Chinese & Chosen

Chinese and Jewish Hanukkah dinner

2012-01-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

I was invited to a Chinese and Chosen Hanukkah dinner at Nicole Chan Ostrow's house in Maplewood, NJ.

Nicole's mom Kim Chan made salmon that was prepared Moroccan Jewish style. The recipe is from Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's "The Cookbook", and was inspired by a traditional Jewish dish from North Africa known as Chreime.

Every year, the Chan Ostrow family invites one of Nicole's friends over for dinner. Mitch, Irene and Eve have been their guests for the last two years. '

The evening was a blending of the cultures with signs of Chinese and Jewish traditions sprinkled in. Dinner was served Chinese family style and the pilaf rice kept warm under a Chinese style red rice container. For the Jewish side, ricotta latkes were eaten along with fried donuts for dessert.

"We bought a Jewish holiday cookbook when Nicole was three so we could start celebrating Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays with her," said Kim Chan.

The family also celebrates Passover, Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Kim's family is from the Lower East Side and has witnessed the transformation of the neighborhood from Jewish and Italian to Chinese. Her father Jimmy Chan was one of the first families to leave Chinatown for the Lower East Side in the 1920s at the start of the depression.

I'll have more on Jimmy Chan's story in my next post.

-CC

Merry Chinese & Chosen Christmas

2011-12-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

Just read Grub Guide's Nine Nontraditional Places to Eat Great Chinese Food on Christmas where they featured our Jimmy Chin's restaurant Chin Chin.

Here are some other places you you can be Chinese & Chosen this Christmas:

Fatty Crab

643 Hudson Street
New York
(212) 352-3590

2170 Broadway
New York
(212) 496-2722

At both locations in the east and the west, enjoy Fatty Crab's "homage to an age-old NYC tradition of enjoying Chinese food on Christmas." Get dishes like whole fried snapper with garlic sauce, pork spare ribs and their famous chili crab.

Kutsher's Tribeca
186 Franklin St.
nr. Greenwich St.
212-431-0606
For $39, you can a 3 course price fix meal with offerings such as Steamed Pastrami Bun, Char Sui Glazed Salmon and Mrs K's Matzo Ball Wonton Soup.

Mile End
97A Hoyt St. in Brooklyn
nr. Atlantic Ave.
718-852-7510

For $50, you get Mile End's version of a "traditional Jewish Christmas" which includes beef noodle hot pot, pupu platter and peking duck.

Nicole's Hanukkah party

2011-12-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I went to my Hebrew school's Hanukkah party. The party was from 1-3 in the afternoon. There were around 35 people. People brought Jewish food like whitefish salad and bagels. There was also pasta salad, fruit, cupcakes and cookies. We all sang songs to celebrate the holiday. My family also learned some really cool things when we were talking with the other guests. One thing I learned is that secular Jews do not believe they are the “chosen” people. My school is a secular humanistic Hebrew school. One man, Bennett, who spoke Yiddish, told us how interesting Yiddish language can be. He also talked about how in the 1930s and 40s Yiddish media was very popular on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. In fact, that is where my Chinese grandfather grew up speaking Yiddish with his neighbors!
One of my teachers, Paula, told me how much she likes Allen Ginsberg’s poetry. I am writing my graduation paper about him and Robert Frank. But before I start writing the paper, I will be celebrating Hanukah with my family.
Until next time, Nicole

Meet Nicole

2011-12-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

Meet Nicole, ChineseandChosen’s new contributing writer.

Nicole is a Chinese Jew preparing for her Bat Mitzvah. The big day will be on October 6, 2012 at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, NJ. Over the next 10 months, ChinseandChosen will take you through her journey. We’ll have coverage of her studying Hebrew, selecting her Bat Mitzvah dress, writing her speech and much more.
Stay tuned and check back often!

Here’s a short introduction to Nicole:

Name: Nicole Chan Ostrow
Chinese name: Chen Lan Chun
Hebrew name: Daphna
Birthdate: October 4th
Age: 12
Favorite Color: Blue
Hobbies: making jewlery, modern dance and photography.
Favorte food: Chinese jelly fish and smoked salmon

Woks and Lox

2011-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

As I've explained in the food section of @ChineseandChosen, eating Chinese is a part of daily life and self-identity for millions of New York Jews. That is especially true during the holiday season. That's why I'm thrilled to find Woks and Lox a project that seeks to bring a little of the holiday spirit for those who don't necessarily celebrate Christmas.
Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, December 24th
Location: Queens Kickshaw
40-17 Broadway in Astoria, NY
Dinner: 5-7pm
Party: 7-9pm
Chef: Chichi Wang

This is no ordinary dinner party. Woks and Lox promises a Chinese auction, Mah Jong, a Bar Mitzvah-esque sign-in board and "lots more Jewish and Asian-inspried fun."

Sounds like a good time. See you there!

One Answer to Adoption’s Difficult Questions: NYT

2011-09-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Just read an amazing story in the New York Times about a mother's journey back to China to find the truth about her adopted daughter's past.
Check it out here:
One Answer to Adoption’s Difficult Questions

One Roof, Three Generations

2011-09-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

There's nothing new about this story, but I still love the use of multimedia in this NYT piece about three generations of a Chinese family living all in the same Chinatown building.

AllofasuddenpartJew

2011-09-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Meet Xiaoming, a 29 year old young lady with a very interesting ChineseandChosen story. She was born in Shanghai and moved to the US at age nine. Xiaoming recently discovered that her family has a Jewish ancestor through her maternal line. Digging through
history she has started a blog to trace her heritage, while working to promote cultural understanding between Chinese and Jews.

You can check out her blog and follow her journey here.
Thanks to Davi Cheng, Be’chol Lashon's Los Angeles Regional Director, for the connection.

Chinese Jews Face Existential Questions: WSJ

2011-08-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Stephanie for sending me this link about the Kaifeng Jews in China.

WSJ: Chinese Jews Face Existential Questions

Description:
For much of the past millennium, Jews in Kaifeng— descendants of merchants who arrived here from Persia—have been struggling with an existential question: What does it mean to be Jewish?

Author Michael Levy Talks Kosher Chinese

2011-07-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Check out Michael Levy's journey as a member of the Peace Corps in China.

http://gothamist.com/2011/07/15/michael_levy_author_kosher_chinese.php

2011 Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Festival

2011-05-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

This year's egg rolls & egg creams festival will be held on Sunday, june 12, 2011

Time: 12 to 4 PM

Location: Eldridge Street

check out our video coverage of the festival and photos.

The Happiest Man Alive Is a Chinese Jew!

2011-03-09T08:17:00.003-08:00

Meet Alvin Wong:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/weekinreview/06happy.html

Chinese & Chosen quoted in "China Daily"

2011-02-27T06:58:00.001-08:00

Check out this article in China Daily about Chinese and Jewish communities in New York City.

2010-08-31T20:46:00.001-07:00

Also loving NPR's Scott Simon's new book "Baby We Were Meant For Each Other." You can listen to NPR's interview with Simon here

Wo Ai Ni Mommy

2010-08-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

Just watched a new PBS documentary about being Chinese & Chosen. You can watch online September 1, 2010 through November 30, 2010

Synopsis

What is it like to be torn from your Chinese foster family, put on a plane with strangers and wake up in a new country, family and culture? Stephanie Wang-Breal’s Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy is the story of Fang Sui Yong, an 8-year-old orphan, and the Sadowskys, the Long Island Jewish family that travels to China to adopt her. Sui Yong is one of 70,000 Chinese children now being raised in the United States. Through her eyes, we witness her struggle with a new identity as she transforms from a timid child into someone that no one — neither her new family nor she — could have imagined. A co-production of American Documentary/POV and the Diverse Voices Project, presented in association with the Center for Asian American Media, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Being Black and Jewish in Brooklyn

2010-08-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

An interesting article in the NYTimes about being black and Jewish in Brooklyn:

"They are African-Americans and Orthodox Jews, a rare cross-cultural hybrid that seems quintessentially Brooklyn, but received little notice until last week, after Yoseph Robinson, a Jamaican-born convert, was killed during a robbery attempt at the kosher liquor store where he worked. "

Halal Kitchen in Bedstuy, Brooklyn

2010-08-15T19:30:00.001-07:00

I found this Kosher Chinese restaurant off the Franklin Stop on the C train Notice the "no pork" neon sign.

America's Adopted Koreans

2010-08-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this post by Sarah Idzik about America's Adopted Koreans

Interracial Marriages At An All Time High

2010-06-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

Highlights from this CNN article:

About one in seven marriages are interracial or interethnic, according to a new Pew study
Pew Center: Asians and Hispanics are most likely to marry outside of their race
In 2008, African-Americans 3 times more likely to marry outside race, compared with 1980
Americans, particularly Millennials, are more accepting of interracial relationships

Check Out This NYT Article On Kaifeng!

2010-04-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

http://travel.nytimes.com/svc/timespeople/bell.html

Q & A with Belinda Cheung

2009-09-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

Belinda Cheung is a Chinese Jew who went through an Orthodox conversion in 1998. Her husband Jack Botwinik wrote about their relationship in his book, “Chicken Soup with Chopsticks: A Jew’s Struggle For Truth in an Interfaith Relationship.”

She lives in Ottawa, Canada with her family.

Q: What are some of the key challenges you face as someone who is both Chinese and Jewish?

A: Keeping kosher while attending family gatherings with my Chinese family is a challenge. The Chinese, in general, know very little about the Jews, and it makes things (Jewish practices) look very strange at times. Thank G-d, my Chinese family is very respectful of other religions, so in my case, although it is a challenge, there has been no family conflict raised from it.

Q: Do you ever struggle with finding a balance between both cultures? Do you have children? If so, what traditions do you value the most from each culture?

A: I have some but not huge struggle with finding a balance. To me, Judaism is prime. Chinese custom comes second. The challenge is not in what to choose, but how to do what we choose that is acceptable by our Jewish and Chinese parents/relatives.

I have, thank G-d, four kids, ages 8, 6, 3 and 9-month. They are all being raised Orthodox Jewish in terms of ethical living, academy education, life style, etc. They are given both Chinese and Yiddish names. I speak to them in Cantonese, while my husband speak to them in Yiddish. We cook Chinese, Italian (my mother-in-law is Italian from Rome, so my husband cooks Italian) as well as Jewish foods. We have books, games, videos and songs in Chinese, Hebrew and Yiddish.

Q: When did you convert to Judaism and how was the process? Is it typical for one person in an interfaith relationship to switch over?

A: I converted in 1998 in Toronto. In 1994, I started learning about Judaism and the Jewish people informally from dating Jack (now my husband), as we were learning about each others' culture. We also explored other religions, as well as different branches of Judaism, and we both gravitated to Orthodox Judaism. Our learning got more formal and serious. It was very mind-opening and for certain one of the most impactful experiences of my life.

It was not an easy decision to convert. Judaism itself does not proselytize (I was rejected three times even before being considered as a potential convert). Even when one believes in the Torah and the Jewish G-d, there is no obligation to convert. You can live as a righteous gentile and still "go to Heaven" so to speak. My process took about 3 years with lots of learning and changes, both inside (the way I understand the world, men and women, higher purpose, etc.) and outside (the way I dress, I speak, etc.)

For many interfaith couples, the challenge of finding an united way to express their religions usually comes when children come into the picture. I don't think it is typical for a person in an interfaith relationship to completely switch over (although it does happen, as in my case, and many others that I know). Most people find a blended way of doing things. The difficulties are the mixed messages that the children are getting. They may identify with both, or in some cases, neither religion. There are also couples that my husband and I personally know, where one of them become more religious in his/her own religion when they are older (when kids are grown and they are well-established) and it creates trememdous stress in their marriage and families.

Food for Thought

2009-08-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

During a humid and rainy week in July, I traveled around Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn to try kosher Chinese restaurants. The amount of work and dedication some of these restaurant owners put in is very impressive, given none are Jewish themselves.

Mike Mo, the owner of Cho-Sen Garden in Flushing, Queens is someone who has given his professional life to the Jewish people. We visited him on July 30, 2009, the last day of Tishah Beav, or “Av 9,” which commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem. I arrived at 8 p.m. and was told they cold not serve me until 9 p.m. because the restaurant was under the strict supervision of The Rabbinical Association of Queens. Mo and his staff have to abide by all rules including: keeping the Sabbath, having someone on premise to inspect the food and keeping seafood off of the menu.

Mo has worked in non-kosher Chinese restaurants before so I asked him why he chose to run a kosher establishment. His answer? It’s actually more comfortable and easier to keep a kosher restaurant than a regular one. The Jews have more holidays, he never has to work on Saturdays and the menu selection is smaller so they can better control the quality. Also, there is less competition because not many restaurant owners are willing to put in the extra effort to follow all the rules.

Growing up, he was always told if you want to open up a Chinese restaurant, you should do it in a Jewish neighborhood. We’ve also heard this from Jimmy Chin, owner of Chin Chin restaurant on the Upper East Side.

Jackie Ho, 50 from Eden Wok has a different take. He says having a kosher Chinese restaurant has allowed him to experiment and be more creative with his food. For example, he has a Pastrami egg roll on his menu for $3.25.

Ho says it is sometimes hard because he has to turn away customers who come in with coffee or ice cream from the neighboring Dunkin’ Donut. He is not Jewish himself and does not keep kosher, but he respects his customers and can’t think of a better career or restaurant choice.

If you know of other kosher Chinese restaurants or have been to one that we missed on our Keepin' Kosher map, please let us know!

-Candy Cheng

What is an egg cream?

2009-08-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

(Photo via _cck_'s Flickr)

Everyone knows what an egg roll is, but how often do you have egg cream? The first time Brad & I ever tried it was at the Egg Roll and Egg Cream festival on the Lower East Side, so we searched around for the origin of this Jewish treat and found a recipe.

Egg Cream was first created in Brooklyn by a candy shop owner in 1890. The interesting thing is, the drink contains neither egg nor cream - the name derives from an egg white like top that foams up when the drink is mixed up.

1 cup milk
Sparkling seltzer water
About 2 tablespoons Fox's U-Bet Chocolate-Flavored Syrup*

To make an authentic Brooklyn Egg Cream, pour milk into a glass. Add sparkling seltzer water until a white head reaches the top of the glass. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of syrup with a little wrist action.

Please share your Egg Crean recipes and stories with us!