*sniff sniff*
I thought this tradition probably dated to like the 1960s, but it turns out it’s been a thing since the late 1800s!
… It begins at the end of the 19th century, on the Lower East Side, where Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity. The very first mention of American Jews eating in a Chinese restaurant dates to 1899, when the American Hebrew journal criticized Jews for eating at non-kosher restaurants. [Figures that it was this kind of sniping! I love us] By 1936, a publication called the East Side Chamber News reported at least 18 Chinese tea gardens and chop suey eateries in heavily-populated Jewish neighborhoods. All of these were within close walking distance of Ratner’s, which was then the most famous Jewish dairy restaurant in Manhattan.
… In the last 35 years, Chinese restaurants on Christmas have really become this sort of temporary community where Jews in the United States can gather to be with friends and family. It’s a secular way to celebrate Christmas, but it’s also a time to shut out Christmas and announce your Jewish identity in a safe environment.
Was there any reason, beyond proximity, that Jews wound up eating Chinese food, as opposed to some other immigrant cuisine? In terms of kosher law, a Chinese restaurant is a lot safer than an Italian restaurant. In Italian food, there is mixing of meat and dairy. A Chinese restaurant doesn’t mix meat and dairy, because Chinese cooking is virtually dairy-free. In Chinese-American cooking, if there is any pork [which is not a kosher food], it is usually concealed inside something, like a wonton.
A lot of Jews back then — and even now — kept strict kosher inside the home but were more flexible with foods they ate at restaurants. Sociologist Gaye Tuchman wrote about this practice. She described [the plausible deniability of non-kosher ingredients] as safe treyf. A lot of Jews considered the pork in Chinese food to be safe treyf, because they couldn’t see it. That made it easier to eat.
The bit about “safe treyf” is cracking me up (suffice to say that treyf is treyf; if you’re eating it, just own it) but yeah, I go out for Chinese and a movie every year. Some years it’s been with my family, some years with friends, and the last couple years I’ve gone with my boyfriend and his close friend (neither of whom are Jewish but both of whom couldn’t care less about Christmas).
Last year I saw The Last Jedi and ate at Congee Queen; this year we’re seeing Spider-Man and going to… I don’t know where yet! We’ll see.
Do you do the Chinese-and-a-movie thing?
