Jews and Chinese Food: A Christmas Love Story

Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD)
Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD)
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Published 2021-01-04
It’s well known that Jews have long had a love affair with Chinese food. In fact, for many Jewish families, the tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas is almost as sacrosanct as avoiding leavened bread on Passover or eating latkes during Hanukkah.

As Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan famously responded to Senator Lindsay Graham when asked where she was on Christmas, “You know like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”

Is there a more deeply rooted historical and cultural connection for this tradition or does the Christmas ritual simply come from the fact that Chinese restaurants are open during Christian holidays?

Join MOFAD as we welcome Gefilteria co-founder Jeffrey Yoskowitz, journalist Hanna Raskin, cookbook author Grace Young, writer and producer Jennifer 8 Lee, and filmmaker Cheuk Kwan for a conversation that traces the origins of this cross-cultural Christmas love story.