Any good family stories this year?

[NancysSummerSip]

Just a few weeks ago, I read that it was a Jewish tradition....I had no idea! lol

The good story about Jews and Chinese food: you know about the twelve tribes of Israel, of course. There's always been historic references to a thirteenth tribe. The fun idea was that the Chinese represented that lost tribe. For the record the twelve tribes were:
Not true, however. There is no genetic link between ancient Jews and any Asian cultures.

It's mostly because we don't celebrate Christmas but need something to do. Most Chinese don't celebrate it, either. Their restaurants give us something to do, and give them a way to cash in. Pretty much a win-win.

Another interesting reason for our affinity for Chinese food: in the early years of Jewish immigration to the U.S., most Jews tried to maintain kashrut, or dietary laws. But as time passed and assimilation into American life became important, the Chinese restaurant was the ethnic bridge or the gateway drug, so to speak, when moving from the old world ways into the new world. Foods like roast pork and shrimp fried rice, which no Jew would have in their home, seemed more acceptable if consumed outside the home as a special treat, or in the course of conducting business deals or in a social setting dining with friends. And many parents and grandparents would take the children out to the local Chinese joint to eat, but would themselves refrain from eating. Or they would order "safe" items like chicken or vegetables, glossing over the fact that all these foods were prepared in the same kitchen on the same surfaces anyway.

And of course, Chinese food was "exotic" for Jews because let's face it: Eastern European Jewish cuisine is a very brown cuisine - lots of gravy, kasha, potatoes, fatty meats and breads, with onions and carrots tossed in as the main vegetables. Even that gluey, starchy Cantonese Chinese food must have looked pretty wild in comparison.

[Plain Old Petunia]

  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah
Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, and Gad
Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin
These are the sons of Israel. 

[alabamagal]

Dec 28, 2015 15:00:45 GMT -5 oped said:

My biggest concern with crone's nephew was 'I want to own and operate a restaurant'... Is that what most people with that degree do? Does he understand the process of getting there and running a successful restaurant? The hours? Etc. 

Son would love to design video games. Who wouldn't. The reality of the situation is that most people with the degree he was looking at Don't end up with that end. They end up doing educational or government simulations, they end up in marketing, etc... IF they are actually doing something in the field.  So, when he looked at the degree I also made him job shadow some of the things that people WERE doing with the degree... Not just the one end product he desired. Again though, I'm the drudge pulling down everyone's dreams..

So, does nephew want yo work in hospitality and tourism? Or does he want to own a restaurant... Would be my question...

My daughter got a degree in marine biology.  Did an internship.  Jobs in that field are hard to come by without a masters.  She now works in the hospitality field!  She is the cafe manager for a large bookseller.  She worked for a year and got promoted to cafe manager.  She makes decent money although the company may go out of business soon if you read the business section.  But then she will at least have management experience.

[lynnerself]

Dec 28, 2015 14:52:16 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

I've heard that restaurant management can be very difficult and extremely taxing mentally. No thank you.

My BIL went to an expensive chef school. (CIA in New York). He worked in several restaurants, saved his money and opened his own place on the Oregon coast. No family money or investors. He has done very well. But... he also worked very hard. The hours were awful. His wife was the hostess and manager. His kids spent after school and summers at the restaurant.

[raeoflyte]

Dec 28, 2015 14:51:52 GMT -5 swamp said:

Dec 28, 2015 14:45:21 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

There's one in Orlando area that had a great reputation too but you don't go there to major in finance. If you change majors and focus sometimes you need to change schools. Considering this young man has been in school for awhile and still has awhile to go, 6 year plan I think, he needs some guidance. One of DD's friends has two brothers as well as himself who are all doing fine but his sister is floundering and now wants to be a vet tech. Great. A 25k program to make $8.75 an hour. Needless to say the whole family is unhappy and upset but no one has the courage to sit her down and say anything because they don't want to make her feel bad? So they all think and say "loser" behind her back. Lovely. I asked DD's friend was his parents going to pay for it? He said no but that they didn't want to tell her that yet. Good grief.

The vet techs here make $20 an hour. That's not bad for a LCOLA.

Small or large animal?  If small, I'm amazed.  They don't make that here without a lot of extra certifications and experience.  

[Tennesseer]

Dec 28, 2015 16:07:44 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Just a few weeks ago, I read that it was a Jewish tradition....I had no idea! lol

The good story about Jews and Chinese food: you know about the twelve tribes of Israel, of course. There's always been historic references to a thirteenth tribe. The fun idea was that the Chinese represented that lost tribe. For the record the twelve tribes were:
Not true, however. There is no genetic link between ancient Jews and any Asian cultures.

It's mostly because we don't celebrate Christmas but need something to do. Most Chinese don't celebrate it, either. Their restaurants give us something to do, and give them a way to cash in. Pretty much a win-win.

I went to Las Vegas for Christmas one year. While I cannot vouch for the ethnicity of all those gambling while I was there (I only spent $1 playing a slot machine), the vast majority of the folks eating in the casino restaurants on Christmas Day were Chinese.

[mojothehelpermonkey]

My highlights:
Everyone is thrilled about our engagement. Apparently we have been on one grandma's prayer list for a while.
My mom is super excited about us moving back to my hometown next summer. We can live in her fiance's house (they already live in their new one) until we get ourselves set up.
Without even needing to pry at all, my mom confirmed that she has all of her affairs in order regarding her upcoming marriage.
I think my brother is starting to lose his hearing (not quite a highlight). He enjoys loud music and has been playing in bands since he was a teenager, so it's not that surprising. While he and my mom were visiting, he didn't hear me a couple of different times when I asked him if he was hungry or told him food was ready. At the same time, he might just be tuning me and my mom's chatter out.

Regarding the spin-off topic, I dated a guy a while ago who had a front desk (but still somewhat career-track) job at the Marriott. He loved it because he could travel the world and still have a job in most major cities. I am a homebody, so that lifestyle doesn't appeal to me, but he loved it. Also, he was from another country that may or may not have a better safety net in case you cannot save for retirement or pay for health care.

[swamp]

Dec 29, 2015 18:23:45 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Dec 28, 2015 14:51:52 GMT -5 swamp said:

The vet techs here make $20 an hour. That's not bad for a LCOLA.

Small or large animal?  If small, I'm amazed.  They don't make that here without a lot of extra certifications and experience.  

Large.  Dairy farms. 

[beergut]

Dec 28, 2015 16:07:44 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Just a few weeks ago, I read that it was a Jewish tradition....I had no idea! lol

The good story about Jews and Chinese food: you know about the twelve tribes of Israel, of course. There's always been historic references to a thirteenth tribe. The fun idea was that the Chinese represented that lost tribe. For the record the twelve tribes were:
Not true, however. There is no genetic link between ancient Jews and any Asian cultures.

It's mostly because we don't celebrate Christmas but need something to do. Most Chinese don't celebrate it, either. Their restaurants give us something to do, and give them a way to cash in. Pretty much a win-win.

Another interesting reason for our affinity for Chinese food: in the early years of Jewish immigration to the U.S., most Jews tried to maintain kashrut, or dietary laws. But as time passed and assimilation into American life became important, the Chinese restaurant was the ethnic bridge or the gateway drug, so to speak, when moving from the old world ways into the new world. Foods like roast pork and shrimp fried rice, which no Jew would have in their home, seemed more acceptable if consumed outside the home as a special treat, or in the course of conducting business deals or in a social setting dining with friends. And many parents and grandparents would take the children out to the local Chinese joint to eat, but would themselves refrain from eating. Or they would order "safe" items like chicken or vegetables, glossing over the fact that all these foods were prepared in the same kitchen on the same surfaces anyway.

And of course, Chinese food was "exotic" for Jews because let's face it: Eastern European Jewish cuisine is a very brown cuisine - lots of gravy, kasha, potatoes, fatty meats and breads, with onions and carrots tossed in as the main vegetables. Even that gluey, starchy Cantonese Chinese food must have looked pretty wild in comparison.

Interesting, because most food served in Chinese restaurants here are not real Chinese cuisine, but their spin on traditional American comfort foods. Think of how many different ways they serve fried chicken (lemon chicken, orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, hot pepper chicken, etc.), for example. 

[zibazinski]

DH used to tease me that the kids and I celebrated Christmas Day the way Jews do. Eating Chinese and going to the movies!!

[NancysSummerSip]

Dec 29, 2015 18:30:14 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Dec 28, 2015 16:07:44 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

The good story about Jews and Chinese food: you know about the twelve tribes of Israel, of course. There's always been historic references to a thirteenth tribe. The fun idea was that the Chinese represented that lost tribe. For the record the twelve tribes were:
Not true, however. There is no genetic link between ancient Jews and any Asian cultures.

It's mostly because we don't celebrate Christmas but need something to do. Most Chinese don't celebrate it, either. Their restaurants give us something to do, and give them a way to cash in. Pretty much a win-win.

I went to Las Vegas for Christmas one year. While I cannot vouch for the ethnicity of all those gambling while I was there (I only spent $1 playing a slot machine), the vast majority of the folks eating in the casino restaurants on Christmas Day were Chinese.

Gambling is becoming a bigger and bigger pastime among Asians, because their wealth, especially among the Chinese, is increasing. A number of Vegas hotels have or are considering building outposts in Southeast Asia. Macao is the center of gambling there, and although there have been issues, it's still a big draw:

www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/china-may-help-sinking-macau-casino-industry

[taz157]

Dec 30, 2015 9:17:49 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Dec 29, 2015 18:30:14 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I went to Las Vegas for Christmas one year. While I cannot vouch for the ethnicity of all those gambling while I was there (I only spent $1 playing a slot machine), the vast majority of the folks eating in the casino restaurants on Christmas Day were Chinese.

Gambling is becoming a bigger and bigger pastime among Asians, because their wealth, especially among the Chinese, is increasing. A number of Vegas hotels have or are considering building outposts in Southeast Asia. Macao is the center of gambling there, and although there have been issues, it's still a big draw:

www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/china-may-help-sinking-macau-casino-industry

There's an article in today's Wall Street Journal about Macao and their gambling. Basically in 2015, their revenues dropped by 50% and they are building a new casino with no VIP areas.

[NancysSummerSip]

Dec 29, 2015 20:09:30 GMT -5 beergut said:

Dec 28, 2015 16:07:44 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

The good story about Jews and Chinese food: you know about the twelve tribes of Israel, of course. There's always been historic references to a thirteenth tribe. The fun idea was that the Chinese represented that lost tribe. For the record the twelve tribes were:
Not true, however. There is no genetic link between ancient Jews and any Asian cultures.

It's mostly because we don't celebrate Christmas but need something to do. Most Chinese don't celebrate it, either. Their restaurants give us something to do, and give them a way to cash in. Pretty much a win-win.

Another interesting reason for our affinity for Chinese food: in the early years of Jewish immigration to the U.S., most Jews tried to maintain kashrut, or dietary laws. But as time passed and assimilation into American life became important, the Chinese restaurant was the ethnic bridge or the gateway drug, so to speak, when moving from the old world ways into the new world. Foods like roast pork and shrimp fried rice, which no Jew would have in their home, seemed more acceptable if consumed outside the home as a special treat, or in the course of conducting business deals or in a social setting dining with friends. And many parents and grandparents would take the children out to the local Chinese joint to eat, but would themselves refrain from eating. Or they would order "safe" items like chicken or vegetables, glossing over the fact that all these foods were prepared in the same kitchen on the same surfaces anyway.

And of course, Chinese food was "exotic" for Jews because let's face it: Eastern European Jewish cuisine is a very brown cuisine - lots of gravy, kasha, potatoes, fatty meats and breads, with onions and carrots tossed in as the main vegetables. Even that gluey, starchy Cantonese Chinese food must have looked pretty wild in comparison.

Interesting, because most food served in Chinese restaurants here are not real Chinese cuisine, but their spin on traditional American comfort foods. Think of how many different ways they serve fried chicken (lemon chicken, orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, hot pepper chicken, etc.), for example. 

That's true. Chinese food here, for the most part, has no relation to what is served in China, any more than U.S-Italian food has much similarity to anything in Italy. Like most cuisines that travel, food adapts and changes as it crosses borders and oceans. Is that a good or bad thing? I think it can be both. But to the Jews of the 1950s through the 1970s, Chinese food available here was pretty exotic compared to their own Jewish mama's cooking.

Now, thanks to the Internet and easier traveling, we know better. We know Cantonese Chinese is not the be-all and end-all of Chinese food. We know about Szechuan spiciness, the hot and sour of Hunan and the dim sum of Shanghai. Those flaming mai-tai drinks were hilarious fun, but if you're brave, so is a hot pot filled with bubbling oil and peppercorns for dunking meat, fish and vegetables. And because we know better and because we're a country open to new people and ideas, those new flavors have shown up, along with Vietnamese, Thai and Mongolian dishes.
So we've grown up. And yes, thanks to the Chinese, a lot of Jews lost their kosher virginity.

[Lizard Queen]

I'm not Jewish, but my family has always celebrated Christmas Eve, so Christmas Day has been sort of a quiet day, depending on sig other's family plans. I could totally go for Chinese food and a movie, except I'm not sure what, if any, local Chinese restaurants may be open. This Christmas Day, MIL was alone, so we were stuck entertaining her for the hell of it. We celebrated Christmas with her and BIL on Sunday, so it would have been nice to have the 25th to just relax. Oh well. I'll dream of Chinese and a movie (and no MIL) for next year.

[MJ2.0]

I would love to spend Christmas Day going to AC with my mom and aunts, eating Chinese food and gambling.