Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Merry Christmas Everyone

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

301–310 of 407 posts

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#301

Post by ilbeeper »

woodruffw wrote: post #262
AznHisoka wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, i am ignorant, but why do most Jewish people eat Chinese food on Christmas? Is there something I am missing?

Others have mentioned that it's because Chinese places are open, but another reason is that Chinese food is (or was) not obviously treif, meaning that there is (or was) a degree of plausible deniability around eating it. Source: family apocrypha.

I was under the impression that Chinese food is all about pork. Something like that Modi's rant: https://m.facebook.com/reel/1021462526286349

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#302

Post by cjbgkagh »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #264
kizer wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe if they stopped the endless reboots, remakes, sequels and derivatives. There’s still a good one every once in a while. Oh well, I know what movie I’m watching today… you’ll shoot your eye out, kid!

Welcome to Hollywood's two decades of superhero movies.... I'm sure historians will greedily watch many of the classics of this early part of the 21st Century. It's Christmas, I shouldn't be so negative. I think I'll indulge in Alastair Sims' version of "A Christmas Carol".

It’s the J.J. Abrams misery box storytelling that ruined most TV shows / movies for me. Turning lazy writing from a vice into a virtue. Many shows now feel like they’re actively and intentionally wasting my time, ironically curing me of my desire to watch TV/Movies freeing up time for better uses.

The other lazy writing is the lack of conflict resolution enabling a continuous source of needless conflict, making an entire show out of a situation that could have easily been resolved if there had been a single ‘adult’ in the room. This has the added problem of normalizing the extreme confrontational or evasive communication styles as opposed to productive engagements. I guess this is what happens when TV raises a generation and then that generation goes on to make their own TV shows, each cycle worse than the previous. As bad as ‘engagement’/‘rage bait’ YouTubers are now I shudder to imagine what the next generation would bring.

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#303

Post by ilbeeper »

29athrowaway wrote: post #79
jedberg wrote: post #13

I'm Jewish, so all my Christmas's growing up were kinda the same. Sleep in, have brunch, wander over to my neighbor's house around noon to see what kind of loot they got and help them play with their new toys. Sometimes we'd go out for Chinese food and a movie. But my favorite was Christmas 1999. My girlfriend was out of town with her family and there was no reason to go home to mine, so I was alone (my roommates wer…

Jews have contributed significantly to what is recognizable today as Christmas time. Many catchy classic Christmas songs were written by Jewish songwriters.

We also contributed the protagonist.

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#304

Post by woodruffw »

ilbeeper wrote: post #301
woodruffw wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Others have mentioned that it's because Chinese places are open, but another reason is that Chinese food is (or was) not obviously treif, meaning that there is (or was) a degree of plausible deniability around eating it. Source: family apocrypha.

I was under the impression that Chinese food is all about pork. Something like that Modi's rant: https://m.facebook.com/reel/1021462526286349

There's also a lot of vegetarian/non-pork-but-fleishig Chinese food. But the point was more that Chinese food that isn't kosher isn't obviously so, especially 60-70 years ago when it was less commonplace.

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#306

Post by woodruffw »

emchammer wrote: post #292
woodruffw wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Others have mentioned that it's because Chinese places are open, but another reason is that Chinese food is (or was) not obviously treif, meaning that there is (or was) a degree of plausible deniability around eating it. Source: family apocrypha.

I was not aware that the error bars between kashrut and marit ayin are that wide. I figured that it was because of the intersection of Jewish middle class culture and Chinese culture starting in the 1930s, and because Chinese restaurants generally do not serve dairy products.

I think those are factors as well!

This is all apocrypha, so take it with a grain of salt. But my understanding is that this would be a case where marit ayin would not be a significant concern, since the Chinese dishes in question were not visually identifiable as e.g. pork.

Or another framing: if you were a semi-secular family (like mine) that tried to keep a semi-kosher home, it would be easier to eat a dish that contained finely minced pork or shellfish or similar. American Chinese food fits those parameters while also being available on Christmas, etc.

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#308

Post by [deleted] »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #221
whoisstan wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I refer to dark city all the time when creating AI agents, when Kiefer would inject them with particular memories when the city stood still. And Shell Beach pops into my mind when I take the train to the former grandios Coney Island. Existenz was another unique underappreciated movie of that year and whose theme never got picked by any other movie. When Jude Law realizes that the Chinese food he is eating can be put…

The Matrix, Dark City, The Thirteenth Floor, and Existenz. Saw all of them in 1999 / 2000, my career direction was decided in that brief period.

[deleted]

Re: Merry Christmas Everyone

#309

Post by snozolli »

ashitlerferad wrote: post #147

As a JW I never celebrated either. It’s strange because my wife is Lutheran and she’s probably the most excited adult about Christmas I’ve ever met. Bakes the Ham, turkey, Christmas PJs, Love Actually, Home Alones and gifts Christmas morning. I love seeing her happy as much as I love food. So it works out. I don’t get involved beyond what I would do on a regular day which is be happy for her, have good conversation a…

and a nod to my beliefs.

You could have just said that you're still a believer. Not being 'active' doesn't mean anything if you're still a believer.

I don't know why you'd refuse to embrace the joy of Christmas in your situation. Self-denial and suffering aren't noble virtues, contrary to what religion loves to tell people. It's okay to enjoy things.

Post reply on HN