Jews and Chinese food

[Curlz]

Arthur--

Having read the excerpt from your book, I wanted to share parts of an email conversation that my folks and I had on the very same topic. This started because my mom sent a note with a quote from the Reform Judaism magazine article on Christmas vs. Hanukkah: "Jewish immigrants living on the Lower East Side chose in large numbers to spend the evening of Dec. 24 in one of the city's 40 nickelodeons. Thus was born the custom of Jews going to the movies on Christmas."

I forwarded it to my dad, asking who started the part about going for Chinese food, and this was his response:

"Actually the first 'going out for Chinese' started on SUNDAY nights, when the Yidden could not shop for food on Sundays because of all of the (now gone) blue laws forbidding any retail on THE LORD'S DAY. There was nothing in the house after eating everything that had been cooked for Shabbos.

SEE, it's very simple if you know history."

Thoughts/comments? All of it makes sense to me...

Thanks again for graciously taking the time to join us here on eGullet!

Curlz

[Arthur Schwartz]

Arthur--

Having read the excerpt from your book, I wanted to share parts of an email conversation that my folks and I had on the very same topic.  This started because my mom sent a note with a quote from the Reform Judaism magazine article on Christmas vs. Hanukkah: "Jewish immigrants living on the Lower East Side chose in large numbers to spend the evening of Dec. 24 in one of the city's 40 nickelodeons.  Thus was born the custom of Jews going to the movies on Christmas."

I forwarded it to my dad, asking who started the part about going for Chinese food, and this was his response:

"Actually the first 'going out for Chinese' started on SUNDAY nights, when the Yidden could not shop for food on Sundays because of all of the (now gone) blue laws forbidding any retail on THE LORD'S DAY.  There was nothing in the house after eating everything that had been cooked for Shabbos.

SEE, it's very simple if you know history."

Thoughts/comments?  All of it makes sense to me...

Thanks again for graciously taking the time to join us here on eGullet!

Curlz

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Dear Curlz

Sounds good to me. I don't think it is true. But I love the story. For one thing, if you were so observant as to observe Shabbos on Saturday, then you wouldn't be eating Chinese on Sunday.