Twitter Thread Explains Why Jews Eat Chinese Food On Christmas

Author image for Ada Elder
Ada Elder
Dec 25, 2021 4:00 PM EST

The Jewish tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas is well-documented in the media, but have you ever wondered how that started? Well, it's a lot more than a trope. Twitter user @kehillahjewess composed a brilliant thread to demystify the holiday ritual on Christmas Eve, and the historical roots are pretty damn fascinating. Turns out the stereotype goes way deeper than the simple fact that Chinese restaurants are some of the only businesses open on the Christian holiday. 

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  • 01
    Nose - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... It seems like a customary Jewish tradition to eat Chinese food on Christmas, but have you ever wondered where that time-honored practice came from? 10:42 PM · 12/24/20 · Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 02
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... In the late 1880s, many Chinese immigrants moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan after living in California during the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad. Many of these families ended up going into the restaurant industry and opened up their own businesses.
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 03
    Text - megan | n' @kehillahjewess ... At the same time, Jewish immigrants were arriving in New York after escaping persecution during the 19th century. By 1910, about one million Jews were recorded living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan making up over a quarter of the entire city's population! 10:42 PM 12/24/20 Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 04
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... As Jewish and Chinese families lived near each other, and many Jews were largely assimilated by this time, Jewish families began eating out at Chinese restaurants more frequently. In 1899, the American Hebrew Weekly criticized Jews for eating at non-kosher Chinese restaurants. 10:42 PM 12/24/20 Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 05
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... Though Chinese food may not have been Certified Kosher, Chinese restaurants were seen as safer for a variety of reasons one of which being that the cuisine does not mix meat and dairy and it is typically dairy-free. 10:42 PM · 12/24/20 · Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 06
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... However, many Jews actually felt more comfortable eating at Chinese establishments rather than Italian or German as Chinese restaurants were actually willing to accept Jewish families as patrons without discrimination or antisemitism and the restaurants lacked religious imagery. 10:42 PM 12/24/20 Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 07
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... I should also note that at this time eating Chinese food was revered as the opposite to all things "customarily Jewish" and many Jews in New York saw it as a way to break free from kashrut and an exclusive culture while showing they could be sophisticated/eccentric New Yorkers. 10:42 PM 12/24/20 Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 08
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... So where do Christmas meals come in? Well, on a wholesome side note, we know that a 1930s copy of the New York Times reported that a restaurant owner named Eng Shee Chuck brought chow mein to the Jewish Children's Home in Newark on Christmas Day. 10:42 PM 12/24/20 · Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 09
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess But with more specific detail, Jewish families treated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as any other day off which led to more and more families visiting Chinese establishments during the holiday as a way to socialize when other establishments are normally closed. 10:42 PM · 12/24/20 · Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 10
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... Overtime, Jewish families eating Chinese food on Christmas day became a tradition that uplifted families and whole communities thanks to immigration patterns, convenient hours of operation, and a welcoming environment. 10:42 PM · 12/24/20 · Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess
  • 11
    Text - megan | n'n @kehillahjewess ... If I could choose any words to describe the phenomenon of Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas, I think they would be escapism, proximity, commonality, and unity. 10:42 PM · 12/24/20 · Twitter Web App
    via @kehillahjewess

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christmas immigration history Twitter Thread jews fascinating chinese food tweets jewish new york city
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