The Resy Guide to a Chinese Banquet-Style Christmas in New York
Readers, perhaps this is the year to take a page from the Jewish holiday playbook. No, not frying up latkes or making sufganiyot from scratch for Hanukkah — we’re talking about the hallowed tradition of Chinese food on Christmas day.
After all, with COVID cases surging dramatically, your holiday plans may or may not have changed; if you’re staying in New York, the holidays still need celebrating. What better way than with a Chinese takeout feast? Chinese banquets are the stuff of legends, with a history that spawns thousands of years. And, let’s be real, it’s hard not to see Peking duck as a superior holiday poultry choice.
Venturing to any of the city’s Chinatowns this holiday season — including Flushing or Brooklyn’s Sunset Park — is a chance to support some of the neighborhoods most affected by the pandemic. If these small businesses lack the flash of more traditional Christmas options, they are an integral part of the city — and especially in Manhattan’s Chinatown, they need the help now more than ever. Plus, they happen to have some of the best holiday takeout deals in town. So get ready: 2020 may be your most New York Christmas yet.
