Let the sunshine in

The spirit of the season.

On Christmas Day, Jews everywhere flock to Chinese restaurants. I live in an area that’s easily 60% Jewish (if not more…north shore of Chicago whut whuttt). For the first time in 30 years, my favorite local Chinese place opened on Christmas day.

This is a family-owned local favorite. Their normal staff consists of two servers, a cashier and two cooks. They didn’t know how busy they would be…or how much the community loves them. When we arrived at 6:20, there was a line out the door for pickup. We didn’t find an empty table for 20 minutes. It was another 20 before our table was bussed. It took a half hour to get egg rolls and another hour on top of that to get our entrees.

In the midst of all the chaos, a woman and her daughter sitting behind us didn’t want to sit still. They asked if they could help clear off a table for an elderly couple that sat neglected at an unbussed table in a corner. It inspired a movement in this tiny restaurant. Everyone pitched in. They bussed the tables. I refilled all the teapots and sweet and sour sauce containers. The man sitting near the TV made sure everyone’s water glasses were full. Another woman in the booth behind my mother made sure every table was set and everyone else had ample napkains. No one walked out. No one complained. We became one big family all eating together in one space.

These are my people. This is the spirit of the season.