ate at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas and/or Easter. I remember seeing a play about the life of Lenny Bruce; I’m pretty sure I saw the play “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on a holiday as well. My parents were Christian (at least back then; my father gradually became an atheist later) but enjoyed being a little wacky from time to time. Eating non-traditional food and watching shows with four-letter words on important religious holidays struck a pleasing note of intellectually fulfilling non-conformity for them. I don’t remember my childhood years with particular fondness, but now that I think about, those outings were a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/14 "2015-05-04T12:33:14Z")
Christmas dinner is a big deal on both sides of the family, so we’ve never had take-out or gone to a restaurant. And, sadly, there are no decent Chinese restaurants near where we live, so even if we wanted to, we wouldn’t. We did go to a movie one Christmas - it was a Star Trek thing. I hate Star Trek. I hate movies in a theater. So this will never become a tradition for me. And now I want some good Chinese food, dammit! I should never have opened this thread. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/15 "2015-05-04T12:48:09Z")
Never on Christmas - we always have beef tenderloin stuffed with bleu cheese and mushroom bread pudding. But on Thanksgiving, if it’s just me, my husband, daughter and son, I usually make homemade orange chicken and fried rice. I don’t like turkey much at all (though my great grandmother’s stuffing is worth being forced to ooh and ahh over the bird), so sometimes I prefer a smaller Thanksgiving over the Big Meal. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/16 "2015-05-04T12:57:14Z")
I certainly would if I could but I guess in Australia they are not allowed to open. Maybe due to liquor licencing laws(?) A few years ago for the first time ever cinemas were open on Christmas Day. I took my son to a session on the assumption that no-one would be there. It was an absolute sellout. In the session we saw it seemed that we were the only non Muslims there. At that point I realized that there are plenty of people that, like me, but for cultural reasons don’t care about Christmas day. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/17 "2015-05-04T12:58:53Z")
“_Fa ra ra ra ra_”! Another Jew here. I’ve never had or even sought out Chinese on Christmas. I must say, unless I eat with friends at their celebration, I don’t really pay any attention. Maybe that can be \*my \*new tradition. Truthfully I would rather have some kung pao than the typical Christmas style meal. Also, I would get a giggle thinking of that scene from _A Christmas Story_. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/18 "2015-05-04T13:39:24Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Change the thread title to “Are you Jewish?” > > Tradition. I thought Chinese food and a movie was an American Jewish tradition simply because that’s all that’s open on December 25. There’s an annual Jewish singles dance in Boston, the Matzoh Ball, every December 24. That’s become pretty popular in the region. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/19 "2015-05-04T13:51:54Z")
Often, it’s always packed. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/20 "2015-05-04T13:58:09Z")
We often ate Chinese for Christmas and in recent years my Jewish friends would go to Chinatown and a movie. I’ve only ever heard of it as Jewish thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211.md?page=2)