Chinese New Year

So… my extended family is heading out to their traditional Chinese dinner this year. They nearly forfeited this outing to go to a kosher restaurant. I know! Can you believe it? That is a step closer than the past years when it wasn’t even a thought, but part of the family felt that it wasn’t in their budget. I understand budgets and I don’t expect them to eat at the one or two kosher restaurants on my behalf. I was even surprised by the consideration! I would have offered kosher Chinese take out food at home, but they have a tradition and the take out is closed. So they will continue on with their tradition of chicken chow mien, sizzling rice soup and beef and broccoli on Christmas Day at the Lucky Key. The Chinese people love the Jews and they love Christmas Day when Jews frequent their restaurants. The movie theaters love us too. My extended family will sit all huddled together laughing, eating and having a wonderful time. My boys and I will join them for the movie and then do something else for dinner. This is the sacrifice I make year after year with more than just this occasion. 

I actually find peace in all of this, though. As hard as this is for me to understand, there is a grand plan playing out whether it personally benefits me or not. I don’t claim to understand it, nor do the Chinese restaurant owners. But somehow this is all going to work itself out. Either our next generation of Jews are all going to become very comfortable with the Chinese and a variety of other traditions that land in their lap, we are all going to wake up and realize that keeping kosher outweighs eating Chinese, or someone really smart is going to open a great sit-down kosher Chinese restaurant and offer “Chinese and a Movie” on Christmas Day. I'm putting my reservation in now!