1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. I'm Josh, there's Chuck. 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: Jerry's even here. She's sitting in for Dave c the 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: super producer. Uh. And this is short stuff a good 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: one too, if you ask me. Yeah. So, I know 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: that A Christmas Story is one of your favorite movies. 6 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: And I know that that great scene at the end 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: that is unfortunately now dripping with ethnic overturns and racism. Sure, 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: but it was. It's still a funny scene of the 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: family going out to eat Chinese food on Christmas and 10 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: an empty Chinese restaurant. The only problem I have with that, well, 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: aside from the other stuff I just mentioned, is that 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: it's not it's not full of Jewish patrons. Yeah, it's 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 1: pretty much empty if I remember correctly. Isn't it They're 14 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: the only ones there. It is entirely possible that I 15 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: think that takes place in Cleveland, outside of Cleveland, doesn't it? 16 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: Or is it Indiana? I think it was shot outside 17 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: of Cleveland, but maybe said in Indiana. Okay, there was 18 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: probably not a Jewish person to be found in Indiana 19 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: in the nineteen Maybe that's probably it. And my god, 20 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: did you know Bob Clark died in a car accident 21 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 1: brought on by a d U I driver in two thousand. 22 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: I had no idea until just recently. So yeah, his 23 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: his oldest son r I P. Bob Clark and son Um. 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: But yes, so there is something weird in that there's 25 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: no Jewish people in there, because at any Chinese food 26 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: restaurant on Christmas in America, especially these days, you're going 27 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: to find plenty of Jewish people eating there. In fact, 28 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: it's a huge tradition among the Jewish American community. It 29 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: turns out. Yeah, and you brought up this very kind 30 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: of funny moment at the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for 31 00:01:55,400 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: Justice Elana Kagan, someone said, where were you Um during 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: the Christmas attack launched by al Qaeda the year before, 33 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: and she said, like all Jews, I was probably at 34 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: a Chinese restaurant. What a great line. And apparently Chuck 35 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: Schumer was like, well, the reason being is because it's 36 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: probably the only place open. So he just kind of ruined. Yeah, 37 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: he did. He explained it, but he probably didn't need 38 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: to explain because from you know, just researching this, but 39 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: also my own awareness, like eating Chinese food on Christmas 40 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: is not just a Jewish tradition any longer it's become 41 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: an American tradition. But it definitely traces its origins back 42 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: to the Jewish community, and apparently right around the turn 43 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: of the last century in the Lower East Side of 44 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: New York City is where the it really finds its roots, 45 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: which is pretty cool that you can trace something like 46 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: that back like that, Oh totally. It makes sense because 47 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: if you're typing, if you're talking about different types of food, 48 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: like like Mexican food or Italian food, there's you know, 49 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: like dairy mixed in with the me eat in a 50 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: lot or most of the dishes, so it's it's hard 51 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: to eat kosher. Chinese food, first of all, doesn't have dairy. 52 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: You know. My famous story about does have cheese on 53 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: it in the Chinese restaurant. Still one of the great 54 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: things that ever happened to me as a child was 55 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: overhearing that conversation. But they don't, you know, they don't 56 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: have dairy in their food generally, and uh, the stuff 57 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: is just you know, if you've got your meat and 58 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: you've got rice, and you've got things that are cooked together. 59 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: But it's like vegetables and meats cooked together. It's not 60 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: It doesn't have like cream sauce or cheese and stuff 61 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: like that, right, which to a Jewish person is basically 62 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: the tantamount to being kosher. And you know, today it's 63 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: really easy to um be kosher in America because the 64 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: food industry back and I think the fifties said, oh, 65 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of Jewish people who live here. 66 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: Now there's like a whole market for making kosher foods 67 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: or just labeling foods is kosher that we're already kosher anyway. Um, 68 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: But before that, Chinese restaurants were one of the only 69 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: places out in the rest of America where a Jewish 70 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: person could go and and feel pretty confident about having 71 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: a kosher meal. So you know, that in and of 72 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: itself makes sense. And there's also some other Um, there's 73 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 1: other some commonalities too, especially between Eastern European Jewish people 74 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: and um Chinese cuisine, and that there there's a lot 75 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: of sweet and sour dishes common to both. Um. Creplock, 76 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: which is like a meat filled dumpling, is is um 77 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 1: kind of resemble some of the Chinese meat filled dumplings 78 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: like dim sum um. And then also the pancakes Chinese 79 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: pancakes resemble blintzes too, so it's not like it was 80 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: just the most entirely foreign concept to to a lot 81 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: of these Jewish Americans who were recently arrived. Um, but 82 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: it was still exotic and new too. Yeah. So we'll 83 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: take a break now and then as promised, I know it, 84 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: let us astray, but we will head down to the 85 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: lower side right after this. All right, So you promised 86 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: talk of the lowery side where this was kind of born. 87 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: So there's a woman named, and this is not a joke. 88 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: Her name is Jennifer eight Lee, the number eight. I 89 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: guess she's named after the movie. I don't know. I 90 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: didn't get that far. I just verified that he was 91 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: in a type of Yeah, Jennifer eight with Andy Garcia 92 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: and I can't remember who else and John John Goodman. 93 00:05:55,480 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: I can't remember who Duma Thurman. Oh maybe maybe, Well 94 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: you you talk and I'll look up about that. All right. 95 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: So Jennifer eight Lee as a producer of the Search 96 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: for General. So is it it's General? So right, it's 97 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: it's General eighth. And she had this to say. Jews 98 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: and Chinese were the two largest non Christian immigrant groups 99 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: at the turn of the century. Uh. And so these 100 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: groups were linked by living in the lower side of Manhattan, 101 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: and they were also linked by otherness. And uh. Two 102 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: for Jewish people to love Chinese food, um, she feels 103 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: just says a lot about immigration history in the United 104 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: States and being an outsider in the United States kind 105 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 1: of living together, which is really kind of a nice thing, 106 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 1: I think. Yeah, I thought that was a really good point. 107 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: I'm sure it's an accurate point too, but it's something 108 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: that's kind of easy to overlook. A lot of people 109 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: just kind of I think narrow it down to, oh, well, 110 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: that was what was open on Christian and um, Christian 111 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: holidays and Sundays, which is true. Um, like that, that's 112 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: you know, Chinese restaurants going to be open on Christmas. 113 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 1: So if you're a Jewish person looking to go out 114 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 1: to eat, you know, the Italian place is going to 115 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,679 Speaker 1: be closed because they're celebrating Christmas. The the the Irish 116 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: pubs probably going to be closed because they're celebrating Christmas. 117 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: So the Chinese food happened to be open, but it's 118 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: definitely there's a lot, a lot further deeper layers to 119 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: it than that. Yeah. Another one is that, Um, Chinese 120 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: people had no history of being prejudiced towards Jewish people, 121 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: which was a big deal. Uh. They were open on Sundays, 122 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: they were open on other Christian holidays. They I think, Um, 123 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: there could have possibly been a reputation at some Italian 124 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: restaurants are early in the day of early in the 125 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: days of New York that they were maybe um, not 126 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: as welcoming for Jewish people, but a nice way to 127 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: say it at the very least. You know, if you 128 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: were a Jewish and you went to an Italian restaurant, 129 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: you might take note of the extensive religious Yeah, the imagery, 130 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: the word Virgin Mary and Jesus with the crown of 131 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: thorns and all that, and be like, good, you know, 132 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: I'm going to the Chinese food place instead. Yeah. Yeah, 133 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: And it wasn't necessarily hostile, right, but yeah, it wasn't 134 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: like come in Jewish friends necessarily who knows, but they 135 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: didn't have to think about it at the Chinese restaurant. 136 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: And then what's more, too, it wasn't just the Jewish 137 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: community that was welcomed with open arms to Chinese restaurants 138 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: during this time. Um, if you were black too, you 139 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: could find a place to eat at a Chinese restaurant. 140 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: They like, they didn't discriminate against anybody. They were like, 141 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: you got some money and you want to eat, come 142 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: on in. Yeah, it's very nice and welcoming. Uh. In 143 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: the thirties. By the time the nineties rolled around, Jewish 144 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: cookbooks like full On had Americanized versions of famous Chinese 145 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: dishes like egg Fu young and chop suey and Uh. 146 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: The Lowery Side sort of started expanding. Jewish people moved out, 147 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 1: moved to different boroughs, different neighborhood out into the suburbs, 148 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: and bada being bad a boom. All of a sudden, 149 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: Chinese restaurants were following because they know they've got a 150 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: good customer base. Yeah, dude, So there I saw that 151 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,199 Speaker 1: there's something like forty thousand Chinese food restaurants in the 152 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: United States. These days there's fourteen thousand McDonald's forty thousand 153 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: Chinese food restaurants. And it was the this the aspora 154 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: of the Jewish community from the Lower East Side of 155 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: New York further and further out into America that kind 156 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: of drew Chinese food restaurants out with them. So you 157 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: can thank the Jews from New York for your local 158 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 1: Chinese food place that you love so much. Give him 159 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: a give him a tip of the hat and say 160 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: thank you Jewish friend. Um, I appreciate you bringing the 161 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: Chinese food restaurant this way. That is really cool. I know. 162 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: They became sort of neighborhood hubs in Jewish communities and 163 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: they would see friends and neighbors and the families were 164 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: there and children were playing together. Uh. It was just 165 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 1: a sort of a beautiful symbiotic relationship, it seems like 166 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: from the beginning. Yeah. Yeah, And so over time the 167 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: rest of America said, hey, the Jewish people are really 168 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: onto something here. Let's uh, let's get in on this. 169 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: And now a days like eating Chinese food on Christmas 170 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: is just a general American tradition um. And you can 171 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 1: see that apparently in Google searches um for Chinese food, 172 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: which I guess skyrocket on Christmas or right around Christmas, right, yeah, 173 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: I think, um, they go up or actually that's a 174 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: grub hubs status Chinese food is up a hundred and 175 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: fifty two on Christmas Day. But uh, it definitely the 176 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: Google search peaks on Christmas Day. And that's been going 177 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: on since they've been keeping track of Google stats, and 178 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: so apparently the most popular Chinese food order in all 179 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: of America on any day, but in particular Christmas days 180 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: that General Sow's. Have you ever had Chinese food on Christmas? Yeah? Yeah, 181 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: And as a matter of fact, I didn't realize how 182 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: cliche wey where you mean? And I would go get 183 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: General So's chicken at a Golden Buddha on on tenth 184 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: in Midtown, not the one indicator. And we just drove 185 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: past it the other day and it's it's gone, which 186 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 1: is kind of sad. So there goes our Christmas tradition. 187 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: But um, yeah, for for a few years we would 188 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: go eat Chinese food on Christmas. Is good. I love 189 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: Chinese food so much. Yeah, I do too. I need too. 190 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, um, researching this the other day, 191 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 1: we ended up getting Taie. It wasn't Chinese, but you know, 192 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:35,199 Speaker 1: close enough, but I was like, we've got to get 193 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,559 Speaker 1: some Chinese food. Um. Just from reading about all this 194 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: and seeing words like egg fu young and chop suey 195 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: and stuff, it made me so hungry for it. I 196 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: never had that's that stuff. I don't even know what 197 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: chop suey is, so that I think it's a short 198 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: stuff in and of itself, but supposedly they think it's 199 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: chop suey basically means leftover, so that it has its 200 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: own origin story. We'll do one on chop suey two. Okay, 201 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:03,079 Speaker 1: sweet sweet indeed um. So if you want to know 202 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: more about Chinese food on Christmas, well then buddy, you've 203 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: got a day to figure it out and then try 204 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: it for yourself tomorrow. Because the Jewish community figured it 205 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: out a long time ago. And since I said that, 206 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: it means that short stuff is out. Stuff you should 207 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: Know is a production of iHeart Radios How Stuff Works. 208 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 1: For more podcasts. For my Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 209 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,080 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 210 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.