It's a bit of cliche with a whole lot of truth behind it: Jews love eating Chinese food on Christmas and Christmas Eve. The story of why Jews in America stereotypically enjoy Chinese food on Christmas began, like so many American Jewish stories, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. read more
As a Canadian Jew, the Jewish love of Chinese food (not just Toronto, Winnipeg has the oldest established Chinese community), rivals that found in the US. Having lived in Australia the same could be same for Jews in that country too. read more
And Jews love eating at home. We are intensely familial, home-loving and nuclear; and given that our own food is both bad and laborious (endlessly braised brisket, spattering latkes), Chinese food — varied, fatty and festive — is a better alternative in part because it’s always at hand. It’s a cheap lift; you can think of it as Jewish Prozac. And, beyond this, there is an even greater power of Chinese food in our lives, a sentimental tradition in a secular world. read more
The story of why Jews in America stereotypically enjoy Chinese food on Christmas began, like so many American Jewish stories, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and Chinese immigrants were two non-Christian immigrant groups living side by side in nearby Manhattan neighborhoods. read more