Rant #1,487: Chinese Food

... And since we are talking about food ...

What is it with Jews and Chinese food?

Why is there such an affinity between the American Jewish community and this type of ethnic food?

This love between Jews and Chinese food has been going on for decades, and certainly permeates my own family as much as any Jewish family.

Where Jews are bent on disagreeing on every topic under the sun, the one thing we all agree upon is that we all love Chinese food.

I have never met a Jewish person who did not enjoy barbecue spare ribs, chow mein, egg roll, won ton soup and all the other Chinese delicacies ... developed specifically with American tastes in mind, as I am sure real Chinese food isn't like what we get here in the U.S.

That being said, and because of that, eating Chinese food is as All-American as eating pizza.

And I think that that is my point here.

I have often wondered how Jews and Chinese food intertwined initially, and how Jews and Chinese food have been linked through the years, and I think that I finally have figured it all out.

Again, this is just my opinion, I may not be 100 percent right or 100 percent wrong in what I am going to say, but this is what I have observed, and I do think it has some credence.

Most of the Jews that came to the U.S. from Eastern Europe beginning in the late 1800s through probably the 1920s and 1930s were Orthodox, meaning that they strictly followed all the rules and guidelines set for them by the Old Testament.

This also involved what they ate, meaning no pork, no mixing dairy and meat, and alcohol was only to be used in various rituals and ceremonies.

Once here, these Orthodox Jews delved into life in America. Most lived with their own, with little outside intrusion, in places like New York's Lower East Side.

These people who came here started to have children, or brought children over from the old country, and those children continued to follow the regimen set down by their parents.

But starting probably right after the Great Depression of the 1930s, a never generation of children were born, and these children were less Orthodox than their parents. Yes, they still followed the rules and regulations set down before them, but they were more apt to question these guidelines, and were anxious to fit into the fabric of America as first born Americans of their respective families, and do it while retaining as much of their Jewishness as possible.

Once this generation grew up, and moved out of these highly ethnic Jewish areas, they started to stray a little bit, at least, from the Orthodox way of life, and they started to stray with their dietary regimen, too ...

And often, the first forbidden fruit was Chinese food.

Many Asians came to America during the same time period, and they were as entrepreneurial as the Jews were, opening shops in their own neighborhoods and beyond.

And when Jews started to break from their strict religious upbringing, Chinese food was the food that they gravitated to, and for that matter, still do to a certain extent.

This is exactly what happened to my father. He was brought up in a strict Orthodox home, and it was only when he ventured out into the world--first, as a Marine during the Korean War and later, when he met my mother--that he saw that there was another way of life, another way of doing things, and yes, another way of eating.

My mother introduced him to Chinese food, and the rest is history.

My mother was second generation American--her mom was born here, her dad came here from Russia, was born in England, but virtually lived his entire life in the U.S.--and she had already been through this process, but a bit earlier than my father.

But when my father was introduced to Chinese food, it was if a whole new world was open to him, and he has never looked back.

That being said, this affinity between Jews and Chinese food has been passed down through generations, and even with the youngest generation of Jews, it continues to be in force.

I really do believe the "forbidden fruit" aspect is what drove Jews to this food to begin with, but heck, during those days, it was highly affordable, providing good value for the money spent, and I think that that had a lot to do with it too, and why so many people--Jew and non-Jew--love Chinese food.

It is also relatively exotic when compared with the food that earlier Jewish generations ate, and I think that that was certainly a highlight, too.

So me, a second generation Jew in the U.S., certainly got this affinity for Chinese food from my parents, and I have certainly passed it down to my own kids, and if I ever have grandchildren, they will get it too.

Just to bring it into the present, my wife and I searched for a good Chinese take-out and/or restaurant for years, and we have found one right by where we live.

The food is very good, the spare ribs are outstanding, and it is reasonably priced.

And my son enjoys it, too, and I know my daughter also likes Chinese food, so yes, the process continues.

Have a good weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.