If there’s a single identifiable moment when Jewish Christmas—the annual American tradition where Jews overindulge on Chinese food on December 25—transitioned from kitsch into codified custom, it was during Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s 2010 confirmation hearing. During an otherwise tense series of exchanges, Senator Lindsey Graham paused to ask Kagan where she had spent the previous Christmas. To great laughter, she replied: “You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”…. For many Jewish Americans, the night before Christmas conjures up visions, not of sugar plums, but plum sauce slathered over roast duck or an overstocked plate of beef lo mein, a platter of General Tso’s, and (maybe) some hot and sour soup.
Our next door neighbors are a wonderful Chinese family. One of the sons owns a Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, WA, and every year we get a gift certificate as part of their Christmas gift to us (I mow their lawn, all of about ten minutes’ work, but they think I’m the bomb). He’s confirmed that Christmas Day is one of their busiest days of the year; He’d no more close on the holiday than he’d put in a drive-through window.
The story behind the phenomenon of Jews invading Chinese restaurants on Christmas Day is as interesting as it is improbable, but it’s representative of both Chinese and Jewish immigrants adapting to new circumstances and making their way in a new world. In many ways, the Chinese and Jewish immigrant scenarios are not entirely dissimilar, so the idea of Jews eating in Chinese restaurants on Christmas Day really isn’t as outlandish as one might think. Chinese food in America features dishes you’d find nowhere in China (General Tso’s Chicken? Yeah, not so much.), so it’s representative of generations of Chinese chefs tailoring dishes to American palates. Jews? Well, if there’s a diaspora more renowned for successfully adapting and thriving, I’m not certain who it would be.
I love this story, because it’s one of those things that make America what it is- something seemingly counter-intuitive on the surface, but that actually makes perfect sense when you consider the historical context.
And suddenly, I have an intense desire for some Szechuan Chicken….
