“Tradition!”: Why Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas

All humans have specific biological needs that must be met.  We must sleep, we must breathe, and we must eat.  Eating is inherently biological but also culturally controlled in various ways.  Food provides insights into one’s identity, which is why there is an entire field of anthropological study focused on cultures and food.  Within this vein of inquiry is today’s blog post, which seeks to answer the question of why American Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas.  While searching for this answer I discovered that Chinese food actually goes beyond just being a Christmas tradition; it is one that has been incorporated into American, particularly New York City, Jewish identity.  This blog post will provide the cultural historical reasons for how and why Chinese food is now understood to be part of American Jewish identity.

 

It all started over a century ago (in the late 1800s and early 1900s) when European and Asian populations began immigrating to the United States.  European populations came to the US to escape poverty and in search of the “American dream,” meaning the ability to make an economically stable life for themselves.  For Jewish populations, there was an additional reason why they came to the United States: to escape religious persecution they were facing throughout Europe.  Asian populations, particularly Chinese, were also drawn to the US seeking economic prosperity, but they were actively recruited or tricked into coming.  Chinese men were hired to build the rail road lines or mine for gold, whereas many Chinese (and other Asian) women were either kidnapped and forcibly brought to the US or lured under false pretenses wherein they thought they would be working for legitimate businesses but then forced into prostitution.  European populations entered and began settling the eastern coasts, while Chinese and Asian populations worked and settled the western coasts. 

 

Chinese populations later moved east due to increasing anti-Asian sentiments, which brought about a variety of extremely discriminatory laws and led to various bloody riots.  Many moved to the cosmopolitan and seemingly immigrant friendly cities, including New York City, and due to their previous experiences Chinese immigrants opened up businesses that did not put them in direct competition with other immigrant or American populations.  One such business enterprise was the budding restaurant industry, which led to various Chinese restaurants popping up across the United States.  These restaurants were in less competition with other immigrant owned restaurants for various reasons.  Chinese restaurants provided inexpensive and seemingly exotic food that other restaurants could not or did not provide.  The décor in Chinese restaurants was areligious, and the food served was specifically tailored to appeal to various tastes.  Many other restaurants catered to specific clientele, making them feel exclusive.  Chinese restaurants specifically provided a welcoming environment to and for all patrons, making them pluralistic safe havens for various diners, regardless of racial or ethnic identity.  Furthermore, when Prohibition took hold in the 1920s it was reported that many Chinese restaurants ignored the law and served traditional alcoholic beverages to their paying customers.

 

According to some scholars food is an important part of Jewish heritage as it is not just about sustaining nutritional needs.  Food is also used as a means of bringing together people within the community, and the act of eating delicious food is viewed as a connection to God.  Traditional Jewish customs maintain strict dietary customs and restrictions, which is known as eating kosher.  Under kosher requirements one cannot eat unclean meats, must only consume meat from humanely butchered animals, and can never consume meat and cheese together.   While the first Jewish immigrants to the US were very keen on maintaining these culinary traditions subsequent generations were more interested in assimilating to mainstream American culture.  This coincided with the new American trend of eating out.  While there were several different restaurants available to patronize many Jewish individuals were limited by the core Kosher requirements, socioeconomic status, and a need to feel like eating out was a special treat.  This drew many to Chinese restaurants.

 

Chinese cuisine is prepared and cooked in ways that make it a safe unkosher option for Jews.  The food very rarely (if at all) combines dairy and meat together, which is one of the central requirements of kosher cuisine.  While Chinese food does utilize “unclean” meats these can either be easily avoided or are minced or chopped up that Jews either do not realize or can willfully ignore their consumption.  Also, many of the key ingredients in Chinese cuisine are similar to those of traditional Jewish meals, meaning they appealed to the already established Jewish tastes.  Chinese food was also typically inexpensive, meaning any Jew, regardless of their socioeconomic status, could enjoy eating out at these restaurants, and the exotic nature of the cuisine fulfilled that “special treat” desire that eating out typically encouraged.

 

An additional important factor for why Jews eat Chinese food is that both Chinese and Jewish immigrants shared several key characteristics in common-they were non-Christians who were and continued to be widely discriminated against.  Jews who patronized Chinese restaurants often felt safe in these establishments, whereas in other places anti-Semitic sentiments were openly evident.  Additionally, Jewish patrons were welcome in Chinese restaurants because Chinese restaurant owners strove to create and foster a welcoming atmosphere for all.  Because the Chinese were also non-Christians their restaurants were often the only ones open on Christian holidays, providing the only option for eating out for Jewish patrons.  This is actually what led to the tradition of eating Chinese on Christmas.  Jewish people still wanted to be included in the Christmas celebrations, although they did not want to celebrate Christmas in the traditional ways.  As the holiday is about celebrating with family and friends over a large meal Jews could still feel included in the mainstream holiday by eating out at Chinese restaurants, which remained open. 

 

Over time, eating at Chinese restaurants became a central part of American Jewish identity.  The shared experiences of discrimination connected Chinese and Jewish populations, and the commonalities in their unique cuisines also lent itself to solidifying this relationship.  The notion of Chinese food being an additional part of American Jewish identity has become mainstream, popping up in various television series, movies, and comedic acts, and now you know why. 

 

Works Cited

Miller, Hanna. "Identity Takeout: How American Jews Made Chinese Food Their Ethnic Cuisine." The Journal of Popular Culture (2006): 430-465. Print.

Plaut, Rabbi Joshua. Why Do Jewish People Eat Chinese Food On Christmas? Robert Siegel. 25 December 2017. Electronic.

Tuchman, Gaye and Harry G. Levine. ""Safe Treyf": New York Jews and Chinese Food." Shortridge, Barbara and James Shortridge. The Taste of American Place: A Reader on Regional and Ethnic. ‎ Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1997. 163-184. Print.