Christmas Day crowds flock to Chinese restaurants for sit-down dinner tradition
For customers coming in to eat Chinese food, they say its a ritual they partake in every year, and it's a nice treat for those who chose to stay in the city for the holiday.
More Stories
Christmas Day sometimes comes with a unique tradition in Brooklyn, when thousands of residents flock to Chinese restaurants to enjoy the food and socialize on a day where many places are closed.
"People always ask 'What's the connection between Jewish people and Chinese food?' It's simple: we grew up right next to each other, we were right near Chinatown, Chinese people were Jewish people's neighbors and vice versa, so we shared traditions, accommodated each other when we could, and we learned to love that cuisine," said Josh Grinker, head chef of Kings Co. Imperial in Williamsburg.
He says the day is, by far, their busiest sales day of the year, with the kitchen prepping for thousands of customers - all looking to take part in the tradition.
"You're talking gallons of scallions, hundreds of dumplings, everything's blanched and ready to go into that ripping hot wok and out to the customers to get that Wok-chi flavor," Grinker said.
For customers coming in, they say its a ritual they partake in every year, and it's a nice treat for those who chose to stay in the city for the holiday.
"You have to, you know it's open, and it's like the end of a Christmas story they get it so we do to," said resident Eric Malka.
Grinker says the restaurant takes influence from central Chinese cooking, so many ingredients are blanched ahead of time to help get orders like pot stickers, noodles, and classic favorites like eggplant and wontons out to tables as fast as crowds are coming in, all off of just two woks that are ripping non-stop throughout service.
"We love seeing the crowd, and we are so excited to share this with those folks who may not have family in town, to give them that tradition, and serving them and everyone it is a tradition for us we are proud of," Grinker said.
