# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Anon01245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b77776/32.png) [@Anon01245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anon01245)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/41 "2015-05-04T20:32:11Z")
Some of the times. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/42 "2015-05-04T20:55:30Z")
I read an article not long ago about it being a Jewish thing, but I think they’re taking too much credit. Eating Chinese on Christmas and other holidays when most other restaurants are closed is something I and people I’ve known have been doing for ages. If not Chinese, then ethnic food in general, if it’s open. The main thing is, “it’s open.” Where I live now the only decent Chinese place nearby is closed on Sundays & holidays so it’s no help at all. I get the Chinese restaurant run by Christian Chinese I guess. Just my luck. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/43 "2015-05-04T20:58:54Z")
Well, I certainly had the traditional Christmas dinner of my people last Exmas. Next time, I’ll get the fried potstickers, not the steamed ones. Chag Sameach! Where I used to live, there was a Chinese restaurant very near the JCC. The host there greeted folks in Yiddish. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/44 "2015-05-04T21:07:40Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > How does someone “look Jewish”? I mean, without a yarmulke or Star of David or… [https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+of+woody+allen&oq=picture+of+woody+allen&aqs=chrome..69i57.4063j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8](https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+of+woody+allen&oq=picture+of+woody+allen&aqs=chrome..69i57.4063j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/45 "2015-05-05T00:06:22Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > How does someone “look Jewish”? Old, old joke. Erich Segal made fun of it in _Yellow Submarine_ when a Blue Meanie confronted Jeremy Hilary Boob. “Are you…bluish? You don’t LOOK bluish.” Arthur Schwartz, the very fine food writer, discusses Jews and Chinese food and Christmas in both _New York City Food_ and _Jewish Home Cooking_. In the early 20th century, the main cheap restaurants in NYC were Italian and Chinese. Jews felt out of place in the Italian joints because the proprietors would often stick up pics of the Virgin Mary or something. The Chinese places weren’t run by Christians, and if they put pork or shellfish in things, it was cut up small so you couldn’t tell. “If I don’t see otherwise, it’s Kosher.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/46 "2015-05-05T00:27:32Z")
You people need a holiday to eat Chinese food? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/47 "2015-05-05T00:31:29Z")
I have, because there are only three of us and we like Chinese food. Otherwise I do the whole Thanksgiving type meal again, because we like that, too. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/48 "2015-05-05T00:38:14Z")
I think we did when we were living in New York (I’m not Jewish, my wife is). My wife’s family actually celebrates Xmas, although they haven’t put up a tree since I’ve known them. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/49 "2015-05-05T01:08:22Z")
Not Jewish but we do it as often as we can; which has been often enough to become friends with a couple of the other people ducking their families and having some fun for the holiday. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/50 "2015-05-05T02:03:07Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > 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? Wait what? Isn’t Chinese food like porky porky pork pork pork? How is that kosher? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/51 "2015-05-05T02:13:19Z")
Wife has known devout Jews and Muslims who, at work buffets, call ham “smoked salmon.” She gave up trying to be helpful because they would insist, “No, this is smoked salmon.” It’s called The Great Jewish Dilemma by a Jewish friend: free ham. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/52 "2015-05-05T07:14:31Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Wait what? Isn’t Chinese food like porky porky pork pork pork? How is that kosher? The pork or shrimp fried rice certainly isn’t kosher. The chicken or beef fried rice could be kosher, for a given definition of kosher. I really don’t care to go into a discussion here and now on what would make a restaurant kosher or not. The short answer to your coment is I wouldn’t expect a chasidic or very orthodox Jew to have Chinese food. A reform or conservative probably would. A moderately orthodox Jew might. It depends on how strictly they observe the laws defining Kosher. The last band I was in, our drummer had a daytime job as the Rabbi at the local Jewish old folks home. He was conservative and when I asked him about Chinese food, he said there’s a sort of exemption for Chinese restaurants, but don’t mention it to Rabbi Name of Rabbi of local Orthodox congregation. It’s sort of like that joke that ends with “And Baptists don’t recognize each other when they’re waiting in line to pay the cashier at the liquor store.” ---
**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 5, 2015, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/53 "2015-05-05T07:24:31Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > You people need a holiday to eat Chinese food? 😕 Any day we eat Chinese food is a holiday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/54 "2015-05-05T08:33:43Z")
Apart from the Jews, there’s also another billion or so people who tend to have Chinese food on Christmas day. ---
**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 5, 2015, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/55 "2015-05-05T08:47:17Z")
Tabby\_Cat, all I can say is that you should read the first article I linked to. It says the following: \> “Chinese restaurants were the easiest place to trick yourself into thinking you were \> eating Kosher food,” Ed Schoenfeld, 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. “Closer to Kosher food than many cuisines” does not mean “Kosher.” ---
**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 5, 2015, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/56 "2015-05-05T08:52:22Z")
levdrakon writes: \> I read an article not long ago about it being a Jewish thing, but I think they’re \> taking too much credit. Eating Chinese on Christmas and other holidays when \> most other restaurants are closed is something I and people I’ve known have been \> doing for ages. Unless you’re much older than I think you are, this Jewish tradition started before you and the people you know began doing the same thing. It started in the early part of the twentieth century in New York. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/57 "2015-05-05T09:42:06Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Apart from the Jews, there’s also another billion or so people who tend to have Chinese food on Christmas day. Sure, but do they get a fortune cookie? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/58 "2015-05-05T10:02:47Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Sure, but do they get a fortune cookie? [only at this one place](http://www.eater.com/2014/12/22/7435321/china-taste-american-chinese-food-fortune-cookie-shanghai). ---
**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 5, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/59 "2015-05-05T11:10:54Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Wait what? Isn’t Chinese food like porky porky pork pork pork? How is that kosher? It’s not. But not every Jew keeps kosher. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/60 "2015-05-05T11:29:12Z")
Every Thanksgiving, and some Christmases, my partner, our son, and I take Amtrak from Portland ME to Boston and have dim sum in Chinatown. Once or twice we went the traditional route and that was enough for our son, and certainly for us. 🙂 (No, we are not Jewish.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211.md?page=4)