Pair Like A Pro: This Christmas, Wine and Chinese Food Make A Happy Family

Pair Like A Pro: This Christmas, Wine and Chinese Food Make A Happy Family

Urban myth or for reals? A tradition begun in New York City more than 100 years ago by Lower East Side Jews, eating Chinese food on Christmas day remains a popular convention—so much so that this hand-lettered sign, posted in the window of a Chinese restaurant, itself has become an annual viral event. No one really knows if it's for real, a gag or a meme, but it speaks of the much-loved ritual's continuance. In a recent post on the Jewish Forward, author Joshua Eli Plaut, who is also the rabbi of Metropolitan Synagogue of New York, suggests it's all in fun. "We have found no evidence of this being authentic or not. It's urban folklore. But it doesn't matter because the message is funny and it just goes to show you this is a real phenomenon," he told the Forward reporter. Of course, you don't have to be Jewish to partake, but you do have to know what to drink with your Sichuan or Cantonese (or any of the other six styles). Unlike other pairings, with Chinese cuisine, you don't match the wines to the protein but to the sauces accompanying it. Generally speaking (and rules can be broken