The tradition of Chinese food on Christmas is going strong
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The holiday tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas is going strong, according to Yelp data shared with Axios.
The big picture: Yelp searches for Chinese restaurants spike every December. Last year, Christmas Day searches were 99% higher than any other day in the month, the platform told Axios.
- It's not just Yelp. Google search interest for "Chinese food" has peaked on Christmas every year since the data became available (in 2004).
Zoom in: A lack of restaurants open on Christmas has fueled the trend over the years, and the cuisine is a holiday favorite among many Jewish families.
- Rabbi Joshua Plaut, author of the book "A Kosher Christmas: 'Tis the Season to be Jewish," told NPR in 2017 that the Chinese food tradition has been around at least since 1935 — but probably earlier.
- The first written citation of Jews eating Chinese on Christmas was published in the New York Times in 1935, Plaut said.
- "The Chinese restaurant was a safe haven for American Jews who felt like outsiders on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," Plaut told NPR.
Flashback: The Jewish tradition was even brought up during Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's confirmation hearing in 2010 when Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Kagan where she was on Christmas.
- "Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant," Kagan said.
- "No other restaurants are open," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) added.
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