2016.)) This was, as Lookstein explained, “Devastating” for New York Jews and food lovers, who had created a community around the eatery. 2016.)) In combining the two cuisines, they were respectful of one another, as both cultures are typically open and welcoming to others.ĭespite its successful reception by the Jewish food community, Schmulka Bernstein’s was sold by the Bernstein family in the early 1990s and closed shortly after. 2016.)) Instead of wearing yarmulkes, the waiters at Schmulka Bernstein’s would wear Chinese skullcaps.((Schneider, Daniel B. The fusion of cuisines and cultures is exciting and is especially important to note because of the fact that the Chinese and the Jews were the largest non-Christian immigrant groups in New York.((“Bernstein’sonEssex – Feed the Spirit.” Feed the Spirit. 14 December 2014.)) Another force that increased the communal feel was “the regulars.” Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, another faithful Schmulka Bernstein’s customer, remembers “This older single guy – a salesman, always sitting in the front room…he was just there, like a regular at any Manhattan diner.”((Lookstein, Rabbi Joshua. As Baruch relayed, “I feel very strongly that it was really about the social… even though the food was delicious… it was the place to be, especially Thursday night and Saturday night.” ((Baruch, Shira. 2014.)) This might be the reason why the Jews love Chinese food so much.Īside from its cultural fusion, Schmulka Bernstein’s was also a place of communal gathering for Jewish people of all ages.

“Chinese Food and beyond” Yiddish Book Center. Moreover, Chinese food aligned with Jewish practice because it does not include dairy products. 14 December 2014.)) This combination of these two cultures was convenient to some extent because of the ingredients “Chinese cuisine was both exotic and familiar” because it relied on chicken both, garlic, onions, and culinary practices that were quite similar to those of the Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern European. It only occurred to me way after it closed that that was so strange…Jackie Mason used to have a whole thing about how you never hear of an Asian person eating gefilte fish…” ((Baruch, Shira. She said in an interview with the author that Schmulka Bernstein’s “had a Chinese menu and a traditional Jewish food menu. 2016.))Īs Shira Baruch, a New York Jew who frequented Schmulka Bernstein’s during its lifetime, explained, the juxtaposition of Chinese and Jewish, of the foreign and familiar, gave Schmulka Bernstein’s an exciting yet homey feel. They would put their own spin on traditional dishes like moo goo gai pen and steak kow, and eventually created the dish “lo mein Bernstein.”((Schneider, Daniel B. However, they didn’t lose the essence of the Chinese cuisine. Similarly, the waiters wore traditional tasseled Chinese caps instead of yarmulkes, and there was a popular dish named “lo mein Bernstein” made with chicken livers. In addition to substituting veal, beef, and chicken livers for pork, they would avoid Chinese dishes that had shellfish in them. Substituting veal, beef, and chicken livers for pork, Schmulka Bernstein’s combined two cultures in a manner that had not been done before. 2016.)) It quickly became home to both specialized meats and the unique, kosher versions of Chinese delicacies.

“When Schmulka Bernstein’s Ruled Essex Street.” Bowery Boogie. Sooner or later, after simply offering traditional Jewish food, they decided in 1959 to start serving Cantonese-style favorites along with the traditional eats.((Elie.

It wasn’t until 1957 when the family started Bernstein-on-Essex, soon to be known as Schmulka Bernstein’s. He left to start Bernstein’s Deli on the Lower East Side, where he offered traditional deli fare. Located at 135 Essex Street, the eatery’s slogan was “Where kashrut is king and quality reigns” and was the first kosher Chinese restaurant in New York City. When Solomon Bernstein first came to the Lower East Side, he had just departed from his father’s butcher business where he and his three brothers worked. Before Jews were eating Chinese Food on Christmas Eve, Schmulka Bernstein’s, also known as Bernstein on Essex, merged Jewish cuisine and Chinese cuisine into an appealing deli and restaurant on Essex Street in New York City.

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