# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**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, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/61 "2015-05-05T20:05:05Z")
Today, my partner and I are starting a new tradition: Celebration Cinco de Mayo with Chinese. Hope it catches on. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/62 "2015-05-05T20:46:21Z")
Just curious…I would imagine the Chinese food Americans eat is a far cry from what they eat in China? ---
**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, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/63 "2015-05-05T21:21:14Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Just curious…I would imagine the Chinese food Americans eat is a far cry from what they eat in China? It’s about as close as Taco Bell is to Mexican 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, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/64 "2015-05-05T21:25:07Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Just curious…I would imagine the Chinese food Americans eat is a far cry from what they eat in China? From what I understand from the people who work there, it’s nothing like real Chinese food. Too much fat and sugar. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/65 "2015-05-05T21:31:18Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > It’s about as close as Taco Bell is to Mexican food. Cinco de Mayo is mostly an American holiday (and in Puebla, but it probably didn’t start there), so Taco Bell is the most appropriate meal today. And of course, authentic != better. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/66 "2015-05-06T02:49:43Z")
Oddly enough my family eats Mexican food for Christmas, well, our homemade interpretations of Mexican food, anyway. Probably closer to Taco Bell than real Mexican food. It started as making chili to replace the fussy, formal turkey or ham meal my mother wanted and evolved from there. Chinese sounds good, though. Maybe next year. ---
**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 6, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/67 "2015-05-06T03:03:39Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Just curious…I would imagine the Chinese food Americans eat is a far cry from what they eat in China? Correct. I haven’t been to the mainland, but I’ve been to Taiwan a couple of times. There’s not much comparison between Western Chinese food and what is eaten in the East. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/68 "2015-05-06T12:20:51Z")
**Leaffan** , what can you tell me about the differences? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/69 "2015-05-06T13:36:34Z")
Back when I was married we had some friends who were estranged from their family on both sides. So the husband and I would go for dinner at a Chinese restaurant while our wives did whatever the hell they ended up doing. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/70 "2015-05-06T19:23:36Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Wait what? Isn’t Chinese food like porky porky pork pork pork? How is that kosher? According to Fran on The Nanny, it doesn’t count when it’s Chinese food. 😃 ---
**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 7, 2015, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/71 "2015-05-07T00:44:34Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > According to Fran on The Nanny, it doesn’t count when it’s Chinese food. 😃 When Fran first brought Chinese food into the Sheffields’ home, the younger daughter (Gracie) asked about the grease stains on the bag. “Mmm, extra flavor!” Fran replied. ---
**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 7, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/72 "2015-05-07T00:57:09Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > **Leaffan** , what can you tell me about the differences? A lot more seafood and a lot more, or at least different, spice. At lunch with suppliers one day they ordered a bowl of spicy baby octopus, I think in hopes of shocking us. But me and my colleague had no problems digging into it, and eating it with chopsticks. Needless to say the supplier was impressed. You won’t find anything like sweet and sour chicken balls, or garlic spare ribs. Again, much more seafood oriented. Rice is on the side and just steamed rice. No chicken fried rice or anything. Chicken feet are common. There are always dipping sauces: some soy based, some hot sauce, even wasabi in some cases. It’s been, what, 16 years since I was there last so I don’t remember everything, but sweetness was not a flavour, and seafood was abundant. I don’t even recall beef or pork, just sea creatures of all types, and chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/73 "2015-05-07T01:40:32Z")
My family is Christian and we celebrate Christmas. Our Christmas-night tradition is to eat Chinese food and watch “A Christmas Story” which, funny enough, ends at a Chinese restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211/74 "2015-05-09T18:26:54Z")
Like several others, never on Christmas day, but occasionally Christmas Eve. This past one, for example. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-eat-chinese-food-for-christmas/719211.md?page=3)