Viral Tweet Revealed Details Why Jews In New York "Always Eat" Chinese Food On Christmas
You've likely heard about a Jewish custom that involves eating Chinese food on Christmas. However, do you truly know where this practice comes from?
Chinese restaurants on Christmas have long been part of the holiday scene in New York, and a viral Twitter thread recently brought that familiar tradition back into the spotlight.
The post dug into why so many Jewish families end up at Chinese eateries on Christmas Day, tying together history, identity, and the simple fact that these places were often open when others were closed.
That mix of practicality and tradition is what made the thread take off.
For quite a long time, Jews have been having Chinese food on Christmas as a part of a custom.
TheRaDRThe thread starts
kehillahjewessIn a viral thread, Twitter user Megan explained the reasons why.
kehillahjewess
Jewish immigrants
kehillahjewess
Eating at non-kosher Chinese restaurants
kehillahjewess
A dairy-free meal
kehillahjewess
Jews felt more comfortable in Chinese restaurants
kehillahjewess
Eating Chinese food was revered
kehillahjewess
Christmas meals
kehillahjewess
A way to socialize
kehillahjewess
It became a tradition
kehillahjewess
Words of description
kehillahjewess
More history to uncover
kehillahjewess
More and more people joined the thread to comment and share their knowledge of this Jewish holiday tradition.
An important era
LaChapellePete
Religious imagery
Genkisoda
Likely religious imagery
oranckay
Someone's happy to learn
Ezraels_Mom
Curious about a detail
sasabrinaart
Chinese foods are good
Phoebej
Other people had this to say
committme
Sounds like what was open and still is
buticantread
They are the only ones open
FraudulentPepsi
Very interesting
AmazingSpiderCam
We learn every day
Ximinipot
Over the years, eating Chinese meals has become a significant tradition on Jewish holidays. It has also become an integral part of self-identity and daily life for a large number of Jews, particularly those in New York.
Megan’s Twitter thread received more than 87K likes and 13.2K retweets, demonstrating that there are some fantastic historical reasons behind the act of Chinese food establishments opening their doors to Jews every Christmas.
Next, see if you’re the AITA when someone secretly swaps the Thanksgiving turkey for vegan.
