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While most businesses and restaurants in Windsor shut their doors on Christmas Day, a handful remained open to serve those looking for a different festive tradition.
Chinese restaurants are a popular choice among foodies swapping the standard Christmas fare of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes for dishes like wonton soup, spring rolls, and dumplings.
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“We’ve been here about seven years and every single year we’re open Christmas Day,” said Chester Huang, owner of Shanghai Bistro, a hotspot for classic Chinese cuisine on Wyandotte Street West.
“The reason we stay open every year is because we always get our regulars coming back — they know we are open.”
Each year, Huang said the restaurant sees about twice as many diners on the holiday compared to a typical day. He said New Year’s Eve will be another busy night for the local eatery.
In anticipation of more reservations and takeout orders flooding in on Wednesday, Huang said around 1,000 dumplings were prepared in advance to meet the demand.
Shanghai Bistro’s handcrafted xiao long bao — steamed soup dumplings filled with a flavourful broth and meat — are a favourite among Windsor regulars and even attract customers from Detroit, he said.
On Christmas Day, however, Shanghai Bistro — like other Chinese restaurants that kept their doors open — also attracted many Jewish diners.
For members of the Jewish community, who don’t recognized Christmas as a holiday, ordering Chinese food on Dec. 25 is a long-held custom.
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“This was the tradition growing up,” said Zara Teicher, a Jewish resident of Detroit, who on Wednesday dined at Shanghai Bistro with Thom Fogarty and their daughter, Dahlia.
“I think it started because Chinese places are some of the only restaurants open on Christmas Day. So, we always did that in my family — it’s a fun tradition.”
Teicher said her family usually orders takeout, but this year chose to try something new. After scouring online restaurant reviews, they settled on Shanghai Bistro in Windsor.
“I found that the resounding positive reviews seemed to lead to this place,” said Thom Fogarty.
“The soup dumplings also sounded really interesting, so that’s a big part of what brought us here.”
Asked about Shanghai Bistro’s draw among Michigan-area foodies, Huang credited a Detroit Metro Times review published nearly seven years ago, shortly after the restaurant’s opening.
According to a history.com article, the Jewish tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Day began in urban areas such as New York City in the early 20th century. At the time, Jewish and Chinese immigrant communities lived in close proximity.
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“Jewish people don’t celebrate Christmas — we celebrate Hanukkah,” said Rabbi Sholom Galperin, co-director of the Chabad Jewish Centre of Windsor.
Galperin said the Jewish community’s Christmas tradition emerged out of necessity.
“Jewish people wanted to order food and the only restaurants that were open were Chinese,” he said.
“I remember, even as a kid and as a teenager, my parents would ask, ‘Hey, what are we going to eat for supper? Let’s go get Chinese.’”
Hanukkah is usually celebrated before or after Christmas. The eight-day Jewish holiday involves the lighting the menorah, a candelabrum with an equal number of branches.
However, this year is different.
For the first time since 2005, the start of the Jewish holiday has coincided with Christmas Day. This rare overlap has occurred only five times since 1990.
However, staying true to tradition, Galperin said he still planned to enjoy Chinese food on Wednesday evening prior to lighting the first candle on the menorah.
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A larger ceremony for Windsor’s Jewish community took place Thursday at the riverfront at Dieppe Gardens.
The celebration included the lighting of Windsor’s tallest menorah, which stands at about seven feet.
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