Scene from “A Christmas Story”

By Destiny Johnson

Reaching for the Chinese takeout menu on Christmas has become an American tradition, even for those who celebrate Christmas.

It was depicted humorously in the 1983 classic film “A Christmas Story.” Ralphie is recalling his childhood in the 1930s in the movie, when he remembers going out to a Chinese restaurant with his family.

The tradition was started by a relationship between two non-Christian immigrant groups and was founded on mutual respect and a little business acumen.

Historical records indicate that Jewish people have been patronizing Chinese restaurants with vigor for 150-ish years.

In the mid-19th century, America saw an influx of immigrants from Europe and Asia. On the northeast coast, like in New York, many of these immigrant populations lived close to one another.

“There wasn’t a mass decision to start eating in Chinese restaurants, as much as [it was] probably the adjoining neighborhoods and its availability,” Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut, rabbi of the Metropolitan Synagogue of New York, told History.com.

Throughout the 20th century, Chinese restaurants were reliably open on Sundays and Christian holidays because early Asian immigrants weren’t Christian; they largely practiced Buddhism or Taoism.

There were no historical ties of discrimination between Chinese and Jewish people and Chinese restaurants lacked the Christian iconography that could be found in Greek, Italian, German, Polish, Hungarian and other restaurants that served European foods.

The cuisine itself used familiar ingredients like garlic, onions and vegetables and did not often incorporate dairy and meat together, a food combo that’s non-Kosher for Jews.

“Chinese restaurateurs themselves knew about it also, and made it a selling point in their ads posted in the Jewish newspapers. They would say, ‘we offer Sunday chicken [and] steak meals’ or ‘we are open late on Sundays,’” said Shiyong Lu, a doctoral researcher in Hebrew and Judaic Studies and History at New York University.

To read the entire article: https://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2025/12/how-a-150-year-old-tradition-became-americas-favorite-christmas-dinner-alternative.html

Photo credit: TBS/YouTube