My therapist, with a wry smile, once shared a joke: “Chinese culture is ancient, maybe 4000 years old. But Jewish culture? It’s 1000 years older! The real mystery is: how did we survive for a millennium without Chinese food?”
He’s a good therapist, though perhaps not a stand-up comedian. Yet, his joke, like a set of Chinese boxes, was layered with stereotypes that, surprisingly, held grains of truth. The stereotype that particularly resonated was: Jews love Chinese food. And I fit right in. This fondness became even more profound after living in China for three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guizhou Province – a place so remote, it’s often described as the heart of China.
Living there was an extraordinary experience. As one of the few foreigners my students had ever encountered, my presence often drew reactions akin to seeing Chewbacca walk into a classroom. I was the subject of stares, whispers, and even a bit of fear. I was unexpectedly recruited for the university basketball team (becoming, perhaps jokingly, the only ‘Shaq’ with Jewish roots). I was even asked to play Santa Claus at the local Walmart.
Once the initial novelty wore off, I immersed myself in my real purpose: teaching grammar and vocabulary to students from remote farming villages. In return, they became my culinary guides, introducing me to a spectrum of foods I’d never imagined, from millipede to chicken talons, and beyond.
Unlike some travelers, who shall remain unnamed (but let’s just say their name rhymes with David Sedaris), I genuinely fell in love with the food in China. Notice I didn’t just say “Chinese food“. There’s a reason for that. “Chinese food,” as I knew it, was the takeout enjoyed every Christmas Eve back home in America. It was the familiar comfort of lo mein, wonton soup, and moo shu pork. It was, of course, the ubiquitous General Tso’s chicken. But “food in China” was something else entirely. It was worlds apart from what I considered “Chinese food“.
My culinary affections are threefold: I love food in China, I love Chinese food (the Americanized version), and I strive to keep kosher. The question then became: can these three passions coexist? This week, I embark on a quest to discover the ultimate New York restaurant that harmonizes all three. As Karl Marx, surprisingly revered in China, might have proclaimed, “Working people of the world unite and find good Kosher Chinese food!”
Image alt text: Michael Levy, a Peace Corps volunteer in China, showcasing his basketball skills, highlighting his unexpected role on a university team and his experiences beyond teaching.
